No more please

I have a feeling that a memo has been sent round to all Waterstones bookshop staff asking them to behave more like independent booksellers. Instead of the surly grunts of old they all seem to be dying to tell me about their personal experiences of whatever book I happen to be buying. Up until today it had been limited to 'oh it's great this one, have you got her new one, it's AMAZING!' style gushing but today it went a step further. In an effort to find a reading for my brother's wedding I was buying Love Letters of Great Men. The sales assistant held it up and said 'I've got this one, it's really great!' I smiled and she continued 'I make my boyfriend read bits out to me in bed'. I looked sheepish imagining her excessively-animated face poking out from the top of the covers. Bring back the grunting (behind the cashdesk).