When this avid reader stepped foot into a Barnes & Noble in Pasadena, Texas, she took one look at the store’s condition and felt like something was amiss. Now she’s speaking up and making a difference.
“I don’t think Barnes & Noble is supposed to look like this,” self-proclaimed chronic reader Taylor Marie (@taylormariereads) wrote in the text overlay.
Then, she takes over 381,000 viewers on a little trip inside the location. The books themselves are naturally the first stop. “MANY books have yellowing pages and paperbacks with curling overs and pages,” she says. She shows paperbacks that appear to be yellowing and have dark spots on them.
Next, the content creator zooms in on the caving-in ceilings. “A lot of the ceiling tiles are sagging and discolored,” she says,
And, she says, there is an odor permeating the store. “The smell of mildew is overwhelming,” she says.
Overall, this experience broke Taylor Marie’s heart.
“It makes me so sad to see a bookstore like this,” she expresses. “I’ve been here before, but the condition of the store and books have gotten worse.”
And it’s not just the older books that appear to be decaying. “Even the new books’ covers are curling and pages are discolored,” she says.
Nevertheless, the reader yearns for improvement. “I hope they can clean up and make it better here in the future,” she says.
Taylor Marie calls out the store’s location, saying it is in Pasadena, Texas. And she tags the bookseller in the caption: “I don’t wanna be mean, but there’s something up with this store @Barnes & Noble. I’m sorry,” she writes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Taylor Marie via TikTok comment and direct message as well as Barnes & Noble via contact form.
Should she contact Barnes & Noble corporate?
Viewers are urging the TikToker to get in touch with corporate.
“Please report that to corporate.. ain’t no way they’re selling moldy books. Those poor employees,” one viewer pushed.
“Please report this to corporate the people and employees in that area deserve a Barnes and noble that isn’t falling apart! Thousands of dollars in damages,” a second coaxed.
“Call corporate because that looks like a health hazard,” a third concurred.
What did she do?
Taylor Marie ended up contacting corporate.
“[The video] got me into contact with some people in the executive corporate office,” Taylor Marie says while sitting in her car. “I’m back at the store. I decided to pop on over again after work just so I can get more pictures and everything to send to them.”
She walks into the store and notices the changes that have already been made.
“Books have already been removed from the shelves??” she asks. “Could be them changing things around, I suppose!”
Certain decaying books, however, still remained.
“So many curling covers and pages,” she says.
The content creator pulls several books off the shelf. The pages appear still yellow and speckled with mold.
In addition to the mold, Taylor Marie notices another health hazard. She shows the dust sprinkled on the top edge of a book.
The video cuts to Taylor Marie back in her car. She shares what she overheard the workers discussing while she was in the mystery and thriller section.
“So, I overheard who I’m going to assume is the store manager. It was one of the employees talking to another employee, and she’s like, ‘Well, this proves that all it is dust on these books,’” she recounts.
However, the customer disagrees. “It’s not all just dust. I don’t know if it’s mild. The store is in a condition that could potentially produce book mold. It’s very humid in there,” Taylor Marie says. “I don’t know where it’s supposed to go from here.”
How did Barnes & Noble corporate respond?
Taylor Marie gives the backstory that led to her original video. “I went to Barnes & Noble on Wednesday after not being there for several months. I wanted to check out if the store had gotten any better from the last time I was there. The condition of the store had not gotten any better,” she shares. “[I] did not think the video would go as viral as it has, which, thank you, because that has actually got me in contact with the executive corporate office.”
“They took all of my concerns,” the content creator recalls. “I told them I had pictures and videos of the experience I had yesterday and she] was like, ‘Yes. Please send those to us. I’ll send you an email, and you just follow up in that email chain.’”
Soon after, Taylor Marie heard once more from Barnes & Noble. “I have had an update from the area manager who put in a ticket for the humidity issue and is sending out a team to clear the damaged stock and to get the store’s HVAC system checked out,” she says, reading from her phone. “He’ll be back down there tomorrow to clear it out for himself.”
@taylormariereads I don’t wanna be mean but there’s something up with this store @Barnes & Noble I’m sorry #pasadenatexas #barnesandnoble #bookshoppingvlog #bookstore #booktok #books #bookshopping ♬ something’s off – Kate Peytavin
What causes humidity in a building?
Humidity can, indeed, lead to moldy books. According to Arista Air, there are several factors that can cause humidity in a building:
- Insufficient ventilation
- Too large of an air conditioner
- Ignored AC maintenance
Mold and mildew only need 60% humidity to grow and spread. This can trigger allergy-like conditions, per Healthline:
- Runny nose and congestion
- Eye irritation
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Sore throat
- Skin rash
- Headache
- Lung irritation
- Wheezing
If you ever encounter anything similar in a store, say something! You can make a difference for the customers, merchandise, and store workers.
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