"That is ROBBERY!!!!"

[Dave1982]

I meant to post this yesterday, but didn't.

It's BTS time again, which means selling lots of useless junk like Book Sox.

I was taking overflow from the main registers over at the copy center when this woman came up with her daughter. Among other things, they had half a dozen Book Sox (stretchy fabric book covers) at $4-5 each, plus tax.

SC: Obviously

D: SC's daughter.

Her total came to $48.xx.

SC: $48?!?!?!!?!!!ELEVENTY!!!!!

Me: Yes, ma'am.

SC: How much were these?!?! *holds up Book Sox*

Me *checking the screen*: $4-5 each.

SC: $4-5 FOR A PIECE OF FABRIC?!?!?!?!?!ELEVENTY!!!!!!!

Me *flushing a bit at the unexpected outburst but otherwise remaining calm*: Yes.

SC: I'm sorry but that is ROBBERY!!!!ELEVENTY!!!!! It's just a PIECE OF FABRIC!!!!!!!!

D: Mom, yelling won't help. It's not like if you yell they'll make you pay LESS.

Me:............

Me (thinking):

The SC still said several more times before leaving that it's "just a piece of fabric" and that $5 for it was "robbery." She was REALLY mad. So mad she was fumbling with her debit card and had trouble entering her PIN.

I have a few things to ask her:

1) Why do you think I give a damn? I'm just the lowly clerk.

2) Why do you think I have anything to do with setting prices? I DON'T

3) That fancy blouse you're wearing.....how much did it cost? I'll bet it was a LOT more than $5, and IT is just a piece of fabric. Did you yell and scream at the clothing store clerks as well?

4) If your daughter is too good to use paper grocery bags as books covers like most people do (and like I did all the way through high school), well, then that's the price you have to pay. Manufactured products are more than the sum of their parts, and are priced accordingly

But kudos to the daughter for being the voice of reason!!

[fireheart]

I remember back in primary school and for the first three years of high school, I used coloured contact for each of my books. We were given the exercise books up until Year 8 (primary is reception (kindergarten) to Year 7, high school is Year 8-12.) after which we had to pay for them. One trip to the newsagent for some coloured contact? Voila. Done.

I really don't get bok sox.

[Pairou]

Aw, but I used to love my book covers. X3 They were stretchy and kept me entertained when I was supposed to be studying math. Which explains a lot...

[CaroPhoenix]

My parents always used plain brown paper bags to cover the books. Then we'd write the name of the book on the front and then I'd get to decorate the cover any way I'd want to.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Gee, and not a word about the gun you were holding to her head, forcing her to go ahead and make the purchase, right?

[morgana]

My parents always used plain brown paper bags to cover the books. Then we'd write the name of the book on the front and then I'd get to decorate the cover any way I'd want to.

Me, too. Plus, it gave me a place to doodle when I was bored out of my mind in any particular class.

[MelodiousBubbles]

Why not buy stretchy fabric and make your own book sox? They look cooler. Or, as mentioned, paper bags have worked wonders through the ages. Hell, I covered a couple of my COLLEGE books with paper so I wouldn't doodle on the covers

English 101 gets very boring when your professor is a self-important bitch who doesn't seem to know what she's doing.

[evilhomer]

Okay... what the hell is "Eleventy"??? Is this a number, an expression, what?


Oh these people who are unfamiliar with the concept of capitalism. The price that is charged is the price that someone is willing to pay. It doesn't matter if it's a cheap piece of fabric or a solid gold bar, companies are out to make a profit and they do so by charging the most that they believe they can get. Don't like it, don't buy it. I'm glad to see the daughter hasn't been poisoned by the mother's stupidity... yet.

[Stormraven]

I never used book covers. No one in any of the schools I attended did, to my recollection. I can see why they'd get used, but I guess it wasn't a big deal where I grew up.

[mikoyan29]

Okay... what the hell is "Eleventy"??? Is this a number, an expression, what?

I'm gonna take a wild stab but I think it comes from the !!!!!11111!!!!!!! where someone is typing a bunch exclamation points and takes his finger off the shift key for a bit.

[taurinejunkie]

Wild stab is 100% correct, actually.

[tropicsgoddess]

Okay... what the hell is "Eleventy"??? Is this a number, an expression, what?


Oh these people who are unfamiliar with the concept of capitalism. The price that is charged is the price that someone is willing to pay. It doesn't matter if it's a cheap piece of fabric or a solid gold bar, companies are out to make a profit and they do so by charging the most that they believe they can get. Don't like it, don't buy it. I'm glad to see the daughter hasn't been poisoned by the mother's stupidity... yet.

Eleventy!!!11!!! is when somebody gets over excited and forgets to press the shift key and gets 11 when making exclamation points. It's usually for over-dramatic expressions like this particular SC the OP was talking about.

Sometimes I wonder how kids like the SC's daughter come out so good from such parents like that SC.

[KymmyKyller]

I always lost those book cover stretchy things. They're awesome to wear as hats. But really, most of my school life I used brown paper bags. Bit of tape, a sharpie, and a pencil/pen and by the end of the year, you couldn't tell what the book was anymore from so many doodles over the title.

[technical.angel]

English 101 gets very boring when your professor is a self-important bitch who doesn't seem to know what she's doing.

Strange! You went to my college???

[XCashier]

D: Mom, yelling won't help. It's not like if you yell they'll make you pay LESS.

Somebody clone that kid, quick!

I never even bothered with book covers. Never saw the point of them. Then again, I was always a lot more gentle with my books than most of my peers were...