If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Parking Lot

Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by jacquesm on Wednesday September 25, 2019 @03:21PM (#21074305)

It's extra rude if you consider the history. Bookstores of old had a counter where you entered, you placed your order and if the book was in stock someone would go and get it (or in case you ordered ahead they'd get your pre-packaged order for you). Then we figured that self-service is the way to go: rely on the customer to do their own orderpicking, en-passent exposing them to a lot of marketing and hopefully selling some more books.

So now, on top of being required to do the work of the bookstore employees you also lose the benefit of the doubt and are being treated as though you are a common thief.

Industry secret: lots of theft from bookstores is by employees.

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by jessaustin on Wednesday September 25, 2019 @06:36PM (#21076346)

That's also lots of theft from convenience stores. 20 years ago I had a friend who, as manager, knew that the cameras didn't catch what happened when the lights were turned off at the end of the day. And he had the key... I made sure never to go to that store, either before or after closing time.

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by benj111 on Wednesday September 25, 2019 @07:07PM (#21076572)

"I made sure never to go to that store, either before or after closing time"

I don't understand.

Why would your friend potentially (?) stealing put you off visiting?

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by jessaustin on Wednesday September 25, 2019 @07:27PM (#21076688)

Since he lived closer to the mountains than I did, I was over at his house a lot. Stolen items were all over the house, and it seemed possible that he would be caught eventually. We had both recently moved to the area from several states away (not intentionally, we were both surprised) and it would have been easy for a cop to imagine that we were in cahoots. If I get arrested I want it to be for a good reason...

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by bluGill on Thursday September 26, 2019 @11:57AM (#21082229)

Your should have turned him in - for your protection. My uncle had a roommate pulling something like that. (the roommate was actually a cop who would find open doors and then rob the place while checking out why the alarm was going off). My uncle figures that given how quick his roommate was arrested after he turned his roommate in that they already know his roommate was doing something and were just looking for evidence because there is no way he wasn't involved in the crimes.

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by jessaustin on Friday September 27, 2019 @01:32PM (#21094255)

I don't think the two situations are that similar. I'd turn in a dirty cop in pretty much any context, but probably not a friend since junior high for theft.

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Re:If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Park... by clinta on Thursday September 26, 2019 @07:59AM (#21080096)

So bookstores of old basically provided the service of Amazon? Today people who prefer bookstores to ordering online typically do so because they want to browse the shelves of books.

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