Argh. This is way too common a story:
Jonah,
Another LF non-sighting report from the hinterlands.
I went looking for LF at the Greensburg,PA Barnes&Noble. It wasn’t on
the Bestsellers rack, nor the New Arrivals rack, nor anywhere in the
front of the store.
Finally, just as my wife was checking out with her selections, I spotted
it on the lowest shelf behind the sales counter, in another arrangement
of NYT Bestsellers — invisible unless one was practically leaning over
the counter. I also noticed that it was the only one *without* the “30%
off” sticker which is standard for bestsellers.
I asked the clerk about it. She took it back to the Information desk,
scanned it, and found that (a) it was *not* discounted, and (b) it was
the only copy left in the store. I expressed surprise that it was the
only NYT Bestseller not on the Bestseller rack, and was the only NYT
Bestseller not discounted, and she replied that “well, we have our own
Bestseller list” (which includes Glenn Beck’s _An_Inconvenient_Book_, I
might add).
At this point, another woman passing by noticed the book, and said
“Where did you find that? I’ve been looking all over for it!” I
explained what I’d learned, and she said “Are you going to buy it?
Because if you aren’t, I am!”
Gallantly, I let her have the book. But only because I have a
15%-off-any-purchase sticker waiting to be used at home. I’m going back
to the store today to inquire about a copy — maybe I can special-order it.