Free me
Some folk may have thought that Mark Thatcher slipping relatively easily out of that nasty coup trouble he found himself in was about as likely as a Prince of the Realm wearing a Nazi armband, but weird things do happen in this whacky 'ole world of ours. Still, if Mark Thatcher can be so easily excused for his actions, perhaps there is hope for your humble Woolamaloo editor?
Found your link through an article in the Guardian. I think it's absolute CRAP that the Prince can run around dressed as a Nazi, and you get fired for venting.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any consolation, I will no longer be sipping lattes at the Waterstones cafe while reading my latest purchase next time I'm across the pond.
That said, you've got a great blog and a ton of support from those in the blogsphere and elsewhere, so I'm sure that somehow things will work out for the best.
hey
ReplyDeleteyou dont know me
but My name is Jennifer, 18 years old in the USA, louisiana mainly
i read the article about your web blog..and all it did
and i think its stupid
you, and everyone else, should be able to post whatever on there blogs,
i mean its just like a diary, that some people keep everyday, but yours and my mind, and many others are just kept online for our friends and family (sometimes) to read!
i do hope that something happens because of it
freedom of speech!
take a look at my real web journal (its kinda new, i closed the one i had for like 5 years, to start a new one)
http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Future_Film_Maker_Jennifer
anyways
hope all goes well
a american supporter and friend
Jennifer
This is a worrying piece of news indeed, and one that affects bloggers everywhere.
ReplyDeleteBloggers of the World Unite.
We're with you brother!
Show us the way. We will follow the gourd.
SwissToni
Email your Comments and frustrations to
ReplyDeletelynne.whitehand@waterstones.co.uk
head of personell
brian.mclaughlin@waterstones.co.uk
operations director
What I want in a bookstore is motivated staff who can tell me what I wanted to buy based on my half-arsed recollection of what I heard about while eavesdropping a conversation some guy-in-the-pub mentioned while mumbling into his pint.
ReplyDeleteBased on this horrendous morale sapping episode, I don’t think staff at Waterstone’s would now take the time and trouble to work out what I wanted; they would just say: “dunno guv”.
I don’t buy burgers at Waterstone’s; I will now not buy books there.
Dooced...really sorry to hear about it buddy. Took a brief tour of your blog and loved it - here's hoping you land an even better job soon!
ReplyDeleteJoe, commiserations on being unfairly dismissed. But look at it this way, they may have done you a favour. You are now somewhat of a celebrity, whether you like it or not.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen you for 20 years Joe but thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you that I'm right behind you shipmate, freedom of speech being quite a big deal and all that. Also, I am loving the bandana! Allan Davidson
ReplyDeletePS - While I'm here, Prince Harry is an arsehole.
Prince Harry is certainly NO Prince of mine. I'm pretty sure that the 6 MILLION Jews killed in the Holocaust (along with all of the other innocent victims of the Nazis) would consider that a heinous crime.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that you can be fired for merely putting up a blog. Why can't we fire the insensitive, idiotic young "Prince"? Hell, lets put you in his place, at least we'd get some honesty and integrity as the image for this country!
Mr B
And while we're about it, shouldn't Mark Thatcher have been arrested upon entry as a potential terrorist and sent to Belmarsh? Surely as someone who has confessed to playing his part in a coup (if he was so unwitting why did he plea bargain and why stump up the cash?) he is a potential threat to security.
ReplyDeleteOn Harry: It's all b***s*** from the tabloid press. If just people could stop caring about these Royal Lads, and talk about REAL ISSUES like finding a decent replacement for Tony "WMD" Blair's policies... Prince Harry counts 0, his father won't probably ever be king, and William comes before Harry, and all this royal family crap is just useless anyway.
ReplyDeleteI am disgusted with what happened to you, I have mentioned it on my LJ, and sincerely wish you all the best with the forth-coming tribunal.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm more disgusted that Prince William (who may actually be king one day) went to a party with a "Native and Colonial" theme. Precisely what decade do they think they are in? The kind of people to throw such a party must be even more repellant. They probably think that pulling back the corners of their eyes and saying "ooo me have slitty eyes now, me so solly, want some flied lice?" is hilariously funny.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, good luck in whatever action you take to restore your career!
Another wholeheated supporter of your cause.
Wow Joe,
ReplyDeleteyou've become a minor celebrity in weeks...and to think we were both sharin the problems before this incident exploded!
Ok im curious Joe...who from China sent you his condolences??? I HOPE YOU DIDNT MEAN ME...COZ IM NOT IN CHINA...
Or you can call Lynne Whitehand via 020 7851 2400 and voice your opinions that way. Waterstone's has constantly treated it's staff like dirt, and will no doubt continue to do so. I fortuantly managed to get away to their competitor, and managed to bring to my new employer alot of very handy resources! The best thing supporters of Joe can do, is stop using Waterstone's. There are plenty of other and cheaper shops!
ReplyDeleteTo the Waterstone's insiders who posted names of supposed senior directors above:
ReplyDeletethe first individual named is not the personnel director. You are unfairly singling out a relatively junior member of staff unable to defend herself.
The second person is actually the acting managing director, ie the operations director's line boss.
Bill McComish
TGWU Rep
Waterstone's, London.
Great Bill,
ReplyDeleteActing Managing Director? Great all the more better to disturb him and involve someone of importance into this debacle and travesty of justice.
Maybe someone can get rid of this bully boy manager and start to repair some of the damage this guy has done to your fine company, because it is a fine company. The other books stores are crap in comparison, you know this Bill and we all know this.
Lynne Whitehand is head of recruitment, so I dont think she would appreciate you calling her a 'junior member of staff'
Shouldnt the rep of the TGWU be sorting this out instead of surfing on the internet, or are you busy in your little cave in Clapham, rubbing your evil little hands together whilst working on the next tube strike!
Free Joe Gordon. Peace
I said "relatively junior", dear. Have you seen the size of the Personnel Dept. recently?
ReplyDeleteIt's Bloomsbury actually. Pop in for a chat next time you're passing and we can discuss the defeat of capitalism over a highly-priced franchise coffee.
I prefer uncle Ken's buses- much less claustrophobic.
Bill
w_mccomish@yahoo.com
In view of the rate at which your story is spreading around the 'net and the book community, and the amount of bad publicity Waterstone's is getting over it (I e-mailed them about it, for what it's worth), something occured to me. It seems that your reputation as a dedicated bookseller is impeccable; you're known and liked by major authors; so where are the bookstores who would do well for themselves by offering you a job? Let's see some integrity from the business side of bookselling.
ReplyDeleteCome on, book people, who's got the guts to stand up and offer Joe a job?
What you really deserve, of course, is to be reinstated at your old job with back pay and an apology. Hang in there.
The thing is, ecban, would Joe even want to work for Waterstone's at the moment? If I were him, even if they offered me the manager's job at the Edinburgh shop, I doubt I could stand to even enter the building again after that travesty of a disciplinary meeting. Feh, I would say. Feh!
ReplyDeleteAbout wayward princes: The guy wore a Nazi uniform (actually more of an Afrika Korps uniform from the pictures [maybe a Raiders of the Lost Ark reference?]) to a "Natives and Colonials"-themed costume party? Seems to me like he has an excellent grasp of history and a wicked sense of irony. He could have done with losing the armband in retrospect, but perhaps he was afraid that nobody would get the point without it.
I've dressed as a pirate, a geisha, and as Death (a la Bergman, Bill & Ted) for fancy-dress. Doesn't mean anything about my personal beliefs, nor should it be read as insult to anyone with sensitivities about death, Japan's invasion of China or victims of piracy. Let the guy live his life, for goodness' sake.
To the anonymous person who wants "motivated people" who can find him books when given very little information.
ReplyDeleteYou will find that 99% of Waterstone's staff are like this, and will do their best to find you what you want...if you make sure you're polite to them. If you're rude then the rate of success tends to drop rapidly. As for the other 1%, they tend to be working off the shop floor.
Since Joe is/was very obviously one of the 99%, I don't think your comment was that relevant. If you want "dunno" service I suggest you try WHSmith...a customer came to us the other day after she'd asked if WHSmith had any copies of Macbeth in stock and the girl behind the counter asked her who it was by.....
I agree with Kate about WHSmith.
ReplyDeleteI work in a central London branch of the subject bookstore in the press and we get all amounts of people who have been 'sent over from WHSmith' who have told customers that we stock (I kid you not) all amounts of random shit from board games to dvds (we are a fairly small branch) to umbrellas and lightbulbs (?!)
We have a great book knowledge as a company. We have a great tradition of long serving staff, more so I bet than any other company in the retail industry.
We are reasonably smart bunch, despite being let down by the odd manager like Joe's, but we do try try our best to be pleasant, we really do, but it is hard when customers come in with the absurd requests, we dont know what to say apart from look puzzled and say 'No'
We are very sorry that is not satisfactory for some, we really do but when you say things like,
'why not?'
We cannot but help to say to you.....
'because we are a bookstore'
I go into WHSmith all the time and every wednesday for the NME and I see the same confused looks when people are enquiring in there. I can quite imagine if you ask them for Macbeth, they would look at you like you are teaching a cat a new trick.
They dont teach us ESP on the induction unfortunately, if they did i would have my own show on livingTV and not be working in a bookstore
Mark
Just so you know your not the first to get fired...a friend of mine was fired and she NEVER posted who she worked for or even alluded to the company name but her boss intercepted her pc and co-workers emails and found her site she blogged on and read up and fired her....she is fighting it here in the US but its tough going. The boss claimed she devulged company secrets and voliated the privacy policy but I know she didn't I don't even know now they name of the company she worked for because she stated to me she could be fired for telling people. Just remember all you bloggers...big brother is watching and reading...careful what you say this is no longer a free speech world anymore.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from the darkest Pampas of Argentina; millions of miles from anywhere. Well, the steaks are a lot better than in Texas. But, of course, I've turned vegetarian!
ReplyDeleteI've looked at a reasonable selection of your Blog. As your manager, I might be a bit concerned about the amount of time and energy you devote to it. But nothing more.
It seems that Waterstones' management have lost focus on commercial priorities - in a big way.
Should this not be an issue for the Annual Shareholders Meeting?
Mike from Coronel Suarez, Argentina
Found you through the BBC article.
ReplyDeleteHowever you feel about losing your job, you're the envy of many bloggers now.. ;)
I'll be writing about your situation (in general terms) in my next blogging case study, I'll drop the link by when it's published.
To Kate: I am the anonymous person who wanted ‘motivated’ staff to decipher my mumblings.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed many a fine few minutes of Waterstone’s staff trying to work out what the heck I was going on a about. My worry is that this episode will de-motivate the staff and this service will no longer be available.
I’ve now lost the plot with Ian M Banks and want some advice. Will I get it from staff at Waterstone’s.
I’ve heard about a book on ‘100 years of poverty’ but will the staff a Waterstone’s now be bothered to work out what I want?
I doubt it.
Dude...read your story in a Dutch online magazine...
ReplyDeleteGetting fired over this is absolutely...how do you over there say it "BOLLOCKS"?.
On the other hand I do hope you find a job in which you are a 100% happy. Just think how weird the concept of work actually is...You spend more time in a week with people you DON'T choose to be with :-S
Good luck to you!
OFF TOPIC! Fun things to do....
ReplyDeletePlease Delete this post if this is not ok!
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