Local Christian Bookstores
The Christian Bookstore
Last night, I took a trip to the local Christian bookstore. It’s something I try to avoid doing. But, I was picking up something for my wife (to give to someone else) that really can only be found at the Christian bookstore.
Most of the time, I prefer to order books via Amazon. Or, if I happen to be near a Borders or Barnes & Noble, I’ll usually be able to find something. You see, the local Christian bookstore drives me nuts.
Nine times out of ten, they won’t have the books I’m looking for. In that case, I’ll ask if they maybe have the book in the back (or placed in some random spot in the store). In this case, ten times out of ten I’m told, “No, we don’t have that book. I can order it for you. We could have it in about 10-14 days.”
And therein lies the reason why I avoid the local Christian bookstore. Every time I have ordered a book it has taken nearly two weeks to come in. To me, that’s ridiculous. At times, I’ve been told, “We only place orders on Tuesdays.” This just doesn’t make sense. How about placing orders when you receive them?
Last night I was looking for Dan Kimball’s new book “They Like Jesus But Not the Church.” I was told it could be ordered and here within 10-14 days. Amazon and Cokesbury indicated that I could receive the book in 2-3 business days.
I mentioned to the manager that I wouldn’t be ordering the book through his store. I indicated that I’d order the book on-line and receive at my home before he would get the book to his store (another convenience…with the local store I have to wait for them to call and then go pick it up). He said, “Well, that’s just how we do things.” To which I said, “You might want to change how you do things.” In this day and age, businesses have to look for ways to stay competitive.
Oh, and I get terribly annoyed upon walking into the bookstore. They have their big display of best sellers and new releases. All of the books have one of two themes: 1) prosperity gospel books (hello Joel Osteen), 2) fictional end-times books (when will the Left Behind series finally be Left Behind). All of the good books (the ones I consider to be good) are either carefully hidden or have to be ordered.
I just need to avoid the place. I think I might write a book titled “I Like Jesus But Not the Christian Bookstore.”