Ex-favourite bookshop

[Kal]

There's an old second-hand bookshop near where I live that I tend to visit regularly, almost always spending a tenner or two. Sadly the owner seems to have given control of it to his son who has shifted things about in a major way, which has resulted in my abandoning it.
The books that I normally browse through, general unsorted sci-fi and fantasy from the 60's and 70's, have all been shifted to the top shelves, about eight feet above ground with no stools or stepladders to reach them on. Due to this I've decided not to return (not that a ten pounds or so a month will make that much difference to them).
At the same time, in a move of sheer genius, he's started selling blatantly pirated DVDs of the latest films in the store, taking orders from people for them (three of them in the ten minutes of my last browse), and even putting a table covered with them on the pavement of the main road. I suspect that the shop won't be around for much longer if he carries on with these masterplans. :P

[Dreamstalker]

?! Does he think nobody would ever read older stuff (which is the whole point of a used bookstore)?

I would try to drop a line to the MPAA* (unsure what the UK equivalent is) if you have proof the movies are pirated (which it sounds like you do), but I'm just evil like that.

* I hate that organization for many reasons, but what he's doing is just wrong.

[tropicsgoddess]

That kid is gonna bring the bookstore down to the ground with selling those pirated DVDs. Reminds me when I found out this boutique in the mall that was shut down by the feds for selling knock off designer duds.

[Hyndis]

A library near me did a similar thing.

They used to have an absolutely wonderful old sci-fi/fantasy paperback section, old, well worn books, just shelf after shelf crammed full of them. It was also a dimly lit and cozy little library with seats and couches everywhere, perfect for reading.


The entire building was torn down and rebuilt. Instead of being dark and cozy, its now become a big, airy, overly lit place with tall shelves, wide aisles...and books laid out on the shelves cover out. Yup, instead of the spines of the books facing out, its the front covers of the books. Also, only hardcover books, and then only recent books at that.

All of those wonderful old, well read paperbacks have been crammed into a tiny shelf measuring maybe 6 feet across. The rest, I assume they just ditched.

The new library has maybe 5% of the books as the old one and it looks like a frakking Barnes and Nobel or Borders instead of a library. The whole atmosphere of the place is now like a retail store instead of an actual library. Sure, the building looks very nice...but its not a library! Its a damn bookstore!

[Dreamstalker]

My town did the same thing with the two public libraries near me. Some people like dim and cozy, and actually associate libraries with such. They've certainly discouraged plopping down in a corner and reading for a few hours.

I can actually understand bright lighting for the people who can't see well, but "dim" /= mineshaft-level lighting. Just no damn fluorescents. There's not really a need for 40-foot ceilings either.

Kal, would the original owner not be interested in what his son the genius is doing? If I found out the person I entrusted my business with was selling pirated goods, I'd be majorly ticked.

[crazylegs]

I would try to drop a line to the MPAA* (unsure what the UK equivalent is) if you have proof the movies are pirated (which it sounds like you do), but I'm just evil like that.

I think Trading Standards has the prosecuting authority on this one.

FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) will also assist.

[PepperElf]

i would think the pirated stuff will get him closed down soon. back in va one of the record stores i went into once ... just LOOKED shady from the start. so i wasn't surprised to find out they got busted for selling bootlegs