I was helping an elderly woman track down a copy of “Lincoln in the Bardo” a couple weeks back, we are fairly short staffed at the moment too. Phones ring until the ONE bookseller available on the floor can answer it. This lady apparently couldn’t handle the ringing and without blinking picked up the phone and slammed it back down on the receiver.

I had no idea on how to deal with something so brazen. A cold slap seems very disrespectful but man, who hangs up on a phone that isn’t yours?!

Some of these people think that with age comes the ability to get away with all sorts of stuff. When we catch them out on this stuff they accuse us of being disrespectful to the elderly. No. You’re just being a self-centered jerk.