Owning A Used Bookstore

About once a week I get people who know I own a used bookstore tell me that it is their greatest dream to own one too. For those people I offer the following, which I tell you from experience is not an exaggeration:

A man owned a small bookstore, with living quarters upstairs and a couple of rooms in the rear, in Mississippi.

The Mississippi State Wage & Hour Department claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to interview him.

"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent.

"Well," replied the store owner, "there's my stock clerk who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board. The Internet listing clerk has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $350 per week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night. He also sleeps with my wife occasionally."

"That's the guy I want to talk to...the half-wit," said the agent.

"That would be me," replied the bookseller.