Posted on 09/15/2004 5:04:36 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Conservatives like to tell war stories-and refute them, a la the Swift Boat Vets-and some of those stories concern bookstores. And the people who work in them. Who tend to be….well, not exactly the most conservative-friendly people in the world. The bookstore leftist is more standard than the bookstore cat. And conservatives have often found these stores to be hostile territory.
In recent weeks, reports have circulated that customers-or would-be customers-are having a hard time finding Unfit for Command, John O'Neill's anti-Kerry book. Conservatives have suspected that stores are keeping it from them, or that clerks are deep-sixing them, or that something untoward is happening. Paranoia is in the air.
But sometimes paranoids can be on to something. I don't scoff at these suspicions, mainly because of my own experience-most of it in Ann Arbor, Mich., my hometown. (Ann Arbor is a bookseller's paradise, and, in some ways, a conservative's hell.) I worked at a store called The Little Professor. The manager there-a nice guy, actually-wouldn't put out conservative magazines and gun magazines. He flat refused to bring them to the floor, acting as censor. My brilliant (and conservative) friend Eddie Krause came up with a new name for the store: The Little Suppressor.
It may be hard to believe, but it took something like an act of courage to buy a conservative magazine in an Ann Arbor bookstore. I used to dread it-the clerk was almost invariably cold, and he often bristled, and sometimes you got snotty remarks. It was a relief just to get through a purchase without incident. And I know many who could give the same testimony.
In truth, it could be dicey to ask for a bag-yes a bag. That made you a despoiler of the environment, you see.
I know a journalist who lived in the Ann Arbor of the West, Berkeley. Purchasing his National Reviews and American Spectators at Moe's, he would say to the clerk, "Well, just keeping an eye on what the enemy is doing"-anything to get by. These tactics may not be brave, but, gosh, are they human.
As the Swift controversy heated up, the two bookselling giants, Borders and Barnes & Noble, were besieged by callers angry that they could not find Unfit for Command. Conservative hollered, "J'accuse!" Both companies pleaded that it was the fault of the publisher, our beloved Regnery-the supplier had not printed enough copies to meet demand. Liberals, for their part, also besieged the companies, demanding that they pull the book from their shelves.
Come with me now, to BorderUnion.org, "The Borders Books Employee Union Web Site." Herein lie some revelations-or confirmations. In notes to one another, Borders clerks have been griping about having to sell Unfit for Command, to the troglodytes who seek it. Although not every seeker is a trog: According to one clerk, "We did have a college professor come in looking for [the book]. She teaches a writing class and wanted to use it as an example of a 'false book.'" Or maybe she just wanted to read it and wanted to avoid grief from the clerk?
But let's get to the nitty-gritty. Writes a Borders Books beauty,
"We're "finding" [note those quotations marks] that most of the few copies we're getting are damaged and need to be sent back. So sad. Too bad. Bushies! Regnery needs to be more careful. I'm hearing from people at two other stores that this seems to be common. Why should we help destroy what is left of our country?"
Back for a second crack, our man exhorts,
"You guys don't actually HAVE to sell the thing! Just "carelessly" hide the boxes, "accidentally" drop them off pallets, "forget" to stock the ones you have, and then suggest a nice Al Franken or Michael Moore book as a substitute. Borders wants those recommends (sic), remember?
I don't care if these Neanderthals in fancy suits get mad at me [fancy suits?]. They aren't regular customers anyway. Other than "Left Behind" books, they don't read. Anything you can do to make them feel unwelcome is only fair."
Another Borders beauty writes, "I wish [conservative customers] really knew how little respect I have for them." Oh, we know, babe-we know.
Not long ago, readers of National Review Online sent in to me their experiences of trying to buy Unfit, and of dealing with bookstore clerks in general. Care for a (very) small sampling of their observations?..........[Continued]
I leave the sophmoric pranks up to the next generation of yoots. Rights of passage and all.
I'm not as nice as you are. I've said something very similar to the following to one of these cashiers: "Listen, you don't get paid to think. Push the little keys on the cash register like the trained monkey that you are and fetch my change for me."
No Kidding!
What a great time to be alive, conservative, and a critic of old style media!
Cheers
Jim
IT's the American way.
LOL
Thank you for taking the time to type this up -- and share it.
I always found Borders staff to be pleasant here in Los Angeles, even when I asked them for Unfit. I finally reserved my book through Borders and got it in a reasonably timely manner in view of demand.
However, I noticed about a week ago that my local Borders still had Unfit as a special order item, while Barnes & Noble had about 20 copies on their current events rack. I don't know if I just lucked out in Barnes & Noble or if B&N was a genuinely better chain for this than Borders.
Is it now generally available?
Incidentally, I average at least one book purchase a month from bookstores, and a larger one every 2-3 months from Amazon. (I spent $130 at Amazon about a week ago and about $50 at bookstores in the same period). So I'm their prime market and they ignore me at their peril.
D
Did you notice the nut in one of theposts on your BU thread, using 'hir'? That's not a typo (s/he/it did it more than once) it's a feminist way of avoiding using his/him/he as gender neutral terms. Sheesh! I thought that womyn/wimmen/hir crapola had been laughed out of existence years ago!
And they wonder why they can't find loving relationships that lead to healthy marriages.
Good news to report:
Large supermarket on Cape Cod, MA has copies of UNFIT in #1 place in their book display....usual copies of MY LIES and HER LIES were absent from the shelf.
The above might be just a temporary occurance but it was a beautiful sight.
I'm still stopping in and 'giving them 'zell' at the small local bookseller which keeps stocking new Bush bashing books but has NO copy of UNFIT on display.
They keep a catch on top shelf behind the desk and claim that they are 'on reserve'. I've asked them to put up a sign that UNFIT can be ordered....so far....no sign.
Are they are employing censorship? I think so. Also economic suicide as the Bush Bashing books are not selling & they are not selling the #1 best seller in the USA....the insanity of liberalism is on display!
What exactly does Dan Rather have to do with supply-chain problems at large bookstores?
That's why I still shop at big bookstores. I am a figure not to be trifled with - even in street clothes I'm kind of imposing to all but the largest lefty - and I can get VERY focused. Some find me VERY intimidating.
I was shocked to see that book in Costco..considering that I heard they contributed to kerry's campaign..
Exactly! If the Left were a restaurant, they'd be the dishwashers.
That's a good idea! I was worried you were spending your fortune on ping pong balls!! LOL. BTW, cars were better then, even though they weren't as dependable.
I collect British cars. Dependability has never entered my mind.........Nothing handles like a fine British sports car though. Few people understand that it's because they have an empty curb weight of a truck with a very low center of gravity. A 3,000 pound two seater car would be the joke of the modern car industry. But enter a country road hairpin turn at 60mph and that British iron holds the road like Dan Rather holds onto a story.
My letter to Borders' customer care dept (sorry it's so long!):
To: ccare@bordersstores.com
Subject: OK, I'm done shopping at Borders
Dear Customer Care;
I've been a faithful Border's shopper since before you opened your store in XXXXX. Whenever I went XXXXXXX, I'd find a Borders and spend too much. I've been homeschooling for about 6 years, and have always appreciated your educator's discount card. I really appreciate the fact that you take my word for it (that I'm homeschooling) and don't press it when I tell you we are not required to register with the state. The salespeople I've dealt with have always smiled when I open my grade- and lesson plan books!
That's what make this so difficult. You were my bookstore of choice. I'd rather order a book thru *my* Borders store than from Amazon. That all changed today. I'm a member of a web bulletin board. FreeRepublic, perhaps you've heard of it? It's an unabashedly conservative site. Quite of few of the members wanted to get "Unfit for Command", the book written by John Kerry's contemporaries in Vietnam. Many times they were told that the store didn't have the book...not enough had been printed, distribution was bad, etc. I worked in publishing for a few years, and I totally believe that the initial print run was insufficient, and that stores couldn't get the book. At first I pooh-poohed their comments about liberal bookstore clerks and their condescending attitude when the clerk found out which book the customer wanted.
And then today, someone put a link online. www.bordersunion.org. It's a message board for Borders' employees. They dish the dirt there. That's fine, they have the right to say whatever they want about us customers. What is wrong with it is: THAT SITE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSWORD PROTECTED! It should not have been open to the public, because now we, the public, know how some Borders employees feel about their customers. And, after reading a few posts regarding "Unfit for Command" and the customers who want to buy it, I no longer want to shop at a Borders store. How would I know if the clerk hates conservatives, or maybe the book is there, but the clerks don't think people should read the book?
I cannot express how disappointed I am. Even tho you are not a true independent bookstore, you started out that way. You are from Michigan! You're like the hometown team of chains. Now, I will have to drive further....or maybe I'll just order online. A computer doesn't make value judgments based on my choice of books.
m.
P.S. I will be sending a hard copy of this to corporate headquarters, along with printouts of the comments that I saw....maybe they can use it as a bargaining chip when the union wants more money for web upgrades!
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