Why Did A Local Lubbock Business Throw Hundreds of Books In the Dumpster?

A local Lubbock business threw hundreds of undamaged books into a dumpster, prompting outrage and action from Lubbock locals.

Josey Records announced they were closing their Lubbock location of five years this past September, and has been hosting progressive sales as they neared their closing date. I picked up about 20 books myself at 90% off, leaving with my arms full for less than $20.

However, it appears that the business gave up trying to rid themselves of their stock and threw hundreds of books into a dumpster. A Facebook user posted photos of the discarded books, along with Lubbockites rescuing some out of the dumpster. It appears they are now requesting that people wait until they close at seven to get more items out of their trash.

Many people in the comments expressed disappointment and disgust at the waste of perfectly good books. My immediate thought was that these books could have been donated to the Friends of the Library, which hosts book sales in the basement of Mahon Library. Others questioned why these weren't just advertised as free to anyone who wanted to come grab them. A comment in the Facebook post indicates that the owner made attempts to have the books picked up:

So I asked him about why did they throw away the books. And they said the owner just didn't want to deal with it. And he said that he had contacted a lot of libraries and schools and no one really wanted to come out and get a lot. I told him that had to be a lie.

Whether or not an attempt to give the books away was earnestly made, it is still irking many that the owner didn't just offer the books free in the first place, without the odious step of having to wait to pick them out of the dumpster. To many, it feels petty. As for me, I have sympathy for a business owner who tried and failed to keep a cool business open in Lubbock, but I would have handed books out on the corner before I simply threw them away.