Where Everybody Knows Your Name
I think you can tell a lot about a person by where they are known by name. Remember Cheers? Wasn’t that bit from the theme song something like “a place where everybody knows your name” or something like that? Personally, I think if you are at a bar so often that everyone knows your name and you don’t work there, you might have a drinking problem. Of course, I don’t think anyone ever got drunk on Cheers.
Apparently I’ve hit this level of customer-ship at Tattered Cover. I’m pretty pleased with that. I’ve really made an effort this year to support my local independent. I had gotten way too into the habit of using Amazon because I could order a book whenever the whim struck me and just wait for it to show up like a lazy American. However, I realized that it was just as easy to order it online to the Tattered Cover and go over to pick it up when it arrived. I use a few other online independents, like Powell’s, when I can’t get something through Tattered Cover, but I’ve really tried to take my business to my local independent when possible over the last year.
And, apparently it has been noticed. My wife and I were downtown on Saturday for a work holiday party and we stopped by Tattered Cover on the way home so I could pick out a new book. I walked up to the register and the guy at the counter said “Atkinson?” and started to reach for the held book area (where they put books you order online to wait for you to pick up). I then had to inform him that this time I actually had nothing on hold and was just there to buy the one in my hand.
Still, I was flattered. I hadn’t said anything, and hadn’t handed over a card of any kind. I wasn’t wearing a name tag. But, he recognized me anyway. He recognized me and immediately remembered my name.
By the way, just so you know, Tattered Cover is independent but it is by no means small. It isn’t like only one guy works there, which would be less surprising in such a case if he had learned my name. Tattered Cover is a good-sized bookstore, pretty big actually. There is a pretty decent sized staff. I can think of at least seven or eight different clerks that I run into frequently when buying books at that location alone. The only explanation is that I have in fact been buying a lot of books at Tattered Cover, enough to start getting recognized and having my name remembered.
Now, not many people may care much about this, but it seemed pretty cool to me. A bookstore seems like a pretty decent place to frequent enough to be recognized. It certainly beats being recognized for frequent purchases at the local McDonald’s.
