Kalk Bay Books‘ Ann Donald defends her own in a response to Shaun de Waal’s stick for Exclusive Books, which laments the state of SA bookstores’ stocking habits and literary nous:
A couple of weeks ago a damning blog was posted on Thought Leader, which among other complaints, criticised the ineptitude of sales staff at a chain bookstore.“‘I am aware,” the blogger wrote, “that bookshops and other retailers, in the interests of paying their exorbitant rents, need to be able to employ assistants with very little training or knowledge. Usually they are varsity students who are probably struggling, at that very moment, to get through Pride and Prejudice.
“But,” he continued, “it might be a good idea for a bookseller to employ people who are at least vaguely literate, perhaps even keen on books and literature and with some basic knowledge of the field. You used to be able to speak to a shop manager with a palpably deep love of books, with enthusiasms of his or her own, with passions and ideas …”
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