Brick and Mortar Guys

This little "ditty" was written by a bookseller at one of our stores.  Every one of us who's come across it is sharing it.  It feels SO very true.

Brick and Mortar Guys
by Jason Michael Howe
Barnes & Noble Store #02814
Pembroke Pines, FL

(And apologies again for unintentionally hijacking the other thread.)

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember how
those book stores used to make me smile.
And I know if I could go back,
I'd buy books there by the stack,
no matter if I had to walk a mile.

But Amazon, they made me quiver...
with every order they delivered.
Brown boxes on my doorstep,
I didn't have to take one more step...
I can't remember if I cried,
the first time I found one just outside...
I opened the box and looked inside...
the day... the book stores... died.

So bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

Were you there in their store,
reading books while lying on the floor,
when an employee asked you to move?
Did you ask to charge your phone?
Leave a pile of books in cafe and only buy a scone?
Do you ever wonder why you're alone?

Well, I know that you loved their place,
high-end boutiques now fills their space,
What other stores are left to choose?
You should be singin' the blues!
All you had to do was spend a buck,
drive to their store in your pickup truck,
but now you're out of luck.
The day the book stores died.
You started singin'

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

Now, for ten years we've been on our own
clicking Buy from the comfort of our home
But that's not how it used to be!
Employees sang for storytime,
an author signing didn't cost a dime,
and then they'd sit and talk with you and me.

But to kick them while they're down,
Amazon had to steal their crown,
No worries of tax evasion,
they've got bribes and other persuasion.
And while book stores closed up shop,
employees wished they could make them stop,
but now they're at Employment One Stop.
The day the book stores died.

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

Helter Skelter up on Capitol Hill
Congress had submitted a bill
about collecting online tax.
It's odds were better than legal grass
The bill now looked for sure to pass
With Amazon, on the sidelines, all aghast.
Now poetic justice came to mind
What legal recourse could they find?
Former employees nearly danced with joy,
but Amazon had one more ploy!
They tried to open brick and mortar stores
thinking they'd do better than those before
Do you recall the final score
The day the book stores died?
We started singin'

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

Oh, and there we were all in one time
A generation lost online
With no way to go back again.
C'mon Amazon, sell those books!
Amazon, you're just a crook.
Complacency is your best friend!

And as I watched on their newsfeed
Smiling faces filled with greed
No company born online
Could catch their lead this time.
And as flames spread on the forum sites
Booksellers read them on lonely nights
While Amazon laughed with delight.
The day the book stores died.
They were singin'

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

I met a girl who had shelved their stacks
And I asked if they'd ever come back
But she just cried and ran away
I went down to my local store
Where I'd purchased books years before
A homeless man there said they took his restroom away.

And down the streets the parents walked,
their children cried, their tweens all balked.
But not a word was spoken;
their spirits had been broken.
Now no one comes at my behest
But I shop for books without getting dressed
If I think too hard I'll get depressed
The day the book stores died.
And we're all singing...

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...
online shopping has become my vice...

Bye bye brick and mortar guys,
it's just not fair with next day air and a lower online price.
Having people who would help me, man it sure was nice.
But online shopping has become my vice...