A regular customer, whom I’ll call Phil, loved his grandchildren. When he checked out at the register, he would relate a story or two about their antics, or latest achievements to who listened, and when finished would take his bagful of Clive Cusslers and Vince Flynns and breeze out the door. A not atypical grandpa, … Read more
Time is precious in a bookshop and unless you have a plethora of sales assistants working for you, then you need to carefully ration your time. Some customers are worth the time you spend on them because they make worthwhile purchases and have interesting information to offer, others just want you to chase after them … Read more
This question has been around for a long time, and naturally I have my firm opinions about what qualities and tasks booksellers should focus on. I’ve had a variety of bookselling experience-particularly in Lorry’s Book Company because of its unique stock–a blend of new titles, older but non collectible books, and some things at the … Read more
As a bookseller at various stores, I can honestly say with, LOL, humility, that I was extremely customer oriented. Too much for one owner who found customers annoying and wouldn’t deal with them or authors unless forced to. There was, I’m not sure if this holds true now, a certain snobbishness in some independent bookstores. … Read more
Liking your customers. OK, if not entirely in love, then at least tolerating their reading habits and purchases, and doing it while seeming to like the customers. Why is this simple thing so essential, and for some, so hard to accomplish? It’s essential for economic reasons. You buy books for the store. You need to … Read more
Where is your bookstore located? Is it in the heart of the city or in a distant suburb? Are there lots of kids in your area, maybe schools? Universities in England? What kind of customers do you get? What sells the most in your store, and what are the questions most asked at the counter? … Read more
