As you all might know by now, I work part-time in a bookstore. It pays the self-publishing bills… And provides ample fodder for this particular series of my blog.
This past weekend was especially trying as I was forced to actually work instead of hide in the store-room/behind stacks of books to write. Which means I had to deal with customers a little more than usual. Customers such as the Bargain Whisperer. This old man crept up to the counter, one finger over his lips in a shushing gesture, and then the following conversation took place:
Bargain Whisperer: Psst! The other store has a book for $2 that you have for $4.
Me: (also whispering) Okay…
Bargain Whisperer: It’s cheaper there.
Me: So go there.
Bargain Whisperer: I just came from there.
Me: So go back.
Bargain Whisperer: Why is it cheaper there?
Me: *sighing loudly* Each store is responsible for setting its own prices. We have some items that are cheaper here than they are there and vice versa. We each mark things down as we see fit to move the products.
Bargain Whisperer: (still whispering) When is the next 50% off sale?
Me: We usually don’t know until the day before.
Bargain Whisperer: But it’s in the paper.
Me: I don’t know anything about that. Maybe the owner puts it in the paper. But I assure you we as employees don’t know until the weekend of the sale.
Bargain Whisperer: You know. Is that so you have time to mark all the books higher?
Me: Sir, I don’t know what kind of Bargain Book Warehouse conspiracy scandal you think we’re operating but it would take us weeks to manually change the prices on all the books in the store.
Bargain Whisperer: I’m whispering because I don’t want anyone to hear…
Me: I don’t care if anyone hears.
Bargain Whisperer: So you’ll tell me the truth.
Me: I am telling you the truth.
Bargain Whisperer: Why are you being so curt? I’m not angry.
Me: No, but you’re annoying me.
Yes. I told this poor, elderly, whispering chap that he was annoying me. I never claimed to possess an exemplary set of people skills. But you know what I do possess? This fabulous tote bag:
Click the image to be whisked away to my previous post where you can win said fabulous tote bag. Or you can go here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
You have until December 16th and I will be adding this reminder every Monday until then. Good luck!
journeyofjordannaeast 
I’m not sure there’s a writer in existence that has good people skills. I probably would have been so much worse. Like firstly why are we whispering and second… I have better things to do than listen to your conspiracy theories about book mark-ups. Like write the next great American novel… please leave. Lool. 🙂 So good job because you handled it better than I would have.
I actually was in the middle of something: looking up the salem witch trials for my historical fiction. What a twerp for interrupting me, haha.
Lool. That’s always fun. Gotta love Salem Witch Trials… I kinda hinted at that in book 1.
I think they’re fascinating. Want to write a whole series set amidst them.
Me too! Well not a whole series but still.
Haha. We’ll have to cross-promote!
Yes! Everyone after you read my book go read Jordanna’s… well… I guess probably yours first cause I have about a million ideas in the works before I even can hope to get to anything on Salem but still. 😀
Oh no, me too. I have to finish this series, then another, then comes Salem. Circa 2018? Haha
Sounds about right.
Funny post. You’ve got to have patience when dealing with certain people 🙂
The older I get, the less patience I seem to have. I predict a shooting spree when I’m 87.
(Just a joke FBI/Homeland Security. I kid, I kid!)
Hahahaha. Poor old guy but sometimes you have to go there.
And I’m hardly ever shy of ”going there.”
I think that’s a good thing.
Me too
Ha ha ha! Did he buy anything?
Xx
Of course not. He was not there to buy books. He was there to uncover a scandal of some sort. And annoy the crap out of me…
Lol 😉
Xx