tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post4493041221802819817..comments2024-03-13T07:34:24.149+00:00Comments on The Age of Uncertainty: Crawley (Another Dull Post About Bookselling)Steerforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-51535849682395434172018-08-21T19:22:21.752+00:002018-08-21T19:22:21.752+00:00I think I might have done it.I think I might have done it.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-64178419376621906572018-08-17T17:00:26.991+00:002018-08-17T17:00:26.991+00:00I'm sure your blog is interesting and well wri...I'm sure your blog is interesting and well written but I feel your portrayal of Crawley folk is quite unfair.<br />Having lived there for many years, I can tell you it isn't the terrible place you and your readers imply it is.<br />Clearly you are all quite narrow minded and if you don't like the place, you know what you can do, don't you?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-23071586040221772732011-06-03T12:02:39.201+00:002011-06-03T12:02:39.201+00:00Yes, that's Crawley all over.
Laura - if your...Yes, that's Crawley all over.<br /><br />Laura - if your cousins are highly intelligent, they probably frequented the Crawley branch of Waterstone's which, for all its faults, always had a better range than us ;)Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-37002469997211885212011-06-03T11:56:38.965+00:002011-06-03T11:56:38.965+00:00Great post.
I love the headline underneath your s...Great post.<br /><br />I love the headline underneath your story.<br /><br />REVELLER STAMPS ON MAN'S NECKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-21325885397746868822011-05-30T22:06:01.901+00:002011-05-30T22:06:01.901+00:00Sounds like you did an amazing job Steerforth and ...Sounds like you did an amazing job Steerforth and would have turned around its fortunes entirely given more time, having made it such a local hub. How dare landlords keep putting the rent up in a recession.<br />I have two highly intelligent cousins in Crawley (retired teachers). I will ask them if they frequented that branch. What surprises me is that they always stick up for the place and promise me that it's not as ghastly as it appears when I go to see them.The Poet Laura-eatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07779308486569849157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-11312602911909306872011-05-30T09:52:06.990+00:002011-05-30T09:52:06.990+00:00Chickadee - Glad you liked East Sussex. It's a...Chickadee - Glad you liked East Sussex. It's a shame the weather is a little changeable here (although we've just had five weeks without rain), but every time I turn on the news and see a tornado, tsunami, earthquake, drought or five feet of snow, I stop moaning.<br /><br />I don't blame anyone for moving to Spain though.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-25890452319532884462011-05-28T16:50:37.311+00:002011-05-28T16:50:37.311+00:00Currently I live near Seattle (home of Boeing, Mic...Currently I live near Seattle (home of Boeing, Microsoft, Costco and Starbucks). Borders, the nearest large chain is on the ropes in the USA too.<br /><br /> Not sure just why -- I've no marketing experience. But I do love to read, and recognize the influence of the net in its ability to provide what I personally really like to read -- English novels usually unavailable in places like Borders or Barnes & Noble.<br /><br /> We do have a very nice independent bookshop nearby, which has recently branched out to include special orders and used books as well as hardcovers. <br /><br />I sincerely hope the bookstores are able to stay afloat -- I would hate to have to give up the pleasure of browsing when I go in. <br /><br />By the way, we were recently in your part of the world -- went to Uckfield, Sussex, to visit a nephew and his wife. Sadly they are soon giving up their lovely home and moving to Spain. Too much rain in the winter I guess. I hope they aren't doing something which they will later regret, as it's really beautiful there in East Sussex. <br /><br />Hope you're having a great bank holiday weekend, Canadian ChickadeeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-89344464743613164222011-05-28T09:04:04.541+00:002011-05-28T09:04:04.541+00:00Thanks Nicola. Yes, Waterstone's has some grea...Thanks Nicola. Yes, Waterstone's has some great managers (much better than I ever was), but I'm worried that some of them might be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome after their years in captivity. <br /><br />Alienne - Not as annoyed as I was ;)<br /><br />Perhaps now that HMV have had their comeuppance, my rage will subside.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-74067686431789277032011-05-28T08:43:52.751+00:002011-05-28T08:43:52.751+00:00Very interesting post and a gripping story, too. E...Very interesting post and a gripping story, too. Even ends on a cliff-hanger! <br /><br />Well done with your success in Crawley and let's hope all the Waterstone's managers thrive on their autonomy. My experience of talking to the ones I know is that they will.Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-54922658902099073722011-05-27T20:25:23.106+00:002011-05-27T20:25:23.106+00:00The suits missed i-tunes as well didn't they.
...The suits missed i-tunes as well didn't they.<br /><br />I much preferred Ottakers to Waterstones and was very annoyed when they were taken over and converted or closed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-4150999211232002782011-05-27T18:22:44.158+00:002011-05-27T18:22:44.158+00:00Yes, I remember when HMV was cool, staffed by weir...Yes, I remember when HMV was cool, staffed by weird-looking people with an encyclopaedic knowledge of bands and record labels (I was too scared to buy a chart album from them).<br /><br />Then the suits took over. Suit No.1 used to work in M&S and wasn't an expert on music (although he liked a bit of Chris Rea), but he was sure that the same principles applied in any area of retail. Bananas, CDs, slippers, DVDs...it's all the same.<br /><br />Suit No.2 thought the staff looked like a bunch of slackers who were putting people off. "Let's bring in some nice polo shirts so that the customers can tell who actually works there" (I just used to aim for the person with the most piercings).<br /><br />Suit No.3 thought that shop floor staff were too interested in obscure bands and were missing sales opportunities from the mass market - "We need to attract older customers - they're the ones with the money." Buying decisions were increasingly centralised and the stock became more mainstream. <br /><br />They probably all sat in offices and talked a lot of nonsense about 'the brand', oblivious to the fact that they were killing it.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Chief Suit watched a tiny American company called Amazon slowly grow on a thing called the Internet. "It'll never catch on," he said, "Most people couldn't operate a computer to save their lives."Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-59629285211779265932011-05-27T17:54:39.207+00:002011-05-27T17:54:39.207+00:00Thoroughly enjoyed this post. I have no experience...Thoroughly enjoyed this post. I have no experience as a bookseller, but twenty-five years ago I worked in Crawley for a while. I found it a depressing experience, and to achieve the success you did speaks volumes for you.<br />HMV did to Waterstones exactly what they did to their record shops. They were homogenised to such an extent, that if you (like me) enjoy music that didn't get anywhere near the charts, you had no chance of finding it at HMV. Oh, and while they were at it, by discounting the new releases they ripped the guts out of the independent sector as well. I'm afraid I shed no tears for them in their present plight.<br />Here endeth the lesson......Martin Lowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03875064625911285695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-61380156022641434892011-05-27T17:43:49.766+00:002011-05-27T17:43:49.766+00:00Thanks for the mention Katy - I'm very flatter...Thanks for the mention Katy - I'm very flattered. My gut feeling is that James Daunt's in for a rough ride, but a decent, viable chain may emerge out the the ruins of today's unsustainable business. <br /><br />Like Thomas, I hope that Waterstone's won't be James Daunt's Waterloo. I've never met Mr daunt, but everything he has said so far seems spot on. If only he'd been at the helm five years ago instead of Gerry Johnson - a man who thought that 'On the Road' was the same book as Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'.<br /><br />The Spectator article offers a very blinkered view of how we buy books and doesn't take browsing or convenience into account. <br /><br />Christine, I'm told that the shop was regarded as a haven by many and I used to love seeing people 'use' the shop and enjoy it, as if they had a stake in it. HMV didn't like fluffy things like a shop's atmosphere - they loved measuring and comparing. But for me, bookselling was an art, not a science.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-91361246579921889952011-05-27T16:38:18.249+00:002011-05-27T16:38:18.249+00:00Another very interesting insight (Vickie beat me t...Another very interesting insight (Vickie beat me to saying it is simply splendid!) into the book trade in the past few decades and now. Your shop in Crawley looks like it would have been a haven for a few folks. The "reveller stamps on man's neck" headline is a sobering contrast to the Visiting Author story!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-30991197191157856672011-05-27T14:26:27.320+00:002011-05-27T14:26:27.320+00:00Sorry - not sure if my comment went through then o...Sorry - not sure if my comment went through then or not - if not, it went to this effect...<br /><br />What a wonderful post! Not dull at all, in fact so not dull - and so well timed, right after I wrote about Waterstone's - that I have given it a spot over in Baroque Mansions. (Sam, I also linked to your article. I loved your simple but effective device with the websites.)<br /><br />How rare it is that we get some really GOOD news!<br /><br />http://wp.me/p31IF-1WE<br /><br />And hey, what about that ridiculous one in the Spectator. Dear me.Ms Baroquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01836227454899083962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-49123023249281457282011-05-27T14:24:03.320+00:002011-05-27T14:24:03.320+00:00I certainly hope that James Daunt changes Watersto...I certainly hope that James Daunt changes Waterstone's and that Waterstone's doesn't change Daunt Books.Thomas Hogglestockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284352537015457974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-11367484036612295072011-05-27T14:20:24.950+00:002011-05-27T14:20:24.950+00:00Ah, this is wonderful: not dull at all. And as I d...Ah, this is wonderful: not dull at all. And as I discovered it right after writing a whole thing about Waterstone's, I've blogged it. (And Sam I linked to your piece too.) How unusual it feels to hear some really GOOD news!!<br /><br />http://wp.me/p31IF-1WEMs Baroquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01836227454899083962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-57760470883554903522011-05-27T13:41:30.768+00:002011-05-27T13:41:30.768+00:00Well said Gardener! (Although I draw the line at b...Well said Gardener! (Although I draw the line at burning former colleagues ;))Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-54329115823837412582011-05-27T12:40:58.769+00:002011-05-27T12:40:58.769+00:00As a bookseller on the other side of the planet - ...As a bookseller on the other side of the planet - rapidly becoming a former bookseller - most businesses I've worked in have been neurotically obsessed with profit, with little evidence of human feeling. What attracted me to literature, and hence to bookselling, in the first place, was evidence of a higher human feeling than I encountered in the world around me. If notions of higher human feeling aren't defended by booksellers, booksellers are simply salespeople. And if booksellers are only salespeople, they deserve to suffer the vagaries of the market. If I had an unforgiving moment, Steerforth, I would happily toss most booksellers I've known into a bonfire. Just as well words and books and open communication still matter to me. Bookselling is a craft, a form of curating and nurturing...the world outside needs being heard and broadcasted...Gardener in the Distancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14478393904059307841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-64584834777274182782011-05-27T09:13:45.237+00:002011-05-27T09:13:45.237+00:00Thanks for your comments. Being a consultant would...Thanks for your comments. Being a consultant would be great fun wouldn't it, although I think some people would probably choke on their croissants if I walked in the door!Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-2356656169592928642011-05-27T08:18:00.523+00:002011-05-27T08:18:00.523+00:00Super post. Reveller stamps on man's neck is l...Super post. Reveller stamps on man's neck is lovely too...Sam Jordisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11847113158131387947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-47023043763524478212011-05-27T07:22:46.131+00:002011-05-27T07:22:46.131+00:00You make a very important point that bookselling i...You make a very important point that bookselling isn't like any other kind of retail - in fact - there is no such thing as 'typical' retail models - every brand and ever retail sector I have worked with needs to establish it's own identity and independent retail model - now more than ever as the high street becomes increasingly bland and homogenised. I've worked with too many companies that grew, became drunk on success and gravitated towards a 'tried and tested' business model that failed them in every case - and now I'm seeing similar problems in Further and Higher education. Even the pound shops that have infested our high streets have the opportunity to carve out their own niche ( ouch! - remember 'niche' retailing... ) if they understand their customer and location. It's probably one of the good things about recession that creative thinking, motivation and industry are able to flourish in the vacuum of retail collapse... mind you - as I type, Costa in Hastings ( x2 branches ) are about to be joined across the square by Cafe Nero in an unholy devils triangle of Mocca-chocca-skinny-latte hell.Grey Areahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18240869670530738753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-40968260212989349322011-05-27T06:55:36.737+00:002011-05-27T06:55:36.737+00:00Another far from dull post. A problem for me with ...Another far from dull post. A problem for me with bookshops is that I always have two small children in tow. How I would love to walk into any bookshop knowing that the children are welcome to take books from the shelves and look at them. As it is, Waterstone's is the only bookshop in which I can do this, owing to it's size, and completely sectioned off children's area. As you proved, this is doable in smaller stores too, lure the kids, the parents won't say no to buying books for them. Be nice to the children, they will return as teens, as adults and as parents because their love for books was nurtured. I get very annoyed when customers and staff glare at me or my children when they get enthusiastic and excited in book shops.<br />Your passion, experience and resourcefulness would, as Martin H said, make for a great advisor to the trade. Let's start a camapaign!lucy joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04863146546863419637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-37432973346256069682011-05-27T06:19:38.658+00:002011-05-27T06:19:38.658+00:00You could offer your services, as a consultant.You could offer your services, as a consultant.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494219959077922220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-81690798497274591522011-05-27T00:22:56.199+00:002011-05-27T00:22:56.199+00:00A pity you couldn't have lured Martin Amis. &q...A pity you couldn't have lured Martin Amis. "Reveller stamps on man's neck" seems to chime better with him than it does with the sainted Dame Jacqueline.Tim Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14681067872556519250noreply@blogger.com