A self-employed bookstore owner reveals he was spat, yelled at and threatened with life by abusive parents for delaying textbooks before the new school year. did.
Irene Garhan was forced to issue a warning to her parents after staff at her Academy Books store in Drogheda, Colorato, were abused in recent weeks.
A high-profile business owner who had to go through security to take her to her car because of threats believes the yearly abuse over late delivery of textbooks is getting worse.
“It’s the same thing every year for a lot of bookstore owners. If there’s a textbook delay from the publisher, parents get angry and we get abused over it,” she said.
“We place orders at the same time each year, but for various reasons, a book or two may be delayed. , in many cases this is not enough.
“Over the years, I have been spat on over the counter by my parents in front of my young son, verbally abused, and yelled at. I’ve even had my life threatened by a customer who said, “You’ll come after me in the car.”
“That day, and a few days before it was safe again, I had to get a security guard to escort me to my car.
“This year, a staff member of only teenagers working a few hours for me was verbally abused and I had to intervene and say: ‘Wait a minute! This is not a life-threatening situation. They’re just textbooks and this is basically the kid you’re screaming at.
the publisher
“Many publishers don’t know in advance how many books are on the list so they can print in demand.
“Also, a school’s book list could include books from 10 different publishers, all with their own printing schedules or delays. I have a book in front, but a shout out to my 16-year-old staff, I won’t rush the realization.
“It doesn’t matter if you have nine out of ten books ready. abuse us
“Some students arrive in August with a list of textbooks, but when we tell them that we cannot guarantee that they will have them by September, they lose their textbooks and start yelling and swearing.
“It’s the same every year, but I think it’s gotten worse because people expect everything on the spot. Most of my customers are great, but some are just plain vulgar.” I must stress, every summer.
Ireland
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“I’ve been in this business for a long time, and I know of several bookstores that have buzzers and other security measures in place to allow trusted customers in and out. I also know a publishing storehouse that had to ring the Gardai because it arrived in the late afternoon.
“The abuse has forced many businesses to move completely online, eliminating the need to meet face-to-face with these customers.
“The amount of work to order and compile a list of all the textbooks is enormous, offering part-time jobs and summer jobs to local teenagers. You don’t make much money even if you don’t.Additional labor costs are taken into account.
“Following the abuse by a handful of people in recent weeks, I had to post on social media that this behavior is unacceptable. Any disrespect, verbal abuse, or threats will cancel the order immediately. As the safety and health of our staff is our top priority, we will issue a refund.”
