Books like Retail Hell

Usually when I read a book like this, the best I can say for it is "Good for what it was." I mean, you know you're getting fluff (in this case, fashion-centric, "Curse the snobby rich, but oh, how I wish I could be them," bosses suck kind of fluff) so it's not like you're going into it expecting to have any great metaphysical revelations or anything.Well, the best I can say for this book was that it was kind of okay for what it was. Honestly I expected to get more entertainment and laughs for my reading investment in this one. It's really a topical gold mine: you're dealing with eccentric rich people all day long, whose biggest concern is finding the perfect thousand-dollar handbag to go with a certain outfit, and you're doing it while financially scraping by yourself. Plus, the inevitable amusement stemming from droll co-workers, over-enthusiastic bosses, etc. etc. Really, to write entertaining fluff with that kind of source material should be easier than creating a visually appealing display of the latest Kate Spades. And yet, "Mr. Freeman" falls flat. He belabors every amusing anecdote until it is utterly robbed of hilarity. While he draws entertaining characters, they just go on...and on...and on...in their shtick until the whole thing seems pathetic, rather than funny. The author also spends too much time talking about his screen writing aspirations, his credit card debt, and other personal topics that I assume were supposed to make the whole book more relatable (or perhaps it was just to feed his vanity?) but were even less diverting than his time spent selling purses.And finally, a minor qualm, but he goes on and on about the exclusivity and poshness of The Big Fancy Store (his pseudonym for the department store where he works), but which his author bio reveals to be Nordstrom. Is Nordstrom really that fancy? I mean, it can't be THAT nice if I've shopped there. Maybe it was a 90s thing?Anyway, by most any standard out there, this one is better left unread.