Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

[Bored Of Education]

...in the England section as you have no other British sections?

"Why, yes, they are"

[caja-dglh]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Mr Waterstones is a little more concerned about keeping the doors open.

[WOM]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Mr Borders just closed his doors down your way.
Mssrs Barnes and Noble seem to be hanging on.

[caja-dglh]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

B&N is an odd one. Walk into one and it is like a nook store that happens to have four floors full of books.

[WOM]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Chapters/Indigo had its results in the paper last week. The did $1 billion in revenue and $10 million in profit. They'd make more money stuffing their capital into a mattress.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Mr Waterstone would do well not to confuse people who actually want to buy books from his shop

[Sean of the Shed]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Thing is, the only people who will be annoyed by travel books on Wales being placed in the English section will be Welsh people, and they should know their fucking way round Wales anyway.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

The thing is that I am not particularly making a Welsh nationalist point. There was a book called, ironically, "In Search Of Wales" by H.V Morton which I could not find because of their odd indexing which is why I asked.

Now, I live in Bath which attracts a lot of tourist who will, perhaps, have Wales as their next destination and may not be as upfront as me to ask.

Actually, I do not know why I am explaining this, it is simple retail good practice to label your goods properly. If I am looking for tea, I do not expect it to be under "Coffee"

[caja-dglh]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Bored of Education wrote:

The thing is that I am not particularly making a Welsh nationalist point. There was a book called, ironically, "In Search Of Wales" by H.V Morton which I could not find because of their odd indexing which is why I asked.

Now, I live in Bath which attracts a lot of tourist who will, perhaps, have Wales as their next destination and may not be as upfront as me to ask.

Actually, I do not know why I am explaining this, it is simple retail good practice to label your goods properly. If I am looking for tea, I do not expect it to be under "Coffee"

But bookstore filing systems are a fucking mystery for a huge amount of things. That is the way it often is. Is it in current affairs, politics, music or counter-culture? (that would be Kode 9's book btw, which turned out to be in none of the above and in some odd alcove of 'stuff').

I hope that you asked someone and they gave you a really witty response "you need the westbound M4" or "that is very interesting, but what book are you looking for Sir?"

I mean, this is why they employ folk to have the inventory computer and advise you on finding the damn thing.

[Duncan Gardner]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Sean of the Shed wrote:

Thing is, the only people who will be annoyed by travel books on Wales being placed in the English section will be Welsh people, and they should know their fucking way round Wales anyway

Aye, that's just what this thread/ forum needs. Another Brummie/ Wurzel comedian.

Wouldn't have happened in my day BoreDa, if it's any comfort to ye...

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I was actually out with an employee of the same store last night but I didn't bring it up as, firstly, he was drumming and, secondly, I was pissed

[Antepli Ejderha]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Shall I mention the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on Wales here?

No best not to open that can of worms.

Fuck it BofE, we'll always be fighting this kind of nonsense so try not to let it ruin your day.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Lie I say it wasn't really a hywl or bitter Welsh issue. I was wanting to buy a book on Wales and the store* was doing its hardest to stop me from this.

I can understand that you maybe would want to steamline your signing but in what way is writing "Britain" "United Kingdom" more difficult. With the first, it is even the same amount of letters. I should have checked where Irish travel books were

*indeed, company, possibly. I think it was a directive from above. I will check when I see my drummer mate while sober.

[WOM]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

You'd have to imagine that, somewhere in the book world, there's some ongoing battle where people move the bible from the Religion to the Fiction section, and someone else moves it to Occult and someone else moves it to Business.

I mean, it probably doesn't happen, but I'd like to think that it does.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Yeah, right. You're that person, aren't you, WOM

[Diable Rouge]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Perhaps there aren't enough Welsh travel books to merit a separate section - though I accept the section should be renamed "England and Wales" then?

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

As I say, I am not sure that there was a Scottish or, even, Irish one.

[WOM]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I would if I worked in a bookstore, that's for sure.

You know what I found interesting recently-ish? We were standing at the checkout of our local Megalobookmart, and I noticed that, behind the counter, were shelves of Catcher In The Rye/Lord of The Flies/Fahrenheit 451/Chrysalids/etc. So I asked 'Why do you have the whole high school English curriculum back there with you?" and dude says "Because teenagers steal them all."

So I said "Do you just have, like, one sample copy on the shelf?" and he says "No, they'd steal the sample copy. We just have a note on the shelf where the books would be."

[sw2borshch]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

It always used to amuse me that the Christian Book Store in town was next to the Private Shop. I thought it could have made for a good sit-com.

The Christian shop has since moved. I only noticed this because I happened to be passing…and there’s another sex shop opened up too a few streets away.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I only noticed this because I happened to be passing

Yeah, right

[sw2borshch]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I can honestly say I’ve only ever been in there once, to accompany another lad who was buying some Liquid Gold.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

Ick.

[Bored Of Education]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I don't know, "Dance Yourself Dizzy" is a classic

[MsD]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

I have three travel books on Wales:

Wild Wales by George Borrow, which is hilarious.
Real Cardiff by Peter Finch, which is very good
and a guide to Portmeiron, by someone or other.

is this above average?

Oh, and I've got a book on the ladies of Llangollen.
So that's sort of three and a half.

Do I win anything?

[David Agnew]

Dear Mr Waterstones, are the travel books on Wales

sw2boro wrote:

It always used to amuse me that the Christian Book Store in town was next to the Private Shop. I thought it could have made for a good sit-com.

The same was true of Wolverhampton.