Date: July 7th 2008

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We've a delightful little anthology publishing in early October, The Customer is Always Wrong, edited by Jeff Martin, and it just got a lovely review in Publishers Weekly, along with a wildly implausibly obtained blurb from the Creative Director of Barney's, Simon Doonan...

The review: "The mundane tasks and indignant exchanges with impossible customers are hilariously captured in this collection of personal essays by a cross-section of writers and humorists. Some, like a spa attendant’s dishy tale, are spun with a catty flair and flirt with a mild contempt for frivolous consumers; others, like Wendy Spero's turn as a door-to-door knife seller, are outrageously funny and incorporate life lessons in the litany of humiliations. Breezy and occasionally creepy musings on everything from guilt over serving fattening Swedish pancakes to seniors to the horrors of working at Sears may provide some nostalgic chuckles and perhaps even some unpleasant flashbacks as this collection elevates retail selling to a rite of passage. Two stories in particular that have less to do with the frustrations of the job and more about the impact of the experience on future endeavors: Hollie Gillespie recounts her days as an industrious child entrepreneur and maintains her
steadfast optimism in humanity, and the memories of writer and one-time drummer Jim DeRogatis, who passed the time—but never worked—in a local music store reveals the enduring influence of a mentoring shop owner and achieves true poignancy. (Oct.) "

The blurb: "Once I got passed the shock and horror of not being asked to contribute to this book, I started to enjoy it...a lot. Cathartic and entertaining, these essays will rivet and delight, regardless of which side of the counter you stand on."

Holler for review copies, eh?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Publication Date:
October 15, 2008

Always funny, frequently cringe-inducing, and often touching collection that is certain to connect with the millions of American men and women that work or have at one time or another worked in retail.

From Mom and Pop general stores to huge chains, it is impossible to think of American experience without thinking about the buying/selling culture that is retail. It is almost a rite of passage to pay your dues in a retail environment. The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles (Soft Skull Press / Counterpoint; Trade Paper Original; October 2008; $12.95; 978-1-933368-90-0) is a funny yet informative collection of essays by writers from all corners of the literary world.

Elaine Viets, author of the Dead-End Job mystery series, describes all the crazy jobs she’s done to write her books; Jim DeRogatis (author of Let it Blurt) describes hanging out with Al at Al Rocky’s Music Store; Colson Whitehead describes how three summers working a Long Island ice cream store put him off ice cream and desserts of all kinds for the rest of his life; and enlivening the table of contents are Wade Rouse, Michael Beaumier, Po Bronson, Stewart Lewis, Victor Gischler, Timothy Bracy, Anita Liberty, Trisha Thomas, Kevin Smokler and T Cooper.

This book, however, not only shines a light on the absurdities of retail, but finds the delight in it as well. If it weren’t for the customer, our economy would not function. And for every abusive customer or moronic employee, there are people who come into our lives and change its course forever.

About the Author:

Jeff Martin was born in the summer of 1980. Growing up in Tulsa, OK, Jeff never expected his adult life to be filled with customer complaints and secret shoppers. With various aspirations from superhero (unrealistic) to the next Bob Dylan (impossible), he paid little attention to his schoolwork. His retail career began at a video store. Jeff soon began idolizing director Quentin Tarantino for the simple fact that he is the only ex-video store clerk to go on to win an Oscar and make millions of dollars.

Upon graduation, Jeff decided to leave his hometown and make his way in the world as a writer. A little over a year later, he returned home with his tail between his legs and a lot of bad poetry. With the writing not paying the bills, he was forced to look for alternative forms of income. A week or so later, he was working at a local bookstore. Seven years and one wife later, he’s still there.






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