I just got off a call with two dear bookseller friends & no matter how we try to explain it to people outside the bookselling community--& even some within--there is no way we can adequately express to you how exhausted we are.
We see your posts about your drinks with friends & your dinners with family & even your first trip to the bookstore after a year & we would love to be happy for you. We would love to even be in the same mental space as you. But we can& #39;t. We aren& #39;t.
We have been dealing with the public for a year, doing everything in our power to keep the lights on & the shelves stocked & the doors open, whether literally or figuratively, & most of y& #39;all have just taken it for granted.
You& #39;ve expressed how grateful you are that the store is still there, but you don& #39;t thank us AS INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE for keeping you in books and puzzles. It feels, often, like we don& #39;t exist as people to you.
Or, at the least, like because we& #39;re friendly & cheerful when you come in that we aren& #39;t suffering. Here& #39;s the thing, though: It& #39;s my fucking job to be friendly & cheerful. I& #39;ll even be nice when you "forget" your mask.

But I& #39;m exhausted & stressed out & cry literally every day.
Even with vaccinations widely available, there is still a pandemic happening & we& #39;re not going to reach herd immunity in the US. I got my 2nd vax shot on Monday, but that doesn& #39;t make me immune, it just makes me less likely to die.
When you come into the store--the one where I work or any other bookstore--please understand that whatever precautions we have in place are because we have been dealing with the public this entire time & the public has made those precautions necessary.
I know you want to get back to normal & you want to be able to just hang out in the bookstore for an hour like you used to do, but we& #39;re not there yet.

As frontline booksellers, we may not ever be there again, even if the store regulations change.
We& #39;re exhausted & anxious & stressed out & it& #39;s not getting better for us as people get vaccinated, it& #39;s getting worse *because* people are so ready to get back to normal & they& #39;re disregarding basic safety precautions.
If you& #39;re able to get back to your bookstore, treat your booksellers with grace & kindness. Say thank you, not for the store being there, but for the *bookseller* being there. Buy them a coffee. At the very least, buy the book(s) they recommend.

And Wear Your Fucking Mask.
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