Confessions of the Bookstore Clerks: We Hate What You Read
Have there been any notable changes in demographic and/or buying trends since you first started at the store?
I’ve been at BTN brick and mortar for almost three years (we turn three on 10/16!), and behind the street table since 2003. Human Relations just opened a month ago and these days I spent most of my time there. As for demographic shifts, yes! The condos have all filled up and each night the water taxis coming from Wall St. dock on North 6th street and release hordes of bankers. I miss the hipsters…
If you sell it, who’s the prototypical Fifty Shades of Grey buyer in your store? Notably different from your usual demographic?
Women, the young side of middle age. They usually bring the books to the counter with a giggle and a sometimes a joke about how silly it is that they’re buying it. In great Williamsburg tradition most people who buy 50 Shades try to make it clear that their purchase is an ironic one.
What’s your all time favorite book?
Under the Volcano, Malcolm Lowry
All time favorite Brooklyn book:
The Rosy Crucifixion (Sexus, Plexus, Nexus), Henry Miller.
To you, what’s the great American novel?
I’ll vote for A Fan’s Notes by Frederick Exley
The relationship of cats to bookstores: discuss.
I don’t like cats but their creepy, anti-social nature does make them a good fit for bookstores.
What books make you immediately scornful of the buyer?
1. Ayn Rand 2. Ayn Rand 3. Paolo Coehlo 4. Carlos Castaneda
What books make you immediately crush-out on the buyer?
1. The Mandarins, Simone de Beauvoir. 2. Anything by Thomas Bernhard 3. A Lover’s Discourse, Roland Barthes
What’s the bookstore clerk equivalent of spitting in the food of a difficult customer?
Different assholes require different tactics. The silent treatment, belittling or violence can all work. At the very least they don’t get a bookmark or a bag.