Question:How Do You Own An Online Bookstore?

How to Own an Online Bookstore

･ 1 Build an inventory of books. This is often done by going to local and regional auctions and purchasing... ･ 2 List the books for sale online through third-party venues. Starting a new book-selling site could take... ･ 3 Sign up for sell...

Is it Difficult to Open Your Own Online Bookstore?

It's a lot easier than you think! Over 670 million people now use the Internet, and that number is expected to be 985 million by the year 2010. The worldwide e-commerce revenues is expected to reach US $7.3 trillion ...

Why should I have my own online bookstore?

If you want repeat customers and want to build your own base of customers, then you need to provide customers an easy way to find you. A bookseller once compared telling a customer "You can search my books at ABE.com" as being the...

Should I say anything to this store about why we won't be coming there anymore, or just write it off?

Q: There's a small, locally owned bookstore that my husband and I like to go to because they have a good selection, and we're big on supporting small businesses. The problem is terrible customer service.The entrance is right next to the register, and the guy who's always working there has never once greeted us when we've come in. He's never asked us if he can help us find anything, or any of the other little questions that are usually part of customer service. If he has to walk in front of us while we're browsing, he won't excuse himself or acknowledge us. If one of his friends is there, he'll stand and talk for a long time before coming over when we're waiting at the register. The only time he's ever said more than two words to me was when he didn't like the particular book I'd brought up and went into a long tirade about why the author was terrible. The only other employee we've seen is a young girl about my age who isn't much better.After so many repeated incidents, and hearing from other people identical complaints about the place, we've decided to go to another bookstore. It's a slightly longer drive, but the staff there is always very friendly, professional, and makes us feel welcome. We're not asking for special treatment, just to get some common courtesy. I'm not really upset about it and don't feel we're owed anything, so I'm not looking for any sort of compensation. But I've been wondering if maybe I should send an anonymous letter explaining why we won't be coming back, so they're aware they could be losing business and what the problem is. Maybe then they could correct it. I'd just say something like, "We've come here a lot and given you a lot of money and business, but your poor customer service has finally made us decide to stop coming back." I wouldn't name any names because I don't want to get anyone fired, but I would give examples.My husband thinks I should just ignore it, and says if they wind up having to close, it's their own problem. But I know how small businesses can struggle, and I don't want to see one fail because of an issue that could be corrected. There are so many complaints about this place online in the Yahoo directory, but they don't check it.What do you think? Should I give them some warning from a former customer, or leave it be?

A: Well, like you said in the beginning, you visited the store because you intended to help small businesses. However, the customer service was horrible because the guy was a total asshole, and I believe you did the correct thing when you refrained from visiting the store. However, do complain to the store about poor customer service. Doing so would the company correct it’s mistake, because, as you said, other customers had similar experiences, and chances are, they’ stop visiting too. Therefore, complain much about poor customer service as you can, and have people you know with similar experiences do they same so they can improve their behavior and keep their customers. Maybe then, you’d notice them improve, and you can visit them again.