Monday was Christmas Eve and as usual there was a massive flurry of last-minute shopping. Along with the craziness, there were some desperate requests.
\n– Someone called up asking for a handbook on Saab repair. Not just a general book, but one for a 1984 car. Now, I know we’re a general bookstore, but really, that’s a little specific. When I mentioned we didn’t have that he wondered if he could order it in time for Christmas. I told him that no one ships on Christmas and he just kept asking if we could order it. I tried repeatedly to explain that everyone was closed and he just muttered, “I have to have it,” and hung up.
\n– An anxious man came in for a specific Joseph Roth book which we did not have. He left in a huff when we told him we’d have to order it. He called two hours later to see if the book was in. It wasn’t. On the static-filled cell phone call he also decreed that we find three books for three different people. He didn’t want a selection. “Just pick something.”
\n– Someone called just before closing and asked, “I know you sell books for kids, but do you sell books for children under two?” This one mystified me. I almost wanted to say no, just to tease them, but the caller sounded so harried, I just couldn’t. I asked what they were looking for and they said rather deadpan, “Something for a kid under two.”
\n– Several dads came in on Christmas Eve day and really didn’t understand how we could be out of a certain book they wanted. As someone who doesn’t save my shopping until the last possible minute, I don’t have a ton of sympathy for people being unpleasant to me because they didn’t plan ahead. I just don’t understand how Christmas can sneak up on people; it’s the same date every year. But I helped them regroup and found similar titles to what they wanted and I know the kids will love the books. And, they can always get the books they really wanted for Valentine’s or Easter, if they remember.
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