Of Geeks in Bookstores...

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

While I was out and about on Thursday I had the opportunity to pop into a local bookstore (a large one). As there's a few Linux-related O'Reilly books I'm interested in at the moment, I thought I'd have a look to see if they were on-shelf. They weren't, but I remembered that there's a book that we're after -- Linux iptables Pocket Reference -- but, because I didn't think I was going near a bookstore, I'd left the ISBN at home. I couldn't see it on-shelf, either, but I went to ask at the customer services point about the book, just to make sure. Here's roughly what happened:

Me: "I'm looking for a book, but I can't remember the ISBN or author. The title is something like iptables Pocket Reference."

FA (Female Assistant): "Let's have a look." *types into screen "eye pea tables pocket ref"*

Me: "Erm... No, it's i-p-tables. All one word. I as in the letter, P as in the letter, tables."

FA: "Oh. Okay." *types in "iptables pocket ref"* "Hmmm, nothing's coming up on our system. Let's try the book database. It lists all titles ever printed."

Me: *knowing this isn't actually true, as I've worked in a bookstore, but I leave it* "Okay."

FA: "Ah, here we go. Actually it's called LINUX iptables Pocket Reference."

Me: "Oh, I'm sorry. I knew it was something like iptables Pocket Reference, but I wasn't sure. Anyway, that's the one."

FA: "Well, you could have been more specific. It could have been Microsoft iptables or something."

Me: "Erm, no, it couldn't -- iptables are unique to Linux."

FA: "And how do you know that?"

Me: "I work in the internet industry."

FA: "Even so... "

MC (Male Customer behind me in queue): "No, she's right, I'm a software engineer."

FA: *looks pissed* "Okay. Well, we don't have it in stock. I could order it, but I don't know how long it'll take."

Me: "No, s'okay. It was just a case of if you already had it."

FA: "Do you want the ISBN?"

Me: "No, thanks. I've got the ISBN at home."

FA: "Why couldn't you give me that then?"

MC: *to FA* "S'no good love, if her brain's wired for computers, it won't be wired for books."

Me: *ignoring MC, he's not to know I have a BA in English too* "I don't have it on me. I didn't think I was coming into a bookstore today... But I did, so I thought I'd just check."

FA: "Well, when you come into order it, bring the ISBN or get the title right."

Me: "I'll probably order it from amazon.co.uk or something."

FA: "You won't get them as quickly that way."

Me: "Actually, if I go back, order it now, I can probably have it by Saturday. I know how bookshops work; I used to be a bookseller."

FA: *sniffs at me*

Me: "In any case, there's some other Linux books I'm after too, but I was just checking to see if you had them on-shelf. Thanks for your time."

FA: "Linux is not well known, so we don't stock that many Linux books."

MC: *trying not to laugh behind me*

Me: *thinking, "WTF? You have a full bay of Linux books."* "Okay. Erm. Thanks." *starts to walk away*

MC: *trying to keep a straight face as he addresses the FA* "I'm looking for a book, don't know the author or the ISBN but I know the title perfectly."

FA: "Okay, what is it?"

ME: "PHP and MySQL Web Development."

FA: "And how do you spell PHP?"

MC: *goggles at FA*

Me: *pauses, then says --* "It's in the PHP section. Third shelf, right in the middle. Big purple spine, white cover. Can't miss it."

MC: *to me* "How'd you know that?"

Me: "I have a copy at home, and I recognised it here while I was browsing."

FA: *to MC* "Let me check that for you. How do you spell --"

MC: *to FA* "Erm, no, thanks. I think I'll just go browse for it." *to me* "Thanks."


See, this is why I believe it's better to have a bookseller who's knowledgeable about their subject area running a section (e.g. Computer Science geek overseeing Computer Science books). The world would be a better place if bookstores did something really radical like that! :p

Comments

[c0c0c0.livejournal.com]

How do you spell PHP! That is the best!

[hangingstar.livejournal.com]

i have NO faith in people who work at bookstores.

I worked at Waldens Books for about 4 years as a sales assoiciate.

I swear the people that worked there with me were braindead.

A customer came in, i was at a register with a customer, so i couldnt help them.
To the other sales associate - "Do you have On the Road by Jack Kerouac?"
Sales Associate - "Have you checked the travel section?"

a little piece of me died that moment.

[tadiera.livejournal.com]

wow. While I try to have titles and authors correct, I've never had someone at a bookstore get pissed off at me if I don't have it all correct.

Likely because some of us can go 'Okay, it should be this title, this author, and the category is this.' compared to people who go 'Uhhh, I need a book about ' and then stand there 'That ain't it... that ain't it... that...' (you get the picture)


(This comment brought to you by a DSL tech support person who got interrupted multiple times.... and boy, do I have a call from earlier to post here later...)

[polarbee.livejournal.com]

I completely sympathize with you. I repair computers for a living, but have a BA in History. People always seem to think you can't do both computers and liberal arts. Silly people.

[swwinchester.livejournal.com]

As an ex-retail technician, allow me to put this in perspective :

To attract someone with the right qualifications to a retail job requires one of two things : Great luck in that you find a person desperate for the work, or that you actually have to pay an appropraite wage for the specialization you are looking for.

Retailers occasionally have great luck, but they definately don't pay anything even close to what would be needed to get an industry-aware geek in there.

Actually, to be more precise, you're lucky she had the volume of clue she did. With what most retail jobs pay, you're generally lucky if you can get employees whom are capable of not drooling all over themselves and have roughly the same mental facilities as a rehsus monkey with chronic depression and Down's Syndrome.

The sad thing is that retailers KNOW that they don't pay enough to get the kind of employees they want, and they have no plans to change that, as it would cut into thier IMMEDIATE profits to install people who know what they're doing, even if that would drive up long-term profitability. You know, the whole "The future is not important. Show me what you can do TODAY" mindset ...

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

*smirks* Yeah, I almost died right there.

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've found that booksellers can be pretty braindead too.

While I was studying for my BA in English, I used to work as a bookseller and covered Mind, Body and Spirit as well as Computing, Science and Business. The latter was the only one I knew absolutely nothing about, but we had a Business graduate working in the same room so I just fielded all enquiries to him :p

Computing was rarely a problem, and I knew my way around Science enough to be able to deal with most enquiries... Of course, MBS was my forté, and the other booksellers would be amazed when a customer would come in looking for one MBS book and leave with six or seven, after a few minutes' chat with me ^_^

Though I'll always remember the guy who came in and asked for a signed copy of "The Silmarillion" ... and the bookseller who looked for one for him. *sighs*

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I mean, I used to work in bookselling and got so annoyed when someone would walk into the Computing section and say, "I need a book on learning Microsoft."

"Okay, Microsoft what? Which program?"

"You know. Microsoft."

*facedesk*

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's almost like, "Oh, you work in computers. Right." as if we're incapable of doing anything *else* or having interests elsewhere :p

[heathwitch.livejournal.com]

*LOL* Oh, I know. I used to work in a bookstore, so I know all about them hiring rehsus monkeys... They hired me, didn't they? :p Didn't stay long though... I could feel my brain cells dying every five seconds! ROFL

[swwinchester.livejournal.com]

As I said ... sometimes they get lucky and get a real gem of a worker for the same rates they get the monkeys at. Like you sound to be. ^_^

After all, my icon says who I worked for. I got paid crap compared to most other techs in retail, but the environment was ... amusing. Wasn't keen on the constant brainwashing efforts (That's a tale for another community entirely), but yeah. I am happy to say that I worked with several good guys (and plenty 'o monkeys) in my days there. All 2.5 years of my days there. -_-;;

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

P-E-A A-Y-H P-E-A...

Duh.

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

It is, however, impossible(at least in my case) to understand computers perfectly, yet not grasp anything higher than 11th grade algebra.

I'll just spring for certs, I'm not smart enough to finish college with any real degrees =/

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

<3 geek squad stealing the best buy contract from banctec.

Now if only Dell goes to geek squad, banctec will go thbbbbtttsplat.

[swwinchester.livejournal.com]

Geek Squad is nabbing Phone Support contracts?

I find that a bit hard to swallow, seeing as Geek Squad has NOT taken over Best Buy's Carry-In or On-Site Service Plan support, and that's still handled by black-shirt technicians (except at the store level). I had heard that the same COMPANY that oversees Geek Squad Phone support had been contracted to do the PSP support, and it may well be the same people, but they're still being treated as seperate entities, as ANYTHING Geek Squad does is billable.

[tjernobyl.livejournal.com]

Y'never know... Someone ebayed off a signed bible a couple years back :)

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Well f*ck me sideways with a cactus, if the book title "Microsoft for Dummies" didn't just jump into my head. Now I just need someone to ghostwrite it for me, and I'll have the next bestseller!