Anne Barnetson is the creator of Customer Service Wolf, the internet’s beloved comic series that can be found on Instagram and Tumblr. It gives a humorous anthropomorphic take on life dealing with strangers turning up at a bookstore with strange requests and questionable behavior.
A big part of its comical appeal comes from the fact that Wolf’s struggles are all too relatable for many who have ever worked in or are familiar with customer service. Sometimes the wolf gets all too frustrated with customers’ indecision and weird demands, so he bounds over and eats the customers. It’s worth mentioning that these are not your usual bookshop goers wearing tote bags: Wolf’s customers include rabbits, birds and other prey animals.
Anne told the BBC: "It's unenacted fantasies that I think people have after a very long day when they think: 'It would just be great to stop all this right now.’”
Commenting on the idea behind the comics, Anne said "The idea came about when I was working at a bookstore with a good friend and we had nicknames for each other. I was 'Flying Wolf' and she was 'Black Wolf.' She said: 'Wouldn't it be funny if savage predators worked in retail and they could just eat the customers that really irritated them?'"
And when it comes to drawing animals for her comics, the illustrator says she does so because it’s way safer. "It gave me free rein to be as humorous and rude as I liked about the interactions I've had with my customers. I'd hate to actually upset anyone."
