Could we get a little more information, please?

Sorry for the cut and paste thing with the link, but this it does lead to a pretty funny video about customer service in a bookstore. (Go ahead, you can go watch it. I'll wait here.)

Unfortunately, apart from the offer to hit the customer with a hardcover book, scenes like this are quite common in a day in the life at the bookstore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqph3Pm6T9E

In fact, I had one just yesterday...

A man came up to the register, bearded, about 45-50, wearing a hat.

"Where are the new hardcover nonfiction books?", he asked.

"Well, we don't have one section for nonfiction," I said. "Nonfiction is spread out into subjects, so the new history nonfiction is in the history section and the new biographies are in the biography section and so on. We do have a table for hardcover new arrivals, but most often if it's specific to a section, it'll be in the section."

"That's very frustrating. I saw a book at Powell's and I came here to buy it because I'm a member. The book I want is nonfiction and hardcover."

"Do you know the title?"

"No."

"Author?"

"No."

"Any of the words in the title?"

"No."

"Do you know what it's about?"

"No. I just saw it at Powell's and it looked interesting to me and I thought I'd be able to find it here. Your store is either not organized very well or it's organized too well; I can't find anything in here."

"Without a title or author or subject, it is hard for us to find books in here as well."

(And I'm thinking, it looked so interesting to you that you couldn't bother to remember - or write down the title, an author's name or even what it's about??)

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