In San Antonio there was an actual paperback trade store. A phisical place where, I suppose, you could swap books for free. I wonder if places like that were the inspiration for this site?

physical, not phisical. what's wrong with me

Paper back trade stores by me usually "sell" their books for half the cover price.  They "buy" books for 1/4 the cover price.They don't buy with money but store credit you use to purchase their books. So if I bring in a $9 book, they give me $2.25 in store credit.  If I see a $9 book to purchase, it will cost me $4.50 in either store credit or cash.  Plus they  usually charge an 80 cent handling charge on every book you purchase.  I don't know of any paperback trade stores that operate like this site.  This is a much better way of doing it.

I thought those paperback trade stores were the same as PBS, but obviously I've never been inside one. Yes this is a better way, those stores really suck compared to PBS.

I must be really lucky because I have both PBS AND I have the most awesome, wonderful UBS, as well. It's actually cheaper for me to buy at my UBS (with paperbacks) because of how they do the exchange but I'm hopefully addicted to this place so I'll just keep utilizing both!

And no Jesse, "those stores" don't "suck" .... trying going into one before making a judgement, you might be surprised. Or not. Some are better than others.

At one point, during a lengthy unemployment phase, I lived in a Taco Bell public restroom for 2 and a half weeks. I wasn't homeless, actually I had a fairly decent apartment near downtown Memphis, but I wanted to see if I could hide in a public place. No one ever caught me, and each time a customer would walk in I would pretend that I was using the upright urinal.

I decided to go back to my apartment one day and found a letter slid under my door addressed on April 10th, which was the day before. To my surprise it was from Taco Bell Inc. In the letter I found a lengthty plea that I meet with a "Susan Mayor V.P." in Houston Texas, which is the location of Taco Bell headquarters. It also said that I was watched during the whole 2 and a half weeks and that this "Susan" person was very impressed with my willingness to endure such a long and seemingly mundane personal goal. It turns out that, and i'm not suppose to tell anyone this, that Taco Bell installed mini CCTV cameras in every sink faucet in every resturant in the nation.

Upon meeting Susan Mayor I was offered a job as Susan's personal assistant. One thing led to another and we've been married now for 8 years and we couldn't be happier. I also like watching 80's sitcoms.

Oh - and since you're new Jesse  I read your profile (shown above). I'm a bit stymied ...... You're 18 (as your profile states) and you've been married for 8 years to someone who found you living in a public restroom, more or less, even though you didn't have to be living there?

I'm guessing your profile is a joke ....  or made a mistake with your age?

I was wondering about that, too, Susan.  I'm thinking it might be a movie or book quote?  Bizarre.

OK, now that someone else has mentioned it, I'll say that I, too, was stymied. I figured he was just trying to yank our chains or fabricate a tall tale about his alter ego persona by posting an offbeat profile. According to one post he's already gotten a request for three books -- from the same person, no less, in his first 24 hours on the site. I guess he's just luckier, or has a better bookshelf than I do.

He's got to be yanking our chain.  How would they know where to send/deliver a letter if he was living in the Taco Bell restroom?

At first I thought possibly his age was a typo but it's seems he's just having fun.

Yes! I love PBS and kick myself for not joining sooner.

I have 2 UBS, and I love them both dearly. One is very neatly organized, but a bit pricey for a UBS. The other is a bargain basement and has a lot more books, but is a bit more cluttered and it makes finding a certain title a bit harder. But I rarely go to my UBS with something in mind. I just go with an open mind, and enjoy making new discoveries. I've found some real gems that way.

But what I love about PBS is that I can find that *one* special book I'm looking for, and it's an even trade!

Maybe Ms Mayor only needed assistance with things like coloring, skate boarding, long division and computer games. 10 year olds would be great at assisting with that kinda stuff. ; )

Hmmmmm....not sure what this thread is for but it sure is funny!  Anyway - about those USB's, I belong to one that takes ANYTHING between two covers (they even took some 35 yr. old college textbooks) but the credits they give are based on the publication date.  I don't know how it works, but if you have a great book and it was published in 1990, you might get a 50 - 75 cents credit for it.  Sometimes it doesn't feel like the worth of the book.    But it is easy to accumulate credits, and I have nearly $100 in my account.   That was B.P.B.S. (Before PBS).    However, if you want a book, you pay for it in half credit, half cash.  And how they price them is pretty subjective, IMHO.  I can never use up my credits there - it's too expensive!!!  But they are fairly well organized and the staff is helpful.  It is just so much easier to find books here and quicker too.  So yeah, I'll stick with my addiction to PBS.     :)     D.

The only one in my town recently closed its doors.  She was unorganized, had books all over the floor.  Books were stuck everywhere.  Very poorly organized.  There is another one in a neighboring town 30 miles away.  If a book orignally sells for $15.00 you pay $7.50.  If the book is a new release or is popular then it is cash only.  You canb't use your credits.  I don't like that part.  And even if you have enough credits to get the book free it is not free because there is a surcharge of about 50 cents per book.  I love to shop at my favorite thrift store where paperbacks are 25 cents and hardbacks at 50 cents.  About twice a year the local library has a Friends of the Library sale and I've found some gems there too.

My profile isn't true at all. I am 18 though. I've been taking creative writing classes at my high school, I thought i would try out a little. Do you think I'm weird(please say yes)

Actually it sounds like you ARE rather creative.  If that's weird, well OK, then I guess the answer is yes...        :)       D.

Jesse, it has amazed me, following your posts around the site, how many people have read your profile and missed the statement right on there that the whole story is a complete lie. You probably could use the comments and numbers, if you could get people to admit having read it and believed it until they got to the 8 yr marriage part (and often then only questioned, not stopped believing), and write a thesis or smaller paper on people's inability to read or at least their inability to read ALL of a sign or statement.

ETA: The point of  my post is that people and their reading of signs and such are very interesting and amuzing.

Jesse did you know that there is an area on this site for writers? The Eclectic Pen. You may be weird but you are interesting :-)

Sherry, I do believe that the sentence about the story being a lie was added after folks started asking about it - it used to just end with "I also like watching 80's sitcoms."