It always seems like
there are two kinds of people who
work in
bookstores: those who know
books, and those who know
retail. The book people dislike
change and never want to throw anything out except
crappy bestsellers. The retail people think that one
translation of
The Odyssey is enough, and want to
strip the rest to make room for an expanded
Travel section.
One time when I worked in a bookstore, a retail person in management ordered us to only pick hardcovers for our staff recommendations, because the store would make more money if they sold. We argued that most of the stuff that was available in hardcover was bad, and we couldn't recommend those titles in good conscience. We lost.