The New York Press presents The 50 Most Loathsome New Yorkers. I feel kinda cool that I know someone on this list (#15). And I’m really glad that the employees of the Strand made the grade (#29):
SLAVING AT A used bookshop may be a nobler vocation than trading pork bellies, but is it too much to ask that someone make eye contact through his or her Elvis Costello glasses? Is it unreasonable to expect the occasional acknowledgement of a customer’s presence? Do new employees take classes to learn how to display utter contempt?
For the very reasons expressed above, I hate asking for help at that store. I’m glad to learn it’s not just me.
I never think of the Strand as a store where you should bother to look for anything in particular. Organization isn’t it’s strength so much as the serendipity of stumbling across something while browsing. I usually don’t want to bother staff since they look so underpaid, underfed, and overworked. I lile to look, though, because I find that scruffy, skinny, bookish type so adorable.
I’ll agree with Sparky’s serendipity comment. Most of the books I’ve bought at the Strand have been odds and ends I’ve run across while looking for nothing in particular.
I disagree with his comment that the staff looks overworked. The only person I’ve seen who ever looked busy was the guy who handled people’s parcels and bags when they check them.
As near as I can tell, the check out people just stand up front and talk to each other until someone who is willing to be rude comes up and makes them do a little work.