Um,what kind of dark star could I have been under Aug.30th around 8pm,or just bad day

Was there something ugly going on Aug. 30th around 7:30-8pm-ish? I came home from the below ugly bookstore incident to find a close friend of the family's husband is divorcing her, as casually as breathing...scary.

Well, here's the bookstore thingie:

Does anyone else feel like they're at the mercy of businesses? That if you question anything a store could toss you out, or worse, consider you a disturbance of the peace? The store's always right? Right now I feel like melted, dirty snow...and sad, sad snow at that. I thought the idea was to provide cust. service, but people keep telling me I'm very wrong. Like today, I went to a 1/2 off bookstore for a sale...I found a cartload of gems! Among them, 2 from the "Clearance" center, so I was really excited at finding a bargain on 2 books ordinarily I wouldn't have gotten but on clearance, Wow! How could I not? Only weird thing? All the other books in the store had prices stamped on them, these 2 didn't, and they were in crummy shape (they might have sold for 50 cents at a garage sale, they were yellowed, bent up, torn at the corner on one book, spines broken and rough--they were a 20 year old Scrabble dictionary and a 150 pg book on the Romany peoples.) So, I'm HAPPY! Estatic! Already, in my mind, I'm drooling over all those *wonderful* things as I read them! I was so happy, I even helped other customers with their book needs (like the guy who needs to learn Norwegian but they had absolutely no books or software there, so I mentioned Rosetta Stone's trial disk is free and it so *good*! That kind of thing...helping a little boy pick up his arms-broken-off Spider Man...talking with other customers about what awsome sales they have there...straightening out the pages of a couple bent up books I saw...in general...being me, spreading good deeds, loving...) I spent ***4***hours in the store racking up a minimum of $50 all told---these were books I've been looking for for AGES, and wonderful surprises, too, small gifts for family and friends for birthdays, etc.

I once worked both at my state college bookstore and Borders, so I have some idea of how bookstores work in general (I've done everything from volunteering to stay overnight after an 8 hr shift to do inventory, I've pinch-hit at the cappucino bar for months, I've run *untold* registers, stocked books and everything else, counted people coming in the doors at the college store, heck, I've even volunteered *3 times* at Borders to be the character for storytime: Peter Rabbit, Lyle the Crocodile and the Wild Thing from Where the Wild Things Are (Fantastic experience to see all those kids SOOO **HAPPY***, they couldn't see me from inside the costumes, but I smiled until my face hurt! One of the best times of my life, doing that : ) ,) to running Harry Potter night and in the same day retrieving "gents magazines", digging through "remainders" and getting exceptionally rare special orders in for Father's day...I worked at bookstores because I *love* people and I *love* books and the synthesis is like magic...usually) --Sympathising with the cashier, I thought I'd explain my situation of the 2 "priceless" books first off. The 1st 2 books out of the cart were these 2 ones w/o prices, to make it easier on him. I explained where I found them and everything to the cashier and he said he couldn't give me clearance prices on these 2 beat-up paperbacks I was kind of fond of.

I asked to speak to the manager, same rhetoric, no dice, *I* was wrong, he kept saying. I explained, but they're not even *price-tagged*, they were in clearance and, actually, having my heart into it already, I explained that my entire cart's worth of purchase hung on those 2 without prices. I just wanted a little justice, that's all, everything to be alright. A bit of give and take--customer appreciation, not tears--I found these 2 books in Clearance, and even if they wern't clearance (but they were,) and they were just misplaced, management could understand and, seeing their quality, and their mis-stocking error/or another customer misplacing error, just understand and be compassionate---some give and take instead of making me feel so awful. A little, "Well, you are buying a ton of books, let me see what we can do"...But instead I was made out to feel like some sort of villian. I felt absolutely terrible! I still do. Made to feel lower than dirt by this store, esp. the manager. I felt dirty. I wanted to go home and wash it all off. I felt dirty inside. I was made to feel mistaken, completely wrong about where I'd found them. Made to *doubt* where I was when I found them, to doubt myself. I felt so ugly and invalidated and, in some ways, threatened that I should just pay the prices they were now quoteing (but appeared nowhere)....or leave the books behind...or be considered a trouble-maker? I'd just gone there with my dad for a happy, peaceful afternoon--we love book shopping together...except it was getting notably unhappier. I had a cartfull of books I LOVED (palmistry, astrology, cartomancy, lucid dreaming, Feng Shui and more,) but by then I felt so awful I left them all there, giving the cart a small shove, and in a minute of emotion said, "I hope you enjoy restocking them." To which the manager said, "We love our jobs here! : )" And I said to him, kind of emotionally-dizzy by then, "I don't feel good about this. I don't feel good about you. I don't feel good about this store and I don't think I'll ever come back."

I know. In retrospect, I could've just told them to keep those two books and have gotten the rest, but I was so hurt, even by then. God, I guess I make stupid mistakes...

Upon speaking with family (incl. my dad) they sided with the store, saying don't speak up, it's their store, just leave the books and go---a good policy in every situation...that I have a problem, speaking up and not easily giving up....and I cried and I cried and cried. I'm not a bad person. I wasn't trying to cause *any* problems, I wanted to just be happy. A tiny meeting of minds, to be understood and treated alright. What am I missing here?

Do I go back, appologize to the store and see if the books are even still there? Or do I try to find them somewhere else? My stomach's turning just writing about it and I could cry again. What did I do wrong? (small sob) Am I messed up for *wanting* things to be kind of just? Wanting justice, love, acceptance, kindness and understanding so badly...(another sob)

Or is something ugly just going on in the stars---a square?---causing visceral pain and upset for this family friend and I? She found out her husband was cheating and called our house around the same time everything was going on at the store. Roughly a 2 hr period...I'm thinking, maybe...Bad Moon Rising in some sign?

I'm **very**, very, very sorry just to vent, it's not me, usually, I'll chant and hope it works like celestial liquid paper, "Om tara tuttare ture svaha......Om tara tuttare ture svaha.....Om tara tuttare ture svaha..."....

Love and Peace to You All : )

Marigold I don't usually come into this section as I don't know anything about Astrology but I do know about life.

Never let anyone tell you Black is White. It is a simple as that really.
The store was at fault. It was more than any misunderstanding. They are just plain ignorant and even worse.. stupid.

These people are working for minimum wage and they just do not care.
You are upset but they do NOT care. How awful is that ? Don' t look to yourself to blame. Do not apologise at all. The books exist elsewhere in the World.

They are insulting your intelligence and when people insult you, do take offense. This is called having personal boundaries. Do something about it.
If you continue to be upset and it is worthwhile to you contact the owners of the store or at least send them a letter or email.

You suffered an INJUSTICE so on every level of life fight injustice. I do and have for many years. We all must or we lose our freedoms.
If I get a ticket for speeding, which I do.. I think well I did it lots of times and did not get caught. So I pay it. If I was not speeding, I would fight it.
I got a ticket for parking by a snowbank and it was parking there so I called
City Hall, they checked it out and they reversed the ticket. That was JUSTICE.

Anger can be a good thing. It motivates us and when properly applied causes good results. Anger changes to hurt and that is what you are.
So address your anger. I know you hate to lose a book store you love. I love my books too. I feel for you. Memries

Just a thought, if you go on to www.astro.com and put in your details for the free birth chart, you can then get a free personal daily horoscope, with the added option for yesterday, as well as today and tomorrow. If you do it quick enough the 30th will come up as yesterday.

If it turns out that nothing shows up in your chart, then maybe it was the people in the store who were having astrological problems. You did the absolutely correct thing, in my opinion, to leave all the books there and to walk away. If they didn't have enough sense to realise the stupidity of losing a good sale over two books that were evidently not in the best condition then they do not deserve your business.

Don't take it to heart, remember that you cannot change other peoples' behaviour, you can only change how you react to it. Just let it go, the books will come to you another time in a better way, without the negative attachments that the other books you left behind would have had, if you had still bought them.

Dad's wrong.

The new Moon was at 3:58. p.m.

One of those moments you wish you could return to and revise to your own credit.

When I think someone is responding irrationally, I tend to explain where I'm coming from in a misguided attempt to communicate. But irrationality, like personal persistence, won't ever budge. And when I can't get through, I resist the hot prickly tears of injustice and pretend I'm better than them. Never makes me feel any better; only in recent years have I been able to step away before I tangle myself up.

You are not dirt.

xxx

OK; first the legal situation. The price of a book (or anything else) in a shop is 'an invitation to trade'. There's nothing to stop you offering a different (lower price) and nothing to say they have to accept it.

In this situation you were right to call for the manager. The best line to then take is to say words to the effect that you found these in the clearence center but they don't appear to have a price on them and, according to the assistant, they shouldn't have been there, so what is the selling price asked?. If the manager quotes the price on the book cover (full price), then you are under no obligation to buy the other books. You could either accept the full price, and leave the rest, or, assuming you want them, say that they appear to be damaged stock and you would expect a much lower price, especially as you are buying other books. If he offers a lower price, which is in line with what you think they are worth, then buy, otherwise make a counter, lower offer.

Don't argue the case that coz they're in the clearence center they should be heavily discounted, Instead argue for the discount on the basis of their condition (and of course, hinting at the sale value of the other books in your cart). If they won't budge then they're not worth trading with. Leave the lot and indeed get your books from other sources in the future. Good marketing and customer realtions should lead to a settlement at a reasonable price for the condition of the books, which is to your satisfaction. You should be treated as a valued customer, especially with a cartload of books. If they can't do that then it's them that are sad, not you.

In terms of the Astrology. I don't think it's likely that this is down to anything but poor customer service. If you want, you can check for transits (and secondary progressions of the Moon) for that date but I don't think you'll find anything.

You obviously feel that your pride's been hurt and you got poor service and treatment. I agree with this and have a lot of sympathy for you. The best advice is shop elsewhere for books in the future.

((((Marigold's))))

I think you handled the situation with class... a lot of class!

I would shop elsewhere and I would make a point of suggesting others who ask shop elsewhere too.

I don't doubt that their display was typical of their customer service and they most likely will not be in business for long as word of that type of customer service gets around quickly.

valeria

And do not ever worry about standing up for yourself. Someone above already posted about "protecting your boundaries"; I agree with that. Society would prefer us all behaving like sheep because it makes it easier on them. Phooey. It is your money; spend it where you are treated with respect and where the proprietor appreciates your business.
As far as the astrological skies, I think someone mentioned there was a new moon in virgo on Aug 30- "clear intentions" (probably overly picky) is the description I found via Google/quick search. You can check the ephemeris for that date online (I would help you, but it is all Greek to me)