Rant! Rant!

I live in a fairly rural area that doesn't pay much attention to cultural-type things and when Barnes & Noble deigned to put one of their little stores down here, it ran all the other bookstores in town out of business. It's amazing what Starbucks and Wi-Fi will do, isn't it? I admit I was happy that the chain bookstore was coming to town but my experience there today, six plus years later, may just keep me out of the place from now on.

I went there today on a mission for three books: Open Country by Kaki Warner, Red Demon by Deidre Knight, and Dreamveil by Lynn Viehl. Today is Wednesday, the day after Tuesday and also the DAY AFTER all three of these books were released. According to B&N's website, ALL THREE were IN STOCK at that particular store. So I go there today, after noon, thinking that yeah, I'll be paying more for them than I would have liked but at least I'll have them. NOT! Not one of them were on the shelves. They hadn't even made room for them yet! I could understand it, maybe, if they had sold out of them as unlikely as it would seem but no. Keep in mind that this was the same store where they hadn't heard of Ilona Andrews. Do they not even bother to train their employees? Are they not supposed to have at least some knowledge of books in general? What about the popular names in each genre? If I was someone who worked in a bookstore such at this one and a customer approached me about a particular author I would bet that seven or eight times out of ten I would be able to point them in the right direction without having to resort to looking them up on the computer. I always assumed that only people who loved books would bother to work at bookstores or libraries. *snort* Shows how much I know.

I was so angry after I had given up my search in that stupid store and rest assured, I looked EVERYWHERE, I just left. I'm not one to ask for help on a good day but today I just thought I'll be DAMNED before I ask anyone of those book-ignorant people in there why they hadn't bothered to stock their shelves this week. I'll tell you what the priority was - setting up that big-ass display for the nook right smack dab in the way when you walk in the front door of the store. They had two people working on it! Thanks, Barnes & Noble, for showing me just how much a book-reading consumer means to you.

I actually found one of the three books at Wal-Mart, a place I did NOT want to go today. I came home and promptly ordered the books I missed out on from The Book Depository. Not only did I pay less than I would have here in America but they don't charge for shipping AND I got a copy of The Demon's Lexicon and Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready for less than what amazon was charging. SO THERE! And guess what else - no nook for me! I would rather pay double and get an iPad. End rant.