At about 1:40 a.m., a staff member came outside and shouted that the last customer was at the register. The last book was about to be sold. Wait - maybe not. A few shoppers are still trickling in, and staff are letting them by with instructions to turn right and go straight to the register.
It seems Barnes & Noble had an endless supply of books.
People have gathered in small pockets outside to chat before they head home. From a crowd of hundreds (at least seven or eight hundred, by my count) we're down to maybe 20 or 30.
The store is in shambles. Books are strewn everywhere, along with coffee cups, soda and juice bottles, napkins and other trash. Every table looks like shoppers pawed it over from 7 p.m. straight through to midnight.
As I headed out the door, I walked past a table of Harry Potter merchandise. I wonder how much related swag the store sold while shoppers whiled away the hours.
We probably won't know. Local booksellers don't often reveal their sales figures, though the big companies will release chain-wide numbers early next week.
2 comments:
This was fun, following along from the West Coast while my friend waited in line in the store where you were. Thanks!
Eve -
Glad you were able to tune in.
Michelle
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