Working the Dream - A Day in the Bookstore

Hey fellow bookworms,

today I want to tell you something from my life outside of books. I want to tell you about my job at the local bookstore - the pros, the cons, and what I've learned in my time working there!

⬅ This is my home/work place for two days a week. I started working there about a year ago. It was a spontaneous decision, and it was one of the best I've ever made. That semester at uni was kind of boring and I didn't have many classes, so I thought, why not apply for a part-time job?! I was very lucky that they were actually looking for someone at the time I applied, and they told me I could start rather sooner than later.

 

I'm not a learned bookseller. I only work there 10 hours a week. But my boss is really nice, and she's taught me a lot of things kind of in between. I'm allowed to do many things my official-bookseller-colleagues do too. So I spend my afternoons (it's mostly afternoons) sorting new arrivals onto shelves, setting up display tables, looking for and ordering books for customers and working at the cash desk which includes handling returns and wrapping gifts. And the best thing is the employee discount I get! Sure, it's made buying books I may not need even easier and more dangerous - I now buy approximately one book per month which might not seem much but it adds up. And I end up with a physical tbr bigger than it has been ever before...

Working at the bookstore isn't always fun, though. There are hours when there are almost no customers and once all the new books have been sorted, it can get super boring. Often I've just wandered around the store looking for anything that might be two centimeters out of order. On the other hand, some days are extremely stressful. I've worked every Saturday before Christmas last year, and I sometimes couldn't catch a breath or something to drink for hours. It was still fun though because hey, I got to be around books and as with every job, once there's a lot to do time passes quickly.

Working there has also helped me personally. This job requires you to actively talk to people and sometimes to stand your ground. I'm a total introvert, but I feel so at ease at the store and with the customers, it's really great. The customer contact is actually one of my favorite parts of the job. The best feeling is to recommend someone a book (I tend to get a little overenthusiastic when recommending ya books I've read myself) and that person ends up buying the book!

I'll end this saying that working at the bookstore still is a dreamjob for me after a year. I've always loved to go there just to browse the shelves, and now I get to do that and get money for it. My colleagues are all really nice, and most customers are too - they're all book people, and you know, readers just get along. So if you're looking for a job definitely ask at your local bookstore! It's a job I'd really recommend to all the bookworms out there :)

~Anni