A bookstore down the road a ways gets a notice in Bookride:
A bookseller on Route 1 in Porstmouth NH recently got in the papers yet again – he makes Bernard look like John Inman (‘Are you Being Served?’)–he charges a $5 browsing fee and has been known to knock out customers who venture in his shop without permission. I had heard of him over the years as an example of a dealer who had seriously lost the plot and have always been amazed that he stays in business.
Go and RTWT – the man is nuts. I was warned away from there 15 years ago by a friend who told me about the browsing fee and the generally threatening (“Why should I sell you my books, you POS?”) vibe. Portsmouth Herald article here.
On the one hand, I can understand how frustrating the general populace can be. I’ve been trying to sell a truck for less than $1000, which I thought would be easy. Instead, I get more people saying they’ll come look at it, then not showing up, therefore wasting my time. I’ve found that after three or four incidents like that, I’ve become rather rude toward the tire-kickers lately.
On the other hand, I don’t need to sell this truck, and I’m not a used car dealer. If I had set up a shop to sell goods of any sort, I should expect to have to put up with the habits of customers.
Boy… that guy sounds like a real winner.
How in the heck has he managed to stay in business so long with such a loving attitude to his customers?
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That’s the big question – many theories – zero facts. My theory involves a large inheritance and insanity.