BORDERS Employees: How to Destroy, Damage Copies of "Unfit for Command"

The Kerry Fairy ^ | 09/16/04 | Becki Snow

[dandelion]

Looking for your copy of "Unfit for Command"? Having paranoid thoughts that Bookstore employees are hiding, damaging, or flat-out lying to you about the availability of the book?

Ah, quickly, dear readers! Before it goes away or crashes, let us visit that Shangri-La of Tolerance, the Border's Bookstore Employees Union Forum. There we shall find all manner of reasons for you to dust the tinfoil off your beanie, and place it proudly on your head...

As per the Border's Employees themselves:

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"takahashi" Posted: Aug 23, 2004 - 12:30 PM

We're "finding" 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 2 other stores that this seems to be common.

Why should we help destroy what's left of our country?

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Another poster DOES confirm that they have had the book, and even though she really, REALLY dislikes us, she still managed to sell the book. However, if they staff hates the book so much, why are additional books being "reserved" for staff? Perhaps they are being infiltrated by right-wing nuts in the Borders Union?

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"redheadpixie" Posted: Aug 23, 2004 - 04:07 PM

We've had rabid people in our store due to this book too. From a week before it was even released, people had been coming in or calling every hour asking for it. Of course, we had maybe 20 copies IT to us, which we knew would be gone immediately. And they were (but for one copy on hold for an employee, which I told someone to take and sell--because if someone on staff wanted it that badly, they should have bought it that night).

We got in an additional seven copies, which 3 went to our SPO clerk to give to special orders (yes, only three rabid customers actually ordered it after being informed we were OOS). The other four were left in the back with a note: For Staff. That amuses me.

I personally dealt with two venomous customers, making the same accusation about being liberal and purposely not carrying it. Thankfully, I have a fabulous phone voice and can be sticky sweet in explaining that there simply were too few copies printed, that we had already sold out of the copies were had been sent, and would be getting some as soon as the made a second run. One guy asked when that would be, I pressed, "When they make a second run."

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But just then, "takahashi" comes and makes the case for CENSORSHIP - ah yes, that's a family value!

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"takahashi" Posted: Aug 24, 2004 - 10:56 AM

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 Micheal Moore book as a substitute. Borders wants those recommends, remember?

I don't care if these Neandertals in fancy suits get mad at me, 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. They are the people pushing retailers to cut costs, don't forget. And they would censor your speech, your books, your music in a heartbeat, so give them a taste of it!

Don't get mad, get even!

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But in the interest of FAIRNESS (something the left wing does NOT promote), I am including a post from a true "liberal" as we used to know them...

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"classic-liberal" Posted: Aug 27, 2004 - 09:45 AM

Pardon me for mentioning this, but 'takahashi' seems to indicate that at least some Borders people ARE hiding, damaging and otherwise making the book unavailable. So there is a grain of truth to your 'rightwing nutcase' customers' suspicions! Our jobs as booksellers is to make sure the book gets its say in the marketplace...it is after all a tiny spot in a sea of anti-Bush-ness this season.

If things were reversed and you were looking for Michael Moore's book (if it had been published by a small press with a bad record of distribution) at a store run by Republicans, would you believe them when they said they were out? No, many of you would be saying exactly the same thing your customers are saying.

People, humor and common sense have kept me of any arguments. I say flat out that Borders' management are flinty-hearted, penny-pinching, stone-squeezing capitalists who would no more stand for the peons tossing sales out the window than they would poke themselves in they eye with a stick. This usually gets a laugh or at least a "Mmm, I guess so", and then I tell them that we sell lots of things we don't agree with, along with the opposing viewpoint. I take them to the section, point out some books on both sides, and wander off. Most of them buy something, and that's my job. And maybe some of them will indeed look at things in a more balanced way.

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And lastly, to show that YES conservative bookstore employees DO exist and even are members of UNIONS, we have this post as balance:

----------- "RTAtlanta" Posted: Sep 15, 2004 - 10:55 AM

I've been wondering what all the fuss is about concerning Unfit For Command..So, I actually read it and found it to be factual and forthright..I know many of you will think I am a traitor for saying this, but I was taught to always look at all sides and to be fair and balanced in my judgments..There is much truth in the book and I suggest you read it.

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And there we have it. Yes, some bookstore employees have been hiding books from us. But there are also other employees standing up for our right to read, even in the face of persecution from their leftist peers. Remember that, and be nice when we visit the bookstore over and over again, so we may be more tolerant than those narrow-minded facists who censor books. Just make sure to ask for "Unfit for Command" by name! It's sure to bring a frown to the face of every liberal in town!

Oh, and have a nice day!! :)

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Thanks to BigSky at FreeRepublic for this Hot Tip!!

UPDATE: Hmmmm - now the Borders Union site is "broken"... whodathunkit??

[dandelion]

Wow. That's dedication!

[BonnieJ]

Like I mentioned on another thead, my copy from Amazon was damaged...marks all along the side that won't come off.

[G.Mason]

"As Red Ivan and I were just discussing, who buys books at brick-and-mortar bookstores nowadays anyway? "

Yeah ... what's that all about?

I ordered via a 1-800 number and had the book in a week.

I had to walk all the way to my mail box and get it. ;)

[randog]

However, we did have a college professor come in looking for it [Unfit for Command]. She teaches a writing class and wanted to use it as an example of a "false book"--something perpetuated to be one thing but is actually something else. She said no way could h the fellow soldiers gotten together, written a book, sold it to a publisher and actually had it published in such a short period of time. She said there are loads of those books.

Yeah, there's no way two guys that have known each other for 30+ years and have been fighting this fight for about that long to have done the research necessary for the book. It would have taken at least....40 years. So there.

</sarcasm>

[Bonaparte]

If Borders doesn't want to sell me one book, then they don't want to sell me any book. I can take a hint and I can also take my business elsewhere. If they don't want my dollar, that's fine with me.

I'll just go to Borders when I want to take pictures in coffee table books with my digital or chew up employee time with lots of questions or order books I never intend to pick up or pay for or steer other customers to Borders' competitors or leave their books laying about to chew up more employee time or "forgetfully" leave print-outs about john kerry's misbehavior or put Michael Moore books on the wrong shelf or...

Two can play this game and if Borders wants declining profits, who am I to say 'no' to that?

[Dutchgirl]

First post I saw this morning included these quotes and was fromwas from National Review- Nordlinger entitled something like "Little Suppresor". I wonder which came first?

[SoDak]

I just like watching her wince, I'm not interested in STD's.

[Michael.SF.]

Here is a quote from 'Takahashi:

I don't care if these Neandertals in fancy suits get mad at me, 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. They are the people pushing retailers to cut costs, don't forget. And they would censor your speech, your books, your music in a heartbeat, so give them a taste of it! Don't get mad, get even!

And they call us mean spirited.

[Notwithstanding]

takagishi is the spitting image of a dishonest liberal swine

[AnnaZ]

Borders' Union BB Suspended?(!) ^

[Kewlhand`tek]

the only reason i go to the brick and mortar bookstores is, I have about 30 bucks in my pocket and i am in the area of one, I will stop in. Instead of waiting 3 days to get one on-line. But i did pre order the enemy within on line. I bought "the savage nation" at borders , it was displayed by a hundred books about w being dislexic or retarded or what ever. In the book someone scrawled on a small slip of paper. Open your mind and read something you dont agree with...... Maybe the writer needs to follow the advice.

[blondee123]

Borders probably doesn't know what hit it! The site is now DOWN! LOL

If they don't know yet, they soon will, if they read FR! LOL

[blondee123]

Borders probably doesn't know what hit it! The site is now DOWN! LOL

If they don't know yet, they soon will, if they read FR! LOL

[Michael.SF.]

"Don't get mad, get even!" -- Border's employee, 'Takahashi'

OK, Here's the plan:

1. Call your local Border's and confirm they do not have the book.

2. Go to Border's and pick up 6 or eight books, try for the larger more expensive books.

3. Wait in line, let the cashier ring them up.

4. After they have rung them up, then say: 'Oh, I forgot one book. Do you have 'Unfit for command'?

5. When they don't have it, apologize and tell them you won't be needing the other books either.

Don't get mad, get even!

[Legion04]

heh..despite their "efforts", UNFIT FOR COMMAND is still #1

[USA_Soccer]

Drudge, Hannity, Rush should hear about this ASAP

[broadway]

I worked for Borders and B&N during the nineties. Employees hid books they disagreed with all the time. It could be sort of benign, like never giving them any face-outs or displays.
Or they could just not bring them out of the stock room.

But I did my best to make everything available and noticeable.

[unsycophant]

dr_queerlove - Aug 26, 2004 - 09:41 PM Post subject: Egads! After reading all this, I'm glad my customers are mostly liberal and/or apathetic. I'm curious now, though, if I can get on one of the wacko call-in shows. Imagine the fun one could have making stuff up: "Why, I saw whole pallets of the book being tossed into the store's dumpster!! Boycott B&N!! Riggio is a Pinko Commie!" Fun times.

Imagine all the fun B&N will have figuring out who these employees are. This seems like a bunch of dumbassed liberals working for them-people who are glad to deal with apathetics and think it's fun to lie to customers and clients.

[BJungNan]

The Borders Books Employee Union Web Site showing the Unfit For Command, thread was archived before the site crashed.

The Borders Books Employee Union Web Site

[kingu]

Thanks for posting the link for the cached page, makes me feel a whole lot better about this whole thing. I guess too many dives into the the place where democracy is forced to hide underground made me assume they were all acting like spoiled brats.

The idiots that were harming Border's sales should be tracked down and fired, the ones who were taking them to task should be tracked down and given a bonus for acting in the company's interest.