by an Anonymous Bookseller
Let's start at the bottom...
The guy (or gal) who comes in and asks: "Where's your science fiction section?" (Or cooking section, or bible section, etc.) Disbelief when they find you ONLY sell mysteries. They even ask, to be sure: "So you ONLY sell MYSTERIES?"
These people aren't actually customers, though.
Lookie-lous. They appear on Friday and Saturday nights. They are going somewhere else. They think we are a "book museum" and usually say brightly "Thank you!" as they leave. No, thank you!
These people are only very rarely customers.
The old lady (sorry) with a list, often a notebook, sometimes a box of index cards. She is looking for the very specific and the very hard to find. She has already been to the library and any other bnookstore, most often Borders. Sometimes this customer will buy one used book, which is a very labor instensive way to take in $3.50.
So, a customer, but one with specifications.
The customer who comes in every week or so looking again for specific titles, but looking for titles by popular authors whose books turn over often - James Petterson, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, etc. They usually buy if they see what they want but one thing they will NEVER buy is a new book.
A "regular".
The customer who is going somewhere (we live in a university town, lots of exotic travelling). Often they want books set in specific locations. That we can always help with. Some extra effort but so worth it.
Again, a regular.
The customer with a list - but this is a great customer. This customer has a volumnious list - or sometimes, a blackberry - and will buy anything they can find by the author(s) they want, usually not caring if they are new or used. Usually there's a slight disparity between those who will buy a new book and those who stick only to used ones. These customers often bring books in for store credit, but bless 'em, they go way past their credit amount. If their stacks are big enough I usually mentally round their credit UP.
These are wonderful customers.
So are those who come to book signings - buying or not; those who come to book club; and those who talk to other customers in the store, making their own recommendations. We also love people who ask: "Do you have a recommendation?" Of course we do!
At the very tippy top is the customer who becomes an actual friend or, as is actually pretty rare, shares the same reading taste I do. These customers bring the extra zing of happy reading fellowship, and I love to see them walk through the door, and not only for the books they buy. May they multiply, as they are incapable of visiting a "book museum". They can't leave without a book or three.
Happy reading!
