unfit for command...liberal bookstore conspiracy? ;-)

[question fear]

so as I have mentioned before, I work for Borders, the book superstore chain.
I wanted to post one of my experiences with a customer over the course of last week. As some of you may be aware, the book "Unfit for Command" is critical of John Kerry's war record. Regardless of how one feels on the subject, customers have run the gamut in terms of reactions to the publisher's initially small printing. One such customer accused me of being part of the "goddamn liberal bookstores who won't carry the book" and basically told me he thought i was lying about the publisher's shortage.
This past friday, he came back, and happened to find our last copy of the latest shipment. He waves the book in greeting, and so, being the good customer service person I am, I respond "Hey, i'm so glad you got the book, I know you were interested and that is our last copy." He gets right in my face and says "Have-you-read-this-book?" I said, "No sir, i've been making sure our customers get the copies they need." His response: "Regardless of your polical affiliations, you need to know what this man is really like (voice rising all the while)...I have scars from that war, this man has band-aids." I was, understandably, a bit uncomfortable, and made fairly non-commital uh huhs and such. He continues by walking to our information desk, violently slamming the book down on the counter, and screaming "My friends died in this war, and this asshole lived!" I quickly steered him towards the registers, and he repeated his endorsement of the book to my cashier; at the end of his transaction, he held the book above his head and said "great beach read"...
I was perplexed here because, well, we did everything he could have wanted. We gave him the damn book, we sold it to him, and he still screamed and yelled at us.
Just wanted to share the strange story, and figured this forum was the best for it.

[Thomas Veil]

I'd read elsewhere that bookstores that ran out of copies -- totally out of their control; the publisher's fault, not theirs -- were being accused of "suppressing" the book.

That, along with your irate customer, just shows how nutso the far right can get.

[zimv20]

"My friends died in this war, and this asshole lived!"
i suppose the customer was completely unaware of the irony that he lived and was acting like an asshole.

[blackfox]

i suppose the customer was completely unaware of the irony that he lived and was acting like an asshole.
Now that is funny. Thanks Zim...

[pseudobrit]

i suppose the customer was completely unaware of the irony that he lived and was acting like an asshole.

Max Cleland lived too.

I particularly like this: "I have scars from that war, this man has band-aids."

So they'll give him grief for tossing his medal ribbons and then even more grief for saving the bandages?

[question fear]

Max Cleland lived too.

I particularly like this: "I have scars from that war, this man has band-aids."

So they'll give him grief for tossing his medal ribbons and then even more grief for saving the bandages?

one other thing; he held his arm out as he said it, as though i was supposed to verify his scars...all i could think was, "i love my job, but if his shirt comes off i will be halfway to barnes and noble before i see his battle-scarred chest."

there was quite a bit of irony in what he was saying, but we couldn't point it out (company policy not to discuss politics on the floor-mostly to protect us from nutjobs like him)...

My boss had a guy the other day inform him that we carried too many anti-bush books, and not enough anti-kerry ones...and that it was downright unconstitutional. My boss, really really frustrated, said "Go write it, we'll carry it. There are more anti-bush books because he's been president for four years, and kerry's been a candidate for 3 months."

Well, I need to get back to my liberal bookstore conspiracy now....next step; remove all anne coulter books to the very back of the store and shelve them in the <gasp> politics section.

;-)

[Thomas Veil]

Well, I need to get back to my liberal bookstore conspiracy now....next step; remove all anne coulter books to the very back of the store and shelve them in the <gasp> politics section.

;-)
I'm not sure where those would go. Science fiction? Fantasy? Cartoons? Or maybe just as far as possible from the Self-Improvement section.

[question fear]

I'm not sure where those would go. Science fiction? Fantasy? Cartoons? Or maybe just as far as possible from the Self-Improvement section.

well, one day someone's going to push me too far, and im going to tell them all the bill o'reilly and anne coulter books are in my book fire in the back if they'd like to join in.

[yellow]

i suppose the customer was completely unaware of the irony that he lived and was acting like an asshole.

He has a plate in his head.

[pseudobrit]

well, one day someone's going to push me too far, and im going to tell them all the bill o'reilly and anne coulter books are in my book fire in the back if they'd like to join in.

For a moment there, I thought you meant jump in.

[themadchemist]

It is interesting that he gave rave reviews of a book that he hadn't yet purchased. :rolleyes:

[question fear]

It is interesting that he gave rave reviews of a book that he hadn't yet purchased. :rolleyes:

yea, he wasted his 22 bucks on a book he knew he'd agree with...kinda crazy..but in his mind he was proving a point. im sure he's got some variant on this story he tells his friends, wherein i stonewalled him from getting the book...
interesting fun fact: borders customer care received close to 500 complaints about the lack of availability of "unfit for command", as well as about employees expressing their political views on the floor.
this election (and anyone in remote contact with political materials) is only going to get worse before it gets better...

[Thomas Veil]

well, one day someone's going to push me too far, and im going to tell them all the bill o'reilly and anne coulter books are in my book fire in the back if they'd like to join in.
Just say they're lying over there. :rolleyes: :p

[themadchemist]

yea, he wasted his 22 bucks on a book he knew he'd agree with...kinda crazy..but in his mind he was proving a point. im sure he's got some variant on this story he tells his friends, wherein i stonewalled him from getting the book...
interesting fun fact: borders customer care received close to 500 complaints about the lack of availability of "unfit for command", as well as about employees expressing their political views on the floor.
this election (and anyone in remote contact with political materials) is only going to get worse before it gets better...

It'll only get better when it's over, and even that only if Kerry wins. :eek:

[mischief]

I'm coining some new terminology to cut out the Party rhetoric.

Individuals like this poor fellow fall into the catagory of Limbic thinkers.

A Limbic Thinker's midbrain is so over utilized they have almost no capacity left for coherent thought. Such individuals often have some form of Compassion Fatigue, PTSD or addiction to stimulants. It's my current hypothesis that there are so many Americans out there that are in that condition, functioning totally on Fear and fight-or-flight reactions that the Bush campaign will likely ride the "It's Coming Right For Us!" message until there are enough of these same folks in Congress, the Supreme Court and the Whitehouse that the whole country can be declared emotionally unstable and be put on permanent, federally mandated mood-altering drugs.

Stay in your homes, take your pills and SPEND SPEND SPEND!!!