The Seven Types of Bookstore Customer

Detailed by Matt Blind at Rocket Bomber, and recapped in his next post:

Seekers: want a book — a specific book: only this book will do.

Idiots: can only remember 1 detail, and often not a salient detail — not enough to find the book, but they still have a specific book in mind.

Grazers: love bookstores-as-a-concept, and love lingering leisurely over all the tables, racks, endcaps, promotional displays, and front-of-store placements.

Browsers: have a favourite category, and once you direct them to the appropriate section, they’ll help themselves.

Campers: They come, they sit, they stay for hours.

Independents: don’t want help, but they do want a book.

& Time-sucks: who want help, and personal recommendations, and plot synopses and books just like their favorite author’s but not their favorite author’s because they’ve read all those — and they’d like gift ideas and want to know what you’re reading, and who you’re favorite author is, etc. etc. etc.

(via Althouse)