the newest panic regarding bookselling

[louismaistros]

Interesting article about the recent crazy deep-discounting of new release books at the mega chains and Amazon.

I think the panic is unwarranted. First, it's not new. When I was a teenager in Baltimore in the 70s, there was a department store called Korvette at the Perring Plaza that used to have ridiculous way-below-cost sales on LP records

Comments

[louismaistros]

C, you're probably right

[louismaistros]

Well, that certainly doesn't sound good. I hope the indies come out of this ok.

Still, and this is me being hopeful, but I wonder of much of the nerve-rackingness has more to do with the recession than with Amazon. I'm sure it's both.

[fitfool]

While people might prefer the small mom & pop shops, will they spend more money to buy something they could get for less online or even just down the road at the megastore? I did hear of some small bookstores buying some of the super-discounted books online at Amazon or from Walmart and then using those to stock their shelves since it's cheaper than what they could get the books for from the publishers. Thought that was clever.

[louismaistros]

I used to do that same trick. If I was low on a title, I'd boogie on down to Tower and buy a few copies -- their sale prices were usually not much more than my wholesale cost anyway. And I never had a problem reselling it that way.

People really will buy from mom & pop shops, even if it costs a little more. Sometimes proudly so. People love to support the under dog, and take pride in it. They don't do it for charity, they actually appreciate the personal service and expertise that only these stores provide.

Of course, there are the jerks who come into the indies and soak up the service, only to make their final purchase at Amazon for a few bucks less. But those people are surprisingly few.