The Worst News Day Ever

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

I was so sad to read the earlier post about La Contessa's closing and I was writing a friend about it and she pointed out this recent story about McIntyre & Moore:
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2007/03/is_the_writing_.html

Comments

[dominika-kretek.livejournal.com]

I used to work at the Grolier, so here's my perspective: Maybe a third of the people who visited were either casing the joint or actively stealing. I've worked in other bookstores, so I know that shrinkage is always a concern, but it was nothing compared to what I saw there. The problem is that unless you see them do it, you don't want to risk a confrontation. If you get a big stack of John Ashbery remainders, for example, they immediately start disappearing and turning up at M&M and the Harvard Book Store. Louisa's suspicions weren't always right, but it's not like they were unwarranted. Thieves took advantage of the situation there. I hope that the new owner is succeeding in stopping this trend.

I have never gotten attitude from Mac&Moore. The staff there have always seemed to me mostly to be tired or depressed. I have never gotten attitude from the Diesel, either, so sometimes I wonder if I'm just missing something. I did get attitude from Sagra over the weekend, though!

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that's what I figured -- but even understanding why she acted that way didn't make me willing to go back and face it again. But I wasn't glad to hear about all its troubles, either.

I've both gotten attitude at M&M, and met really nice friendly people who made me smile and/or laugh. Never gotten attitude at Diesel that I can recall -- always friendly, smiling & helpful service.

I can believe that some customers have occasionally encountered rude service at Diesel (even though I've never seen it), because it can happen anywhere every once in a while -- but I also don't believe it for a second whenever somebody claims to have been discriminated against at Diesel because they "looked straight." What rubbish. That reminds me of the way people used to claim, when they came to eat at the dining hall in my rather bohemian creative arts dormitory in college, that they were discriminated against because they "looked preppy." Give me a break.

It may have ever only been trolls making that claim here, anyway. (About Diesel, I mean. Don't think anybody's ever complained about my college dormitory here.)