This might come as a revelation to longtime readers of ShelfTalker, but I’m letting my complaints about the hurry towards each new holiday go. There will be no post in a month lamenting the rush to put out Christmas and Hanukkah books, because they will already be out, co-mingling with the books about turkeys and pilgrims.
We had a staff meeting last week, ironically in front of our Halloween display, and everyone thought the minute the last trick or treater had filled a bag of candy, we should put up the holiday books. Everyone looked at me. Last year there was a huge debate about when to put out the Christmas books. I lost, somewhat bitterly as I recall. It didn’t take much persuading this time for me to just give in to setting up the seasonal display November 1.
One of the things I love about owning a store is the freedom and flexibility to do what we think is the best thing for our store, for our customers, and for our staff. Putting out the ever-growing shelf of holiday books will help the overflowing back room which will feel like a new lease on life for the staffers who spend any time in there. (Honestly, isn’t every bookstore’s back room right now just chock full of fourth quarter goodness that can’t really go on the shelves yet?) Our customers will like it because they won’t have to ask where the holiday books are, and they’ll buy what they need. And it’ll be good for the store, because we won’t lose those early holiday sales.
So, this thing called compromise has finally entered my retail life. But never fear, I will still complain about other things, like how much it hurts to cut yourself on a cardboard box, or dumps that are impossible to put together, or why it is that the day your special orders really need to come, they’re stuck at the UPS facility in Connecticut.
One thing I promise that will not get rushed is the wearing of the Santa hat.