Those pesky cell phones. We can't even put them down to shop.

You can handle the situation in three ways. You can adopt a strong "silence, please" policy about cell-phone use and post it on signs at the entrances to the store and also around the store. Hopefully your customers will follow your guidelines and take a break from their phones. But many times even the most stringent signage will not stop the problem.

Another remedy would be to discreetly approach the customer and ask that they go outside the store to use their phone. This requires the greatest of tact, a sweet smile and a bold frontliner. The drawback to this form of confrontation is that some customers will be offended and possibly not frequent your store again.

The third method is likely the most common road taken. Just ignore the situation and hope that "dirty looks" and stares from other shoppers will encourage the customer to end the phone call or at least move out of the store to complete the conversation. Hopefully such incidences are few and far between in your store.

Got a question for Betty Bookstore? Write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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