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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't. We aren'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'all have just taken it for granted.
You've expressed how grateful you are that the store is still there, but you don't thank us AS INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE for keeping you in books and puzzles. It feels, often, like we don't exist as people to you.
Or, at the least, like because we're friendly & cheerful when you come in that we aren't suffering. Here's the thing, though: It's my fucking job to be friendly & cheerful. I'll even be nice when you "forget" your mask.
But I'm exhausted & stressed out & cry literally every day.
But I'm exhausted & stressed out & cry literally every day.
Even with vaccinations widely available, there is still a pandemic happening & we're not going to reach herd immunity in the US. I got my 2nd vax shot on Monday, but that doesn'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're not there yet.
As frontline booksellers, we may not ever be there again, even if the store regulations change.
As frontline booksellers, we may not ever be there again, even if the store regulations change.
We're exhausted & anxious & stressed out & it's not getting better for us as people get vaccinated, it's getting worse *because* people are so ready to get back to normal & they're disregarding basic safety precautions.
If you'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.
And Wear Your Fucking Mask.
