7 Things I'm Thankful For for Working in a Bookstore

this post is going to be part sentimental and part truthfully grateful.

Hi,

It's been a while since my last update. On my February wrap-up, I said I'll be resigning from my work on my local bookstore. And I'm very thankful for all the encouragement you guys gave me. I'm currently applying for work, waiting for companies to contact me, and just plain reading books I have on my shelf and books I borrowed. Half panicking right now and half thankful for some reading time.

Also, for some reason though, I can't get my reviewing mood back but I know I'll get around it one of these days. I've been writing this review for Annihilation for days. I'll schedule some reviews I've written in the past though. So I got myself covered for that. But for my recent reads, I won't have anything out yet.

BUT we're not here to talk about my comeback or my reviewing mood. We're here to talk about how thankful I am for the things I learned/received after working in a bookstore -- my fave local bookstore!

I learned more about books!
Because DUH! Bookstore so book knowledge. But really, there were A LOT of things I shamefully just learned after working in a bookstore -- simple things like parts of the books, types of book damages, book editions. Really basic stuff but still proud and happy I learned them. Also, I learned more titles, genres, and subgenres. THE WORLD OF BOOKS IS SO VAST!! :O

I discovered more books!
Whenever I check goodreads, I do discover a lot of books but many of them are just books that are difficult to acquire locally. Because you know, they're only available on specific countries or they're ebook-only books. So yeah.. When I started working in a bookstore, I see ALL the titles that arrive in the bookstore so, I get to know ALL of them. When I see something interesting, I check them out and I hold them off on my to-buy shelf at the store.
Some of the books I discovered while working (and definitely would not have found if I was not working there) are: The Secret Life of Hendrik Groen, Worlds of Ink and Shadow, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, The Rape of Nanking, and All Our Wrong Todays. I haven't read any of these (LOL) but I'm really super excited for them!

I learned the amazing services of my local bookstore!
I'm quite a regular but I'm a HUGE introvert. So I NEVER interact with the staff aside from placing my pre-orders. BUT after working for my local bookstore, I learned that: (1) you can order books that are not available locally, (2) if a book is not available in one branch and available in another, you can always ask them to get it for you, (3) it's ABSOLUTELY OKAY to ask for recommendations from the staff and even just chat with them, and (4) you can reserve books when you still don't have the budget to buy them.

I pushed strangers to read my faves!
Okay, that sounds weird (lol) but I recommended my fave books to customers -- to A LOT of customers! And some come back to me and thank me  and ask for more recommendations which is sweetest thing ever! I remember this one customer who'd always look for me and ask me what I recently read and what I think of certain books. She was one of the cutest customers ever!

Chatting about books with bookish strangers!
Along with recommending books to customers (as well as my last point!!), this is something I did not expect to find myself so much into. I really LOVE talking to customers about bookish things -- I chatted with young college-age customers to bookish dads to senior citizen readers and I enjoyed my time with them. I remember this one customer who'd come looking for me just to talk about different editions of classics as well as cozy mysteries (which we don't usually have in our local bookstore). So YAY for awesome and enthusiastic customers! Also, there was this customer who'd talk to me about Junji Ito and Satoshi Kon!! I fangirled when he asked for my recommendation and since then we'd chat a bit when he drops by. I was also the only staff he'd refer to by name 😊

I met bookish friends IRL! 😃
While not all of my co-workers are readers, I'm super glad I met readers that somehow reads the same books as I do. 'Somehow' because one of them basically reads YA contemporaries and Colleen Hoover books, and one of them basically reads YA fantasies and occasionally go through YA contemporaries, and one of them reads literary fictions and classics and adult scifi/fantasies. They're a mixed bunch I know and I relate to all of them. We've talked about books a lot! And occasionally read children's books just for the fun of it!

I met my Book Bestfriend!! 😆
In line with meeting bookish friends, I HAD to have a separate section for my Book Bestfriend because he's literally the person who reads the same books as me. Okay, NOT COMPLETELY but WE HAVE SO MUCH BOOKS IN COMMON, OKAY? We recommend books to each other. He lent me books I LOVED (such as Everything You Want Me to Be and Sputnik Sweetheart). I forced him to read the Red Rising series which he loved. And I finally have someone who reads books ahead of me so when I have to fangirl, I can just go message him anytime (like what happened when I finished reading Annihilation) SO MUCH FUN! Also, he recommends me movies all the time and I recommend anime series to him.

SO even though my time working for my local bookstore was short, it was fun and very fulfilling for a booknerd like me. Helping fellow readers find their next great read and me being a part of it feels very amazing. Finding real life bookish friends was really great. And customers (like my Book Bestfriend) acknowledging my enthusiasm for books makes me smile all the time. I hate to leave my work but I also need to find a more appropriate work for my chosen career path. It was a sad end but it was an end with a reason. And I still go back to that Bookstore. I always will that's for sure 😊

HOW ABOUT YOU

How's your local bookstore? Have you ever just talked with the bookish staff there? How were they? Have you ever randomly talked to strangers in bookstores and ended up being friends?

let's connect!