That’s what the owner of this used book store told me this weekend.

What the hell? What did finance ever do to you? I guess you don’t read personal finance blogs ;) Here’s how the conversation went down (if you could call it that):

Me: “Hey how’s it going man, do you know where I can find your economics or finance section?”
Book Store Owner: “Hah! We don’t have that here … (walks away & starts mumbling) … All financial books from the past 10 years should be burned.”

Ummmm…thanks? I guess you’re just gonna walk away and not help me, okay I gotcha. Initially I just brushed it off and went about my business looking for other books instead, but the more I thought about it, the more curiosity got a hold of me. Was he just talking out of his ass? Did he say it cuz it was the “trendy” thing to do? Did he *ever* carry these books? Unfortunately he was long gone by the time these questions started to bubble up.

Instead, I am left posting about it and coming to my own assumptions. Here’s what I think. I think Mr. Store Owner got burned by the economy in some form or another, and he’s now bringing in much less than he used to. He probably also meant to say that all investing books should be thrown out of the window, not financial ones. How could books promoting savings and proper money management possibly harm anyone? I can’t imagine anyone getting rid of The Richest Man in Babylon or The Millionaire Next Door on grounds of horrible advice.

Obviously, I think he made a bad choice of words. The average person may not have picked up on it (or cared for that matter), but I take it as an insult. You run a book store where people go to LEARN and give you money, not to hear you spout out conspiracy theories. The next time someone’s interested in buying a book from you, try helping them, not patronizing them.