Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Michael Caine @ Barnes & Noble - Pt 2

Well this is a new one.  I get to the store, and there is a line out the door, along the building, and around the corner.  Not a lot of people, mind you, but a line.  They haven't let anyone in yet, and are lining them outside.  Roll call maybe, I don't know, but it makes no sense to me.  I stake out the area, which is surrounded by tall aisles of books, kinda blocking everything but the signing area.  Gotta buy a book.  Damn.

So I buy the book and get in line.  Outside.  Around the corner.  In front of a 'slow adult.'  With a 'slow' kid.  And another 'slow adult' behind them.  And they are making inane conversation about how they hope he will sign every book and I wonder if he'll sign memorabilia even though they employees have clearly stated that no, he won't.  And then they discover that the books are presigned, and that the line is to have them personalized, which brings on a whole other level of will he or won't he pose with fans and is he even here yet even though the line is clearly moving already. 

Now, let me stop right here and say that in all the times that I have ever stood in line for a book signing, I have never bought a book that was presigned.  It doesn't make any sense, and kinda defeats the purpose of going to a book signing in the first place, although I will say that having them presigned and only needing personalization was making the line move much faster than they usually do.  But since I didn't care about getting a book personalized and really only wanted a picture, none of that mattered.  Plus, getting a personalization makes it hard to resell the book on ebay. 

After telling the staff that I didn't want a personalization and only wanted a picture OF Mr. Caine, not WITH him, and being told that no more pictures were being allowed, I bailed on the whole thing. 

I'll return the book tomorrow.

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