Man Looks For Gifts For Little Cousin, Gets Called A Creep For It, So He Responds With Pettiness

If you thought nobody buys books at brick-and-mortar bookstores anymore, you’d be wrong. According to Statista, bookstores sell more than 700 million paper books each year. New bookstores are even popping up in smaller cities, inviting people to shop for their favorite stories.

But not all bookstores are so welcoming. This guy, for example, was asked to leave because the bookstore clerk thought his browsing the kids’ section was inappropriate. As he was only looking for a gift for his 5-year-old nephew, he decided to get back at the overzealous employee with petty revenge.

A man came to the bookstore to look for a gift for his 5-year-old nephew

Young man in bookstore reading in the children's section, surrounded by colorful books.

Image credits: Sphotostudio/Envato (not the actual photo)

But he was soon reprimanded by an employee saying it was only for kids 12 and under

Bookstore clerk tells 19-year-old he's too old for children's section while searching for a gift.

Text from a young adult about visiting a bookstore's children's section.

Disgruntled bookstore clerk asks a 19-year-old to leave the children's section, claiming it’s for kids 12 and under.

Text saying an adult is told to leave a children's bookstore section.

Text reading about leaving the children's section boundary.

Text about a bookstore clerk excluding adults from the children's section due to age restrictions.

Bookstore clerk discusses kicking out a 19-year-old from children's section; apology follows misunderstanding.

Text discussing a bookstore clerk questioning someone for being in the children's section.

19-year-old in bookstore, wearing a beige sweater, talking to a person in red, with shelves of books in the background.

Image credits: GaudiLab/Envato (not the actual photo)

Text describing a confrontation at a bookstore over a young adult buying children’s books.

Text about a manager addressing an employee's mistake related to a bookstore age policy.

Bookstore clerk converses with customers after discussing with an employee.

Text excerpt about bookstore clerk and manager apology regarding children's section access.

Text discussing a bookstore clerk offering to help with children's books.

Text screenshot of a person recounting an interaction with a bookstore clerk about the children's section.

Image credits: OlyLift13

Bias towards men persists that they’re more likely to be creepy with children than women

Young man sitting on a park bench in a peaceful setting, wearing a white shirt and jeans, surrounded by lush greenery.

Image credits: AboutImages/Envato (not the actual photo)

As evident from this story, men often have to bear the brunt of being labeled creepy or inappropriate when they’re doing nothing wrong. A man sitting on a park bench facing a playground or browsing the kids’ section in a library or a bookstore warrants dirty looks and sometimes even calls to the police.

While it’s statistically true that men creep on children more often, women commit these types of crimes too. Some research suggests that 10%-25% of perpetrators are women or female adolescents.

For some reason, we tend to think that men are creepier than women. A 2016 study by researchers at Knox College asked 1,029 women and 312 men to evaluate the creepiness of certain characteristics. The consensus was clear: 95% of the participants perceived men to be more likely to be creepy than women.

This bias also persists in childcare. Although the main reason men get rejected from jobs in schools and daycares is that they’re thought of as lousier caregivers than women, the perceived risk of crimes against children also plays a role.

A 2021 study set out to find out why men are so underrepresented in early childhood education roles. They found that employers choose women because of gender bias. Males get rejected simply because they’re men and, therefore, are incompetent in childcare.

What’s more, their research also showed that men are associated with the risk of potential child exploitation more often than women. Older research also points to the “discourse of suspicion,” where men interested in working with children are suspected of child exploitation.

Adults who read children’s books aren’t weird; they might just be missing their childhood

A young man holds an open book in a relaxed environment, related to bookstore age policy.

Image credits: FabrikaPhoto/Envato (not the actual photo)

We might say that the bookstore clerk asked the OP to leave because she stereotyped him as a creep due to gender bias. But there’s another element here as well: she most likely thought that a grown-up had no business being in the kids’ section.

For some reason, we think that it’s inappropriate or shameful for adults to read children’s or YA books. But if you’re a grown-up reader not shy of picking up Alice in Wonderland or a John Green novel, you’re not alone.

In 2012, 55% of YA books were actually bought by adults, and 78% of them were buying the books for themselves. Surprisingly, it’s not just the bestsellers like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Twilight that the adults were going for. The readers reported around 220 various titles.

Some people may re-read the children’s books they read as kids for that feeling of familiar comfort. In fact, during the pandemic, many grown-ups revisited their childhood classics, such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Winnie the Pooh, and the Harry Potter series.

Also, as the OP very rightly says, children’s picture books are hilarious! As a former nanny, I completely agree. Show me a person who wouldn’t let out at least a chuckle while reading Frank and Bean: Food Truck Fiasco!

Katherine Rundell, the author of Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You are so Old and Wise, says that children’s literature speaks of universal virtues. “They say: look, this is what bravery looks like. This is what generosity looks like. They tell me, through the medium of wizards and lions and talking spiders, that this world we live in is a world of people who tell jokes and work and endure.”

People in the comments sided with the guy, wondering why the employee jumped to such conclusions

Reddit comments discussing an incident where a 19-year-old was kicked out of a children's section in a bookstore.

Text exchange about being kicked out of children's section for age, despite buying books for kids.

Reddit exchange discussing age limits in bookstore children's section.

Comment discussing bookstore clerk incident about age and children's section.

Comment about bookstore clerk criticizing a customer for being too old for the children's section.

Comment on age and conclusions related to bookstore incident about children's section.

Comment discussing bookstore age policy and book purchases.

Comment questioning age restrictions on buying children's books in a store.

Bookstore clerk shares story about closing sale discounts on DVDs, music, books, and more at Borders.

Text conversation about bookstore incident regarding age and children's section.

Comment discussing adults with learning disabilities reading in children's section of a bookstore.

Bookstore clerk shares story about a man frequently in the children's section, leading to a ban.

Quote about being too old for fairy tales from C.S. Lewis on a button made by Borders bookstore employee.

Comment humorously criticizing bookstore clerk for misjudging a situation.

Comment discussing age restrictions in a bookstore, mentioning Kafka and Dostoevsky.

Comment discussing a bookstore employee incident and support for the person involved.

Text discussing bookstore rules for adults in children's section.

Comment mentioning bookstore clerk's presumption about a male customer.

Reddit comment about bookstore closure humor, mentioning Borders' status in a conversation.

Text from comment: "Only those under 12 can be in the kids section," says the adult employee.

Reddit user's comment questioning a bookstore clerk's age policy in the children's section.

Comment discussing misleading hotel room descriptions and booking issues.

Reddit comment questioning bookstore clerk's view on authors of kids' books.

Comment discussing adults buying children's books, mentioning Beatrix Potter favorites.

Comment praising a humorous post about being too old for the children's book section.

Text discussing love for bookstores and buying books for kids.

Reddit comment from a former bookstore employee sharing experiences about Borders Rewards and customer interactions.

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