Usually, I believe (for the most part) that people can do whatever they want as long as they aren’t hurting others. A trip to Barnes and Noble today changed my mind.

The tables are always packed there, that’s a given. While I was browsing in a section that didn’t have tables, I noticed that quite a few people had squatted on the floor by the window. Okay, many more than a few. I felt *mildly* irritated. Over the age of 15 you shouldn’t do that. It’s not cute anymore. I watched a girl reading the paper that she literally had spread out in a 3 foot circumference. This isn’t your home, missy. These people had never been taught manners, I told myself.

Then I happened on the worst B&N squatter imaginable. This older guy had brought his own chair! And no one was telling him to leave. Two clerks were happily chatting with each other close by. I went for another gander from the other side. He had one of those super air-streamed beach chairs. He had a Venti Starbucks something and 3 large volumes of books that looked like dictionaries. The one he was flipping through like a magazine looked old and worn.

Maybe he had brought some of his own reading materials. I was so disgusted I stopped browsing. I quickly walked toward the escalator, but wait. A faraway squatter yelled, “Do you have the time?”

“I don’t wear a watch,” I said pointing at my wrist. My voice sounded harsh and distant.

Bookstores usually have a soothing, sedative affect on me. Barnes and Nobles has become the new library-- except the books are new, and you can sit on the floor, drink beverages and eat-- another reason to shop online and only buy from independent bookstores.