I am surprised by how many kids I see running in stores. Yes, flat out running. I have this problem with my 4-yr-old, who sees those big wide aisles and just thinks “racing lane” but I am trying to teach him that we NEVER run in stores. You can run into other patrons or merchandise. You can trip and fall. You can startle people. It’s just a bad idea any way you look at it.
So I remain befuddled at parents who let their kids run all over. Maybe you can’t get your kids to stay still, and maybe it’s impossible to make them be quiet, and maybe you don’t need to make them stay by your side, but how can you let them RUN? It’s not a playground! I see this in almost every large store I’ve even been in.
I know I’m not the only one who thinks that Barnes and Noble has set out cafes for some people who need a quiet place to do some work - one purpose, not all purposes. It’s also a good meeting place for friends, to relax and have coffee or tea, etc. But as far as kids screaming, they were bothering the other people who were there just to enjoy the bookstore and not do any studying. But like I’ve said before, the B&N that I’m used to in NYC is probably a rarity and different from most stores. I’ll just have to remember that in the future. And I’ve never noticed this when I’ve gone to work on my writing - probably because I always wear headphones. I think that was the big difference this time - I wasn’t wearing headphones. I won’t make that mistake in the future.
I will be going to the library or university libraries from this point - B&N was really my only choice since my office building requires a special entrance code on the weekends that I didn’t have access to. And thanks for the good luck. I’ll need it on the math section - the reading and writing will be fairly easy, it’s the math that’s going to get me. If anyone wants to send math vibes my way, I’d appreciate it.
Little Plastic Ninja, that would piss me off big time. I may not take perfect care of my books, but they are my most prized possessions and my dream is to have an entire room in my house devoted to built-in bookshelves. It’s not even that they were mistreating books, it’s that they were mistreating property that wasn’t theirs! Your poor mom - I don’t know how she put up with that.
Mama Tiger, there’s a Books-A-Million that’s probably quieter - I’ve gone there to write sometimes because it’s right next to my gym, so it’s easily accessible. I’ll probably try there for awhile - luckily, I take the test on Saturday, so it’s not like this is a long-term thing. Thank goodness.
Well, there’s nothing wrong with the books at Barnes and Noble. Seriously, I don’t think there’s anything off about your expectation that kids be well behaved in a bookstore or any other store. Maybe it’s not realistic, but that doesn’t make it incorrect.
I’ve run (ha!) into this problem in a number of places where I used to work - including Disneyland (no, it’s no safer to run at Disneyland than it is in a bookstore or anywhere else; possibly it’s less safe, as there are more things to collide with).
I’ve discovered that the “mom glare” and a snarled “don’t run” slows these wanna-be sprinters right down. Whether you work in the store or not.
I apologize for butting in, but this comment hit close to home. It’s the kind of thing I’ve said before.
I would have tempted to say the same thing (I have a toddler and have to explain other people’s crappy behavior to him all the time) but I am trying to find a more positive way to put it. As deserved as such a disparaging comment may be, I’ve worried that I might be inadvertantly teaching my son that it’s okay to pass judgment on people, okay to say nasty things about people, and okay to look down on other people.
Why not say “I guess they forgot their good manners” or “They are having a hard time with their self-control.” That gives the offender the benefit of the doubt, plus it give you a chance to compliment your kid for doing better, without slamming the character of a stranger.
This drives me right up the wall. Too many people seem to think that store clerks (and librarians) are babysitters! I enjoy sitting in a nice, quiet library. I enjoy and approve of kids who are able to also make quiet, respectful use of library facilities, whether they’re under parental supervision or not. I’m even willing to make allowances for a bit of annoyance if the kid gets excited about a book or magazine. I spent many happy hours in a library in my own childhood. But I’ve seen too many kids dropped off at a library, or a cineplex, or store, and left to amuse themselves. This is what parks and playgrounds are for, parents!
And there’s the bigger issue of parents not teaching proper behavior to their offspring. Not only is this a pain to deal with now, but these kids are going to be at a severe disadvantage when they are adults.
The Borders I work at is pretty good. The kids only misbehave in the children’s section, and if they get really unruly anywhere in the store I and my other co-workers will tell them to stop running, yelling, etc.
I’ve seen plenty of people in there studying, especially on Sundays, so that by 2-3 pm you’re lucky to find a single free seat anywhere. And we play music overhead that people have to talk over. It’s not perfect silence, but nothing too loud.