Comments on: Booking Through Thursday: Would You Lie?

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:29:42 +0000

It’s strange how a simple “I read it and loved it” from a bookseller can push the customer from “meh I don’t know…” to “I’ll take it!” All part of the job, I guess.

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:27:59 +0000

Haha! Maybe the byline for my blog should be something like “destroying faith in booksellers since 2009″?

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:25:50 +0000

Haha, I’m feeling a bit better about the little white lies now.

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:23:27 +0000

(Oh wow, waitressing. There’s something I don’t miss at all!) I don’t think the survey linked to in the original question is really talking about the sort of people that keep book blogs – passionate readers. We don’t have to brag about what we’ve read because we’re OBVIOUSLY all fantastically well-read anyway!

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:20:29 +0000

True, and it’s not as though I’m bragging about what I have read, I’m just trying to help customers find a book I think they’ll enjoy. (That can be a very difficult task at times, people are so particular!)

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:17:08 +0000

Strangely enough, I do feel a bit better now that I’ve got it off my shoulders! Seems that others don’t think it is as terrible as I (sometimes) do.

By: lilly

lilly — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:29:23 +0000

I haven’t done it yet, i hope I won’t have to do it but when I used to work for a major bookseller I admit I felt tempted a few times to do just that.

By: ted

ted — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:07:01 +0000

How will I every believe a bookseller again (ha ha)!

By: Lliz k

Lliz k — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:19:01 +0000

What you are doing is different. You are not ‘bragging’ or ‘saving face’ you are working. It is like when my boss asks me ‘did you do that thing yet?’. ‘Yes Boss, just finished”, and I hadn’t even thought about it in hours. LOL!

By: Mae

Mae — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:12:16 +0000

I used to do the same thing when I was waitressing – customers would ask me if I’d tried this dish (I hadn’t) and I’ll say, ‘yeah, it’s wonderful!’. But I agree with you – I don’t see the point in lying about reading books I haven’t read.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:08:01 +0000

I think that’s actually a perfectly fine reason for the small little lie. No one get hurts and who knows, maybe the person buying the book will love it!

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:52:36 +0000

My answer was a lot like yours except that I don’t work in the book industry.

By: Novel Insights

Novel Insights — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:18:15 +0000

Oh naughty! Well do you feel better after confessing?

By: Jess

Jess — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:36:02 +0000

Oh I know, it still makes me feel a little uneasy/cheap when I do it though.

By: Schatzi

Schatzi — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:14:42 +0000

I can see doing it for the sake of work. That’s a little different, I think.