Bookstore Flooded with Orders after Famous Author Retweeted Its Appeal

Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. get the most out of (something) / gɛt ðə moʊst aʊt əv / (idiom) – to gain or achieve the maximum possible benefit from something
    Example:

    The grocery store urged the customers to get the most out of its discount promos.


  2. world-renowned / ˈwɜrld rɪˈnaʊnd / (adj) – popular all over the world
    Example:

    The Eiffel Tower is a world-renowned tourist attraction in France.


  3. overwhelming / ˌoʊ vərˈwɛl mɪŋ / (adj) – having a great amount or a large extent
    Example:

    The band thanked the fans for their overwhelming support.


  4. round-the-clock / ˈraʊnd ðəˈklɒk / (adj) – ongoing for 24 hours a day
    Example:

    Most convenience stores have round-the-clock operations.


  5. legacy / ˈlɛg ə si / (n) – something from the past that is handed down from one person to another
    Example:

    This recipe is my grandmother’s legacy. She passed it down to my mother, and my mother passed it down to me.


Article

Read the text below.

The Petersfield Bookshop in Hampshire, England, was flooded with orders after a famous author shared its post about poor sales.


After not making sales for a whole day, Robert Sansom, one of the bookstore’s staff, posted about the unusual incident on Twitter. He then asked people to buy from the bookstore’s online shop and to get the most out of its January sale.


Many people retweeted the store’s post until world-renowned author Neil Gaiman picked it up. Gaiman, an English author, has gained a huge following for his fantasy comic book series and other novels. When he shared the bookstore’s post to his followers on Twitter, the message reached over two million people worldwide.


After several hours, the bookstore’s original post garnered thousands of likes and retweets from people all over the world, and the shop received over $1,200 worth of online orders, including some from the United States and other countries. In addition, the store’s Twitter followers increased to more than 1,000. The store also received hundreds of messages and inquiries, including from people who live outside the United Kingdom.


Speaking on the matter, store managing director John Westwood said the bookstore was grateful for the overwhelming support it received and assured customers that the store staff is doing round-the-clock processing of all the orders.


Westwood also said that the store plans to expand in the future and promised to continue his father’s legacy of operating the bookshop. Westwood’s family has been running the bookstore in its current location since his father bought the place in 1958. To date, The Petersfield Bookshop has been there for over a century.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• If you had seen the bookstore’s tweet, would you have done anything to help? Why or why not?
• Aside from offering discounts, what other initiatives can the bookstore do to boost sales? Discuss.

Discussion B

• What do you think is the importance of having a legacy? Discuss.
• What kind of legacy would you want to leave behind (e.g. a large house for your family, teaching others the value of reading)? Explain.