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This blog was never meant to be about me.
It was supposed to be about books. Or the bookshop. Or something... literary.
But somehow, between SEO metrics and unsolicited WhatsApp therapy sessions,
it became part confession, part chaos, part caffeine-fuelled cry for help.

When Claire joined the FlySafair R11 Birthday Sale queue at #484,400, she didn’t expect Steve to expose a national truth, Paul to ignore her blackout, or a Namibian customer to detour for Debbie Macombers. What followed was six hours of browser-watching, silent treatment, and secondhand book strategy. This isn’t just a flight deal story. It’s a saga of data, drama, and literary vengeance.

“That was the moment I knew, with absolute spectral certainty, that if I died in that depot, Paul would not only carry on—but he’d finish his courier query first. I was sprawled in a puddle of my own coffee, crushed emotionally and literally, and he was calmly requesting Natasha’s digits.”

Running a bookshop sounds like a reader’s dream, right? Endless access to stories, peaceful corners to get lost in novels, maybe even time for a midday literary escape. That’s what Claire thought—until reality hit like an overdue courier pickup. In this heartfelt, hilarious blog, Claire answers her child’s innocent question: “Do you read at work?”

Google says our ads are working. Our margins say otherwise. Claire crunched the numbers, nearly cried in a stationery aisle, and wrote this survival guide so you don’t hand your profits to Big Tech wrapped in bubble wrap and optimism. Spoiler: unless your profit margins are doing CrossFit, your ads might be costing more than they’re earning.

In this week’s blog: Starched-Collar Paul worships at the altar of spreadsheets and we talk about why we pause sellers (lovingly), how bubble wrap is basically our love language, and what it really takes to protect our five-star Google rating and 100% Bobshop score—with caffeine, consistency, and just a dash of chaos.

When you message us, you don’t just get customer service. You get a choice: do you want a warm hug (Claire) or a flowchart (Paul)? Claire will cry with you. Paul will file a courier claim before you’ve finished explaining. Either way, your books are coming—and probably with a story.

You think running a bookshop is all soft jazz and sipping Earl Grey in a sunbeam?
Try fielding courier mishaps, 3am impulse buys, and a dog who thinks tail-thumping counts as a wake-up call. By 8am, we've already lived a full day — complete with lost parcels, found books, and lukewarm coffee.
There’s bubble wrap in my hair and Zoe’s eaten the packing tape again. Welcome to ReadMatter: we run on caffeine, chaos, and blind bookish hope.