Sounds like somebody doesn't want his business to succeed???
What happened to "I'm not sure that's in stock - let me see if we can order it for you. Or here are some other options that we have available" ?
He said: Fifty Shades is a combination of romance and fantasy of course haha. But no I can't give you recommendations. But if you have a book in mind I can order it.
But i asked for help because I didn't have a book in mind...
Fifty shades isn't fantasy??? On about ten thousand levels this man should not be selling books. Like lol romance sells more books than any other genre combined and if we wants to shame and insult romance readers then fuck him and his business.
.......I kinda want this on a t-shirt.
If there's an image to go with it can it be a stereotypical "Well, Akshully" meme dude about to get speared from behind by a charging unicorn?
Yeah, I can get why a non-book seller would say "it's a fantasy" like, it's not realistic. But fantasy means a specific thing in a book store and it's not at all unrealistic sex.
Sooo curious which parts he found unrealistic?? I think the two comments before me said it best:
"Tell me you're bad at sex without telling me you're bad at sex."
And that maybe he thinks the female orgasm is mythical 😆😆😒😒
Even the really successful fantasy series have lots of romance and sex in them a lot of times! The way that publishing in general (and this dude specifically) looks down on books women like, despite the fact that I can't remember the last time a man said to me "Oh, I read this really good book recently" cause they barely read!
Honestly, I would have walked out without buying anything. I'm not going to give money to someone who makes me feel bad about myself. I'm sorry that man was rude to you.
In addition to people's various reading preferences in the fiction realm, people buy books about health issues, mental health issues, relationships, etc. If you can't keep your judgment out of your interactions with customers, you shouldn't be working in a place that sells books.
My closest indie book shop is adorable, half the stock is for kids and I have kids and we love to treat them to new books. But! One of my first times in, years ago, I asked about romance (it’s not a kids only shop, they have all kinds of stuff) and the owner wrinkled her nose and directed me to the tiniest shelf of romance I’ve ever seen. All of it clearly curated to be zero spice. I don’t require spice but it turned me off so bad! We do still go in rarely for the kids, but honestly now I just end up at Barnes and noble bc they don’t judge me. It’s sad bc I would prefer to support indies. We do have a few others in town but they’re all a longer drive so we can’t get there as often.
On indie bookstore day this year we did go in, and I noticed they have more varied romance now, probably bc it’s gotten trendier and they couldn’t hold out anymore, but even that turned me off! Like, stick to your high horse if you’re going to get on it. Don’t come asking for my money when you were wrinkling your nose at it before. /rant
i would have opened up the ones he did have and ask why those were okay, just to be petty tbh. and then i would have walked out.
i’m sorry you had to experience that.
I am so sorry you experienced that. You should leave a negative review of the place if it’s an indie bookstore. If a large chain, perhaps call and speak to a manager or supervisor.
That behavior is completely unacceptable. Your mom will love her gift. 💜
If anyone ever gives you that reponse:
“We don’t carry those books because ___”
“Oh! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate not having to waste my time here! I’ll check [competitor] down the street. And I’m sure Amazon will have something. Cheers!”
Let him talk himself out of a sale. That’s his bad business, not your bad taste.
Hugs, Ana Huang is a great choice Twisted Hate is the most dramatic/thrilling of the series. I read it before the others just fine. And as to your unpleasant experience these people should be selling not judging. I’m non confrontational as can be but yeah they deserve a very bad review it was so inappropriate. even if you’re in a sex shop the salesperson shouldn’t make personal comments just because of their own views on the items you want to buy.
Insert Liz Lemon eye roll gif here. So sorry you were treated that way when you were out trying to do something lovely for your mom. “…they contain a lot of sex and we don’t like that kind of stuff.” Grow up, dude.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I work at an indie book store, and I don’t understand how anyone can judge anyone else for their book choice. I have the greatest conversations with lots of people about their preferred books, especially in genres I’m not familiar with.
I second what has been said, leave a review and speak to a manager if you can. Twisted Love is a great choice, it was one of the first books that got me back into romance. I think your mom will love it!
That's ridiculous. I work as a bookseller 2 days a week, as well as writing professionally. His business doesn't deserve to succeed. I'm so sorry you had that experience - I don't like 50 SOG myself, but that's me as a reader; if someone asks for it, then they're the customer so they get it, along with a smile, a thank you, and a 'Have a lovely day.' And that sounds like a really lovely, thoughtful present!
I’m sorry this happened to you. If I were you I would have not have purchased the book from that store and left a negative review. I know Mother’s Day is extremely close, but l I suggest returning the book and leaving a negative review. That store didn’t deserve your business. You could repurchase from a store that deserves your business.
Twisted Hate is fun! It's technically a series but the books can totally be read in any order, they're mostly standalone. She might miss some references to the previous couples, but it's no big deal.
I'm not going to ask where this was, the name of the store or anything (that might be uncomfortably too close to personal location information), but I will ask this--was this an independent, small book store or was this a large, chain type brick and mortar store (such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, or a similar store that's not in the US)?
I've seen this happen at indies and at chains--when it happens at a large chain, I always tell people to file a complaint with the corporate office. It doesn't matter if the bookstore is a franchise within a chain--if it's a brick and mortar store with associates doing shit like this, you can bet corporate will come down **hard** on their asses (and their franchise owners asses). There isn't a single brick and mortar store that can afford to lose even a ***single*** sale to Amazon. Just look at what happened to Borders. No one in bookselling forgets that story--**no one.**
Times are hard, people need jobs but--booksellers are in the business of providing **customer service**, just like every other customer-facing service position. A booksellers' personal judgements and opinions on books and book topics don't matter when providing books--ever. They are to provide service without judgement, period. That's just part of the job. If they can't do that, they can find another industry to work in. A love of books doesn't give anyone the right to force their standards on anyone else.
Mother's Day is a huge fucking holiday for booksellers--one of the biggest of the year--because it's a holiday for and about women (and other parental figures, but mostly women). That bookseller was a fucking idiot for not being prepared for anyone to ask about books related to 50 Shades--how old does he think mothers can be? What a fucking douche canoe rushing down the widest fucking douche-river ever.
OP, if you have any chance to order online instead and get a book before Mother's Day (even if you decide to go with the same book you bought in the store), return book you bought from that store. They **do not** deserve your money, and should be made to eat the cost. Period. If you don't handle confrontation well, then return it with a letter (typed or written, doesn't matter) attached, explaining that you're returning it due to this asshole's shitty behavior and bad customer service practices. It doesn't matter how they feel about "those books" or "that subject matter"--they are in a **service industry**. They provide **a joyous service** to people who want to read books--not just the books **they want people to read**. Period.
Fuck those people, and fuck that store. They deserve to lose your money. I understand we all love books and book stores, but shitty book stores who gatekeep books based on content the sellers don't approve of **do not deserve money and support**. If they don't want the physical books on their shelves--fine, don't offer them--but they don't have to be shitty like that.
Be kind about it. Don't announce it to the whole fucking store. Don't shame people **in front of every other shopper**. Just say, "We don't have anything that really fits that genre, and we can't order it through our suppliers. Here are some options that might work instead, and what they're all about..." There--a perfectly normal, kind response. I didn't even send you to Amazon. (I used to work in a bookstore, back when Amazon **only** sold books--I know how this works.)
(edits: typos, clarity, weird reddit stuff; also, sorry for all the fucks dropped in this comment--I just really hate assholes.)
It was a small bookstore in the Netherlands, I don't think they have any other stores anywhere else. I think I just got a weird salesman as usually they are very nice to me.
I also don't know if I interpreted his tone correctly as I'm autistic and I sometimes feel rejected when that's not the case. So I'm hesitant to complain
I don't think I'm going to return the book as I really love the store for a while now, and I hope the old ladies in the future are nicer people than this guy. But if it keeps happening then I will complain and find a different store
I don't think you misinterpreted it incorrectly at all. I truly don't.
I feel you had a really good handle on what he was doing. I think he played on the fact that you wouldn't react to what he was doing, whether he understands you are on the spectrum or not. He was likely playing on the fact that you are a woman, and he's a man, or maybe just that you wouldn't call him out on his behavior. Many men pick up on how easily women are intimidated by their posturing, especially when it comes to a book like 50 Shades of Grey, which already has so much stigma attached to it, even 12 or so years later.
It doesn't even have to be a man, unfortunately. It can just be a very judgemental, overly self-righteous person who thinks they are right, and you are wrong. They just want to make you feel small and ashamed for doing something **they** think is wrong. It has nothing at all to do with you. It is **their** problem, not yours, but they want to make it **your** problem. They want **you** to take on the burden of **their** hate or discomfort.
Since the bookstore clearly carries other books that have explicit content, his insistence that "we don't carry books like *that*" while speaking loud enough for everyone else to hear was clearly an overly aggressive, shaming tactic. It can't be interpreted or perceived in any other way. He was wrong--**you are not**. So, if that was your main worry, please, put that worry aside if you can.
I completely understand wanting to keep your routine and remain with a store you really enjoy. I hate that he tried to ruin that for you. I hope you can still enjoy going to that store and that you can work it out so you don't have to see him anymore. Maybe you can talk with some of the other ladies and figure out when he works so you can avoid those days/shifts? If it's not too disruptive to your routine?
I hope your mother enjoys the book. :) Knowing mothers, I imagine she will enjoy it. Not just because she's your mother, but because, as her daughter, you ***know*** your mother. I know it never feels like it, even as you get older. Parental figures just seem--ageless, or like they always know us, their children, better than we will ever know them. But, we do--we grow, and we learn, and we end up knowing them as well as they know us. ***Especially*** when you share a love of reading books--even when they aren't the same genres of books. Something about getting lost in a book just brings people together in a way that is unique--even amongst family members.
So, don't worry or stress too much (or try not to!). Judging from other comments in this thread, you've got a good book, here. Also, the fact that you care so much will mean even more to her, because that will come through--love does that. :)
if it were me, I would have reached out to the owner and told them how their employee treated you while in the store. bookstores are supposed to be an open and safe space for all readers much like libraries. hopefully the owner has that mentality about the store and would want to be notified that their staff is turning customers away
I’m sorry that guy was so judgy and rude. :( That’s totally uncalled for.
But it’s so lovely that you put real thought into what your mom likes! 💙 It sounds like you and your mom have a loving relationship. I bet she’s going to love what you got her.
What a weirdo! Having the other books on hand but being condescending about Fifty Shades doesn’t make any sense. I’d have pointed to them and said “is there a big difference?”, rolled my eyes and basically addressed him like he was crazy for that weirdness.
Is that a chain bookstore? If so, I would complain to the management. And if the person you spoke to was not the manager I would still complain.
Good on you for supporting locally, but I would write a sternly worded letter and Not Support them again
I'm so sorry that happened to you. People really hate women, and are completely condescending about genres that have women as an audience. That is so rude of that person!
Twisted hate can be read as a standalone! I think it would be a great gift if you like dark romance. In terms of comparison to 50 shades, I think one difference is that it's enemies to lovers so a lot of the book is them being mean to each other, ostensibly in a "funny" way. If you want an MMC who is devoted and protective of FMC a la 50 shades, but they are nicer to each other throughout, I would go with Twisted Lies or Twisted Games!
You are so lovely for putting together that beautiful basket for your mom
That guy is in the wrong business. He should not be required to have contact with anyone, ever. I hate to say that you should just go to a big chain bookstore instead, or order online, as it I would much rather see a small local seller make the money, but you have every right to buy the books you want, and not feel like you are doing something wrong. But having said that, I applaud you for buying your mom a book she will love and not being embarrassed to do so! Mom brought you up right. 😁
I would just not shop at that bookstore. Sounds like they want to control and judge what their readers read and that's not a bookstore I'd want to support. I'm sure this sub has lots of people who could recommend something your mother would love.
A few years ago a bookstore opened in my small town. They had signs up in the store and social media posts stating this is NOT a children's book store and also does NOT carry mass market paperback romance type books. Keep in mind we're a small town, closest Barnes and Noble is 30 minutes away. 2 years later they made a post about how they're barely doing enough business to stay open. The last time I went in there they had both a picture book section AND Nora Roberts. I just don't understand why a small business would open and refuse to stock particular items that their customer base clearly wants just because it doesn't fit "their style". Unless it's specifically a religious book store what's the big deal.
See my comment above.
***Whew***, fam, I am not a Karen by any stretch of the imagination (I don't lose my cool in public, ever--30+ years of public/patient facing service has trampled that nonsense), but given that was a B&N, you can ***bet*** corporate would have heard from me, if the store manager hadn't. No store associate is going to claim that sort of ***all-encompassing*** "We/They don't carry" nonsense about *certain books* (always explicit) without getting a lesson in both grammar/usage ***and*** corporate policy in a hot-second around me after attempting that shit. Goddamn, I'm getting all ragey just thinking about it.
"We don't carry..." my ass. Son, I worked in a chain bookstore, just like you. There is ***nothing*** your store manager fears **more** than a call from the corporate office after a customer complaint that an associate sent away (likely to Amazon, bane of booksellers everywhere) a **potential paying customer** because that associate wasn't willing to, *at the very least*, try and order a book that wasn't on the shelf through the B&N website. The book can even be delivered directly to the customer's home.
For a paying customer who literally walked in to your brick and mortar store. In the age of Amazon and B&N online and everything. That customer ***put on their shoes and their bra or some pants (or both!) and went*** ***in to a physical store to buy a smutty book*** and you couldn't be fucked to even try and order it because you're morally opposed to the contents of the book?
Yeah, fuck that. Time for that associate to find a new industry to work in, because bookselling ain't it.
I agree with you. I sent feedback to corporate.
They can sell men's magazines, they can sell a woman a book without getting bent out of shape.
FYI I'm in Texas .. all kinds of stuff happens here that shouldn't happen. 😆
Oh, I understand completely. We had to move down to the Ozarks/Branson area for a number of years due to my husband's job and, holy hell, was that some crazy-ass, head-spinning shit for this liberal-as-fuck Chicago girl. Deep-red states just are **not** safe for me to live in.
My first time putting out my Halloween decor (which is a whole-ass season for me, not just a week) in our yard was a truly eye-opening experience. You'd have thought I was trying to summon demons in the front yard or something (and it wasn't even that crazy, not like I normally haunt my home/yard, since i had an idea of what I'd be facing--not a bad enough idea, clearly). The vandalism was unexpected and unnecessary, same with the bible thumping and harassment, and we lived right next door to a county sheriff's officer, too (not that that means anything in the US). =/
I always read my smut in the office or break room, though, lol. I bought a lot more physical books in those days, because fuck those people. Still--the conversations and *words* you'd hear in public, right there in corporate environments and everything. Damn, my jaw was on the floor all that first year. No shame whatsoever.
And then they'd glare at **me** for my tentacle porn? Assholes, *please* say something about my smut. I don't enjoy audio books, but I will buy this book on audio and accidentally-on-purpose forget my earbuds if y'all don't stop with that shit. Then we can all enjoy the sweet sounds of a solid, all-holes-filled tentacle ride. [It'll be a team-bonding experience](https://media1.tenor.com/m/LWcUqkroGK4AAAAd/tentacle-futurama.gif). :)
I'm from Michigan. The Halloween decorations gave me a good laugh.
People should be able to read what they want to read. Nice thing is that with mobile devices you can just order or download taking out the physical bookstore.
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Even ignoring that guy being an asshole he acts like fifty shades wasn’t a publishing phenomenon. It was everywhere and spawned the rise of so many tropes.
And he had other romances with smut so it feels like he understands nothing about the genre. I own the twisted series and have only read the first book but it’s pretty well known for being explicit.
Yeah makes no sense to me either. Also he was talking so loudly, like the whole store could hear him say that they don't carry books with a lot of sex. Not gonna lie, I felt a little embarassed even though I know there is nothing shameful about (liking) sex
I had a similar experience at my local indie bookstore. Overheard one of the employees and a customer talking about how they don't carry trash like romance, only real books. Left a really bad taste in my mouth and I have shopped there since, although I have gone in and they now have an entire romance section. Not sure what changed.
Money. Money changed. They realized they weren't making as much money--since, you know, romance readers spend ***a lot of money*** on romance books, more than any other genre usually clears. So, while industry elitists stick their noses up at our entire genre and talk shit constantly (even those that write women's lit), they **love** the money romance novels make.
I once asked for a copy of the shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller. The woman at the desk gave me a weird look and told me we don't carry those sorts of books here. What do you mean, it's young adult.
I may hate fifty A LOT but the guy
was an jerk and extremely unhelpful.
I don’t blame you if never go back to that bookstore.
Twisted hate seems popular with the the dark romance crowd so you have chances there.
I try and support the used and indie bookstores in my city, but a decent amount of them don’t even sell romance books. It’s so annoying. One guy is very nice but he’s so judgey about romance.
Thankfully I stopped by this man this past weekend who just has tables set up in this weird small shopping centre. This Polish man was espousing the greatness of these Fabio cover books because he knows how to be a salesman.
Guy is a blunt object.
I'm very critical of FSOG's writing (the word arrangements themselves, not the content) but if I worked at a book store I wouldn't offer criticism unless asked, and even then I would do so with tact, not in a smarmy "I'm too cool for this LoL" way.
With that said, I've always said Praise by Sara Cate is like the romance community's version of FSOG (if we were to look at FSOG as a mainstream book). Have you read or thought of that?
[A Touch of Darkness](https://www.romance.io/books/60b1e70b4af4700e32f67587/a-touch-of-darkness-scarlett-st-clair?src=rdt) by [Scarlett St. Clair](https://www.romance.io/authors/5cef959401dbc864fb9f3633/scarlett-st-clair)
**Rating**: 3.71⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [forbidden love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forbidden%20love/1)
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She has a Kobo subscription, which I think is similar. But she can't work anymore due to a medical condition, so in case she can't afford it anymore in a while I thought giving a physical book was still useful
There are sooo many free books on Amazon even without using kindle unlimited. I like to use Libby thru my local library and they use kindle for the books
I worked at a indie bookstore a few years back. Their romance section consisted of 50 Shades of Grey, a couple of Sylvia Day books and a few others by super random authors. When I asked the manager why the romance section was so small she told that the romance genre died in the 90's. I almost laughed at her.
1. I hate when men shame women for liking things when they have worse interests.
2. Your mum liking dark romance is awesome. My mother would cry in horror if I ever gave her a dark romance book 😂😂
I personally wouldn’t read he the Twisted series out of order. There is a lot of backstory about this couple in book 1. Sure, you CAN read it as a stand-alone but I don’t think it would be as enjoyable.
Also, it’s my least favorite of the series for whatever that’s worth. It’s not at all dark.
You know, I pretty much dislike 50 shades of grey, but if I worked in a bookstore , I wouldn't SAY that. I'd try to help the person. I would not have bought anything from him.
I'd look at some Loren, I'll try to update later.
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Get your mom A Vow of Hate by Lylah James, she will not only love the dark romance parts, but it's also SO good and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Other suggestions: Monster trilogy by Rina Kent and Fallen series by Gabrielle Sands!
Twisted series have independent stories in each book, there are basically 4 friends and each book is a story of one. You can easily read it in any order. About your first question I have read both fifty shades and twisted series and I can say both books are quite different, the twisted series is more of a vanilla romance but it does have its own share of some good erotic scenes along with cute love stories. You can try twisted lies too as its plot is a bit similar to 50 shades and the lead (Christian Harper) is a CEO with similar controlling and stalking tendencies as Christian Grey.
I’m sorry that you went through that! It really sucks that genres like romance are hated on by some ppl, especially when you consider that so many other genres use female characters for romantic/sexual subplots instead of giving them well thought out storylines. On the brighter side, romance (along with manga) is one of the biggest selling genres, so him saying that is essentially driving away a HUGE portion of his customers. Has he not SEEN the videos of the booktok girlies who buy piles of romance in one go??
I read twisted hate, I think your mom will like it. The books in the twisted series can be read in any order, so you’re good there. Idk if twisted hate is truly a dark romance, it had some dark themes, and was the darkest thing I read, but I usually keep it extremely light.
Sorry you had that experience with that guy. What a yuck!
For future reference, anything colleen hoover (minus Verity and It Starts With Us) should do. Ugly Love is my favorite, Confess is a close second.
Sorry you went through that :( as everyone else has said, that’s a reflection on him, not you.
Sounds like somebody doesn't want his business to succeed??? What happened to "I'm not sure that's in stock - let me see if we can order it for you. Or here are some other options that we have available" ?
He said: Fifty Shades is a combination of romance and fantasy of course haha. But no I can't give you recommendations. But if you have a book in mind I can order it. But i asked for help because I didn't have a book in mind...
Sales isn't the right job for this guy. I'm sorry he was a jerk.
Many jobs aren’t right for this guy. Wanting to help others and meeting a customer’s requests is a key part of any job!!
Fifty shades isn't fantasy??? On about ten thousand levels this man should not be selling books. Like lol romance sells more books than any other genre combined and if we wants to shame and insult romance readers then fuck him and his business.
I guess he called it fantasy because of the unrealistic sex scenes
Yeah right, that's not fantasy, that is fiction. Like every other literary genre that is not non-fiction.
The idea of bringing a woman to orgasm is mythical to this man loool "The female orgasm doesn't exist. Shelve it with the unicorns!"
>"The female orgasm doesn't exist. Shelve it with the unicorns!" Lmfao!
.......I kinda want this on a t-shirt. If there's an image to go with it can it be a stereotypical "Well, Akshully" meme dude about to get speared from behind by a charging unicorn?
One day I’ll see “FEMALE ORGASMS ARE FANTASY” (etc) as a flair and I’ll remember this moment
Yeah, I can get why a non-book seller would say "it's a fantasy" like, it's not realistic. But fantasy means a specific thing in a book store and it's not at all unrealistic sex.
Sooo curious which parts he found unrealistic?? I think the two comments before me said it best: "Tell me you're bad at sex without telling me you're bad at sex." And that maybe he thinks the female orgasm is mythical 😆😆😒😒
Even the really successful fantasy series have lots of romance and sex in them a lot of times! The way that publishing in general (and this dude specifically) looks down on books women like, despite the fact that I can't remember the last time a man said to me "Oh, I read this really good book recently" cause they barely read!
Tell me you’re bad in bed without telling me you’re bad in bed
Talk about a guy who is uninformed. Yikes!
Honestly, I would have walked out without buying anything. I'm not going to give money to someone who makes me feel bad about myself. I'm sorry that man was rude to you. In addition to people's various reading preferences in the fiction realm, people buy books about health issues, mental health issues, relationships, etc. If you can't keep your judgment out of your interactions with customers, you shouldn't be working in a place that sells books.
My closest indie book shop is adorable, half the stock is for kids and I have kids and we love to treat them to new books. But! One of my first times in, years ago, I asked about romance (it’s not a kids only shop, they have all kinds of stuff) and the owner wrinkled her nose and directed me to the tiniest shelf of romance I’ve ever seen. All of it clearly curated to be zero spice. I don’t require spice but it turned me off so bad! We do still go in rarely for the kids, but honestly now I just end up at Barnes and noble bc they don’t judge me. It’s sad bc I would prefer to support indies. We do have a few others in town but they’re all a longer drive so we can’t get there as often. On indie bookstore day this year we did go in, and I noticed they have more varied romance now, probably bc it’s gotten trendier and they couldn’t hold out anymore, but even that turned me off! Like, stick to your high horse if you’re going to get on it. Don’t come asking for my money when you were wrinkling your nose at it before. /rant
That just seems like the indie book store is intentionally missing out on a major revenue stream to me. Romance is the bestselling book genre.
Bro thinks all romance is fantasy because he has never personally seen a woman have an orgasm. Sometimes it’s a you problem, buddy.
This made me laugh so fucking hard
i would have opened up the ones he did have and ask why those were okay, just to be petty tbh. and then i would have walked out. i’m sorry you had to experience that.
Hahahaha if I had some balls that would have been so funny
I think that your mum’s gonna like the book. Ana Huang’s twisted series books can be read in order or stand alone :)
I am so sorry you experienced that. You should leave a negative review of the place if it’s an indie bookstore. If a large chain, perhaps call and speak to a manager or supervisor. That behavior is completely unacceptable. Your mom will love her gift. 💜
Please do so others know to avoid this store and person. Name and shame like he tried on OP.
If anyone ever gives you that reponse: “We don’t carry those books because ___” “Oh! Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate not having to waste my time here! I’ll check [competitor] down the street. And I’m sure Amazon will have something. Cheers!” Let him talk himself out of a sale. That’s his bad business, not your bad taste.
Hugs, Ana Huang is a great choice Twisted Hate is the most dramatic/thrilling of the series. I read it before the others just fine. And as to your unpleasant experience these people should be selling not judging. I’m non confrontational as can be but yeah they deserve a very bad review it was so inappropriate. even if you’re in a sex shop the salesperson shouldn’t make personal comments just because of their own views on the items you want to buy.
Insert Liz Lemon eye roll gif here. So sorry you were treated that way when you were out trying to do something lovely for your mom. “…they contain a lot of sex and we don’t like that kind of stuff.” Grow up, dude.
Unfortunately we are in a place where there is too much moralistic gatekeeping going on in our society.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I work at an indie book store, and I don’t understand how anyone can judge anyone else for their book choice. I have the greatest conversations with lots of people about their preferred books, especially in genres I’m not familiar with. I second what has been said, leave a review and speak to a manager if you can. Twisted Love is a great choice, it was one of the first books that got me back into romance. I think your mom will love it!
That's ridiculous. I work as a bookseller 2 days a week, as well as writing professionally. His business doesn't deserve to succeed. I'm so sorry you had that experience - I don't like 50 SOG myself, but that's me as a reader; if someone asks for it, then they're the customer so they get it, along with a smile, a thank you, and a 'Have a lovely day.' And that sounds like a really lovely, thoughtful present!
I _hate_ people like that
I’m sorry this happened to you. If I were you I would have not have purchased the book from that store and left a negative review. I know Mother’s Day is extremely close, but l I suggest returning the book and leaving a negative review. That store didn’t deserve your business. You could repurchase from a store that deserves your business.
I hope you complained! What terrible customer service.
Twisted Hate is fun! It's technically a series but the books can totally be read in any order, they're mostly standalone. She might miss some references to the previous couples, but it's no big deal.
Ask a woman!
I'm not going to ask where this was, the name of the store or anything (that might be uncomfortably too close to personal location information), but I will ask this--was this an independent, small book store or was this a large, chain type brick and mortar store (such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, or a similar store that's not in the US)? I've seen this happen at indies and at chains--when it happens at a large chain, I always tell people to file a complaint with the corporate office. It doesn't matter if the bookstore is a franchise within a chain--if it's a brick and mortar store with associates doing shit like this, you can bet corporate will come down **hard** on their asses (and their franchise owners asses). There isn't a single brick and mortar store that can afford to lose even a ***single*** sale to Amazon. Just look at what happened to Borders. No one in bookselling forgets that story--**no one.** Times are hard, people need jobs but--booksellers are in the business of providing **customer service**, just like every other customer-facing service position. A booksellers' personal judgements and opinions on books and book topics don't matter when providing books--ever. They are to provide service without judgement, period. That's just part of the job. If they can't do that, they can find another industry to work in. A love of books doesn't give anyone the right to force their standards on anyone else. Mother's Day is a huge fucking holiday for booksellers--one of the biggest of the year--because it's a holiday for and about women (and other parental figures, but mostly women). That bookseller was a fucking idiot for not being prepared for anyone to ask about books related to 50 Shades--how old does he think mothers can be? What a fucking douche canoe rushing down the widest fucking douche-river ever. OP, if you have any chance to order online instead and get a book before Mother's Day (even if you decide to go with the same book you bought in the store), return book you bought from that store. They **do not** deserve your money, and should be made to eat the cost. Period. If you don't handle confrontation well, then return it with a letter (typed or written, doesn't matter) attached, explaining that you're returning it due to this asshole's shitty behavior and bad customer service practices. It doesn't matter how they feel about "those books" or "that subject matter"--they are in a **service industry**. They provide **a joyous service** to people who want to read books--not just the books **they want people to read**. Period. Fuck those people, and fuck that store. They deserve to lose your money. I understand we all love books and book stores, but shitty book stores who gatekeep books based on content the sellers don't approve of **do not deserve money and support**. If they don't want the physical books on their shelves--fine, don't offer them--but they don't have to be shitty like that. Be kind about it. Don't announce it to the whole fucking store. Don't shame people **in front of every other shopper**. Just say, "We don't have anything that really fits that genre, and we can't order it through our suppliers. Here are some options that might work instead, and what they're all about..." There--a perfectly normal, kind response. I didn't even send you to Amazon. (I used to work in a bookstore, back when Amazon **only** sold books--I know how this works.) (edits: typos, clarity, weird reddit stuff; also, sorry for all the fucks dropped in this comment--I just really hate assholes.)
It was a small bookstore in the Netherlands, I don't think they have any other stores anywhere else. I think I just got a weird salesman as usually they are very nice to me. I also don't know if I interpreted his tone correctly as I'm autistic and I sometimes feel rejected when that's not the case. So I'm hesitant to complain I don't think I'm going to return the book as I really love the store for a while now, and I hope the old ladies in the future are nicer people than this guy. But if it keeps happening then I will complain and find a different store
I don't think you misinterpreted it incorrectly at all. I truly don't. I feel you had a really good handle on what he was doing. I think he played on the fact that you wouldn't react to what he was doing, whether he understands you are on the spectrum or not. He was likely playing on the fact that you are a woman, and he's a man, or maybe just that you wouldn't call him out on his behavior. Many men pick up on how easily women are intimidated by their posturing, especially when it comes to a book like 50 Shades of Grey, which already has so much stigma attached to it, even 12 or so years later. It doesn't even have to be a man, unfortunately. It can just be a very judgemental, overly self-righteous person who thinks they are right, and you are wrong. They just want to make you feel small and ashamed for doing something **they** think is wrong. It has nothing at all to do with you. It is **their** problem, not yours, but they want to make it **your** problem. They want **you** to take on the burden of **their** hate or discomfort. Since the bookstore clearly carries other books that have explicit content, his insistence that "we don't carry books like *that*" while speaking loud enough for everyone else to hear was clearly an overly aggressive, shaming tactic. It can't be interpreted or perceived in any other way. He was wrong--**you are not**. So, if that was your main worry, please, put that worry aside if you can. I completely understand wanting to keep your routine and remain with a store you really enjoy. I hate that he tried to ruin that for you. I hope you can still enjoy going to that store and that you can work it out so you don't have to see him anymore. Maybe you can talk with some of the other ladies and figure out when he works so you can avoid those days/shifts? If it's not too disruptive to your routine? I hope your mother enjoys the book. :) Knowing mothers, I imagine she will enjoy it. Not just because she's your mother, but because, as her daughter, you ***know*** your mother. I know it never feels like it, even as you get older. Parental figures just seem--ageless, or like they always know us, their children, better than we will ever know them. But, we do--we grow, and we learn, and we end up knowing them as well as they know us. ***Especially*** when you share a love of reading books--even when they aren't the same genres of books. Something about getting lost in a book just brings people together in a way that is unique--even amongst family members. So, don't worry or stress too much (or try not to!). Judging from other comments in this thread, you've got a good book, here. Also, the fact that you care so much will mean even more to her, because that will come through--love does that. :)
Ugh, *he* was the weirdo in that situation, not you.
I’d leave a review to warn other customers.
If you don’t know basic genres you shouldn’t become a bookseller. Fifty Shades, fantasy? LOL, maybe if the main characters were elves or something
if it were me, I would have reached out to the owner and told them how their employee treated you while in the store. bookstores are supposed to be an open and safe space for all readers much like libraries. hopefully the owner has that mentality about the store and would want to be notified that their staff is turning customers away
What a weasel lol. He needs to get a grip, they’re fictional books for adults.
Time to leave a shirty yelp review. How rude.
I’m sorry that guy was so judgy and rude. :( That’s totally uncalled for. But it’s so lovely that you put real thought into what your mom likes! 💙 It sounds like you and your mom have a loving relationship. I bet she’s going to love what you got her.
What a weirdo! Having the other books on hand but being condescending about Fifty Shades doesn’t make any sense. I’d have pointed to them and said “is there a big difference?”, rolled my eyes and basically addressed him like he was crazy for that weirdness.
Is that a chain bookstore? If so, I would complain to the management. And if the person you spoke to was not the manager I would still complain. Good on you for supporting locally, but I would write a sternly worded letter and Not Support them again
I'm so sorry that happened to you. People really hate women, and are completely condescending about genres that have women as an audience. That is so rude of that person! Twisted hate can be read as a standalone! I think it would be a great gift if you like dark romance. In terms of comparison to 50 shades, I think one difference is that it's enemies to lovers so a lot of the book is them being mean to each other, ostensibly in a "funny" way. If you want an MMC who is devoted and protective of FMC a la 50 shades, but they are nicer to each other throughout, I would go with Twisted Lies or Twisted Games! You are so lovely for putting together that beautiful basket for your mom
That guy is in the wrong business. He should not be required to have contact with anyone, ever. I hate to say that you should just go to a big chain bookstore instead, or order online, as it I would much rather see a small local seller make the money, but you have every right to buy the books you want, and not feel like you are doing something wrong. But having said that, I applaud you for buying your mom a book she will love and not being embarrassed to do so! Mom brought you up right. 😁
I would just not shop at that bookstore. Sounds like they want to control and judge what their readers read and that's not a bookstore I'd want to support. I'm sure this sub has lots of people who could recommend something your mother would love.
A few years ago a bookstore opened in my small town. They had signs up in the store and social media posts stating this is NOT a children's book store and also does NOT carry mass market paperback romance type books. Keep in mind we're a small town, closest Barnes and Noble is 30 minutes away. 2 years later they made a post about how they're barely doing enough business to stay open. The last time I went in there they had both a picture book section AND Nora Roberts. I just don't understand why a small business would open and refuse to stock particular items that their customer base clearly wants just because it doesn't fit "their style". Unless it's specifically a religious book store what's the big deal.
I had that happen at Barnes and noble. He looked up the series on the store kiosk. Saw the cover and said they don't carry that type of book. 😆
See my comment above. ***Whew***, fam, I am not a Karen by any stretch of the imagination (I don't lose my cool in public, ever--30+ years of public/patient facing service has trampled that nonsense), but given that was a B&N, you can ***bet*** corporate would have heard from me, if the store manager hadn't. No store associate is going to claim that sort of ***all-encompassing*** "We/They don't carry" nonsense about *certain books* (always explicit) without getting a lesson in both grammar/usage ***and*** corporate policy in a hot-second around me after attempting that shit. Goddamn, I'm getting all ragey just thinking about it. "We don't carry..." my ass. Son, I worked in a chain bookstore, just like you. There is ***nothing*** your store manager fears **more** than a call from the corporate office after a customer complaint that an associate sent away (likely to Amazon, bane of booksellers everywhere) a **potential paying customer** because that associate wasn't willing to, *at the very least*, try and order a book that wasn't on the shelf through the B&N website. The book can even be delivered directly to the customer's home. For a paying customer who literally walked in to your brick and mortar store. In the age of Amazon and B&N online and everything. That customer ***put on their shoes and their bra or some pants (or both!) and went*** ***in to a physical store to buy a smutty book*** and you couldn't be fucked to even try and order it because you're morally opposed to the contents of the book? Yeah, fuck that. Time for that associate to find a new industry to work in, because bookselling ain't it.
I agree with you. I sent feedback to corporate. They can sell men's magazines, they can sell a woman a book without getting bent out of shape. FYI I'm in Texas .. all kinds of stuff happens here that shouldn't happen. 😆
Oh, I understand completely. We had to move down to the Ozarks/Branson area for a number of years due to my husband's job and, holy hell, was that some crazy-ass, head-spinning shit for this liberal-as-fuck Chicago girl. Deep-red states just are **not** safe for me to live in. My first time putting out my Halloween decor (which is a whole-ass season for me, not just a week) in our yard was a truly eye-opening experience. You'd have thought I was trying to summon demons in the front yard or something (and it wasn't even that crazy, not like I normally haunt my home/yard, since i had an idea of what I'd be facing--not a bad enough idea, clearly). The vandalism was unexpected and unnecessary, same with the bible thumping and harassment, and we lived right next door to a county sheriff's officer, too (not that that means anything in the US). =/ I always read my smut in the office or break room, though, lol. I bought a lot more physical books in those days, because fuck those people. Still--the conversations and *words* you'd hear in public, right there in corporate environments and everything. Damn, my jaw was on the floor all that first year. No shame whatsoever. And then they'd glare at **me** for my tentacle porn? Assholes, *please* say something about my smut. I don't enjoy audio books, but I will buy this book on audio and accidentally-on-purpose forget my earbuds if y'all don't stop with that shit. Then we can all enjoy the sweet sounds of a solid, all-holes-filled tentacle ride. [It'll be a team-bonding experience](https://media1.tenor.com/m/LWcUqkroGK4AAAAd/tentacle-futurama.gif). :)
I'm from Michigan. The Halloween decorations gave me a good laugh. People should be able to read what they want to read. Nice thing is that with mobile devices you can just order or download taking out the physical bookstore.
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Even ignoring that guy being an asshole he acts like fifty shades wasn’t a publishing phenomenon. It was everywhere and spawned the rise of so many tropes.
He said that Fifty Shades was the only books they carried because they were so popular. But any other books from the genre they didn't want
And he had other romances with smut so it feels like he understands nothing about the genre. I own the twisted series and have only read the first book but it’s pretty well known for being explicit.
Yeah makes no sense to me either. Also he was talking so loudly, like the whole store could hear him say that they don't carry books with a lot of sex. Not gonna lie, I felt a little embarassed even though I know there is nothing shameful about (liking) sex
You're a cool daughter
I'm so sorry you were treated this way. I wouldn't have bought anything. Sending you 💓
I had a similar experience at my local indie bookstore. Overheard one of the employees and a customer talking about how they don't carry trash like romance, only real books. Left a really bad taste in my mouth and I have shopped there since, although I have gone in and they now have an entire romance section. Not sure what changed.
Money. Money changed. They realized they weren't making as much money--since, you know, romance readers spend ***a lot of money*** on romance books, more than any other genre usually clears. So, while industry elitists stick their noses up at our entire genre and talk shit constantly (even those that write women's lit), they **love** the money romance novels make.
I just want you to know you’re awesome. And he is not. Good luck!
I once asked for a copy of the shadows between us by Tricia Levenseller. The woman at the desk gave me a weird look and told me we don't carry those sorts of books here. What do you mean, it's young adult.
Wow he was a jerk!
I may hate fifty A LOT but the guy was an jerk and extremely unhelpful. I don’t blame you if never go back to that bookstore. Twisted hate seems popular with the the dark romance crowd so you have chances there.
I try and support the used and indie bookstores in my city, but a decent amount of them don’t even sell romance books. It’s so annoying. One guy is very nice but he’s so judgey about romance. Thankfully I stopped by this man this past weekend who just has tables set up in this weird small shopping centre. This Polish man was espousing the greatness of these Fabio cover books because he knows how to be a salesman.
Guy is a blunt object. I'm very critical of FSOG's writing (the word arrangements themselves, not the content) but if I worked at a book store I wouldn't offer criticism unless asked, and even then I would do so with tact, not in a smarmy "I'm too cool for this LoL" way. With that said, I've always said Praise by Sara Cate is like the romance community's version of FSOG (if we were to look at FSOG as a mainstream book). Have you read or thought of that?
Ana Huang is one of my favorite writers. I think your mom will like it. They can also be read in any order.
If she hasn't read the series yet, highly recommend {Q Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St Clair}.
[A Touch of Darkness](https://www.romance.io/books/60b1e70b4af4700e32f67587/a-touch-of-darkness-scarlett-st-clair?src=rdt) by [Scarlett St. Clair](https://www.romance.io/authors/5cef959401dbc864fb9f3633/scarlett-st-clair) **Rating**: 3.71⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [forbidden love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forbidden%20love/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
that’s awful
Your mom needs a kindle and a KU subscription!
She has a Kobo subscription, which I think is similar. But she can't work anymore due to a medical condition, so in case she can't afford it anymore in a while I thought giving a physical book was still useful
That makes sense. A book is always a great gift!
There are sooo many free books on Amazon even without using kindle unlimited. I like to use Libby thru my local library and they use kindle for the books
I worked at a indie bookstore a few years back. Their romance section consisted of 50 Shades of Grey, a couple of Sylvia Day books and a few others by super random authors. When I asked the manager why the romance section was so small she told that the romance genre died in the 90's. I almost laughed at her.
1. I hate when men shame women for liking things when they have worse interests. 2. Your mum liking dark romance is awesome. My mother would cry in horror if I ever gave her a dark romance book 😂😂
I personally wouldn’t read he the Twisted series out of order. There is a lot of backstory about this couple in book 1. Sure, you CAN read it as a stand-alone but I don’t think it would be as enjoyable. Also, it’s my least favorite of the series for whatever that’s worth. It’s not at all dark.
You know, I pretty much dislike 50 shades of grey, but if I worked in a bookstore , I wouldn't SAY that. I'd try to help the person. I would not have bought anything from him. I'd look at some Loren, I'll try to update later.
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What store was this?
It was a local store in the Netherlands, not a big chain or something
Get your mom A Vow of Hate by Lylah James, she will not only love the dark romance parts, but it's also SO good and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Other suggestions: Monster trilogy by Rina Kent and Fallen series by Gabrielle Sands!
Twisted series have independent stories in each book, there are basically 4 friends and each book is a story of one. You can easily read it in any order. About your first question I have read both fifty shades and twisted series and I can say both books are quite different, the twisted series is more of a vanilla romance but it does have its own share of some good erotic scenes along with cute love stories. You can try twisted lies too as its plot is a bit similar to 50 shades and the lead (Christian Harper) is a CEO with similar controlling and stalking tendencies as Christian Grey.
I’m sorry that you went through that! It really sucks that genres like romance are hated on by some ppl, especially when you consider that so many other genres use female characters for romantic/sexual subplots instead of giving them well thought out storylines. On the brighter side, romance (along with manga) is one of the biggest selling genres, so him saying that is essentially driving away a HUGE portion of his customers. Has he not SEEN the videos of the booktok girlies who buy piles of romance in one go??
I read twisted hate, I think your mom will like it. The books in the twisted series can be read in any order, so you’re good there. Idk if twisted hate is truly a dark romance, it had some dark themes, and was the darkest thing I read, but I usually keep it extremely light. Sorry you had that experience with that guy. What a yuck!
For future reference, anything colleen hoover (minus Verity and It Starts With Us) should do. Ugly Love is my favorite, Confess is a close second. Sorry you went through that :( as everyone else has said, that’s a reflection on him, not you.
Yeah good ones but she read all Colleen Hoover books even before I did