Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm being a smart aleck, but you hit the nail on the head. I believe many of the problems occur in this country these days because we are not speaking face to face to each other.
I go to stores at times just to get out of the house.
I can't recall the last time I visited a book store but I sure do remember having fun at different ones around town--meandering through different sections, sitting down and reading a bit, moseying over to the music section and maybe doing a little listening, enjoying coffee and live music now and then, finding a fun book-related item for a gift or for myself--and once at home, settling down with a brand new book with that new-book smell.
While I enjoy the convenience of reading devices, I can sure understand why some people still make that trip to the store.
I go to Barnes and Noble often here in NYC and I see lines of people about to purchase books. Books on Amazon are far cheaper and Barnes and Noble don't match prices. Barnes and Noble member discounts are pretty laughable as well. The way Barnes and Noble run their business is strange because they don't try to reach out to the customers. They have a very corporate structure and they operate their business like it's still 1999.
Why would anyone chose Barnes and Noble over Amazon.com?
Neither one carries everything. There's nothing like going to an actual book store! All books on Amazon are NOT cheaper....forget far cheaper! I just bought 12 books for Christmas gifts and only 1 was less than the price printed on the cover.
Most people don't live in NYC so the lines at their B&N are much shorter. Why are you complaining about others shopping at B&N? You were there, too!
Why would anyone chose Barnes and Noble over Amazon.com?
I want a book. A fun read. A historical memoir. A comedy. I've got a general idea of what I want. I don't know how to describe it buuuut...there...yes, that's perfect. That's what I'm looking for.
I can't wait to get home and get my instant gratification. No concerns about being home to accept a delivery. No diminished happiness over wondering if I should have bought some used book...or shipped it different, or shipped it faster, or insured it.
I love books, and have bought so so many over the years...but eventually you have to get rid of them...they take up space, etc. Donate, or whatever.. then you buy more and more... repeat...
Kindle ended up being the best thing ever for me. So now i can buy and buy and buy...and it's delivered immediately... and i don't have to worry about so many books taking up so much space....
Well, if we're in the mood to innovate and dream up future business models that are probably doomed for failure due to the decade(s)-long societal decline in book-reading, I'd be willing to pay a 'session fee' to read right at the bookstore. I actually much prefer the experience of reading there to reading at home, because the distractions are fewer and it's a change of environment. Coffee shops are too loud for reading much more than a newspaper article; libraries are too quiet; the bookstore itself is the perfect balance of stimulation and quiet solitude. As for the grocery store analogy, I personally (as a registered socialist with some anarchistic tendencies) am a bit of an advocate of 'pay-what-you-can-ism'. Back when I was broke in college I ate at a grocery store in-store cafe a couple times without paying--easy to slip through the cracks there. I don't do that anymore (and I eat in-store at Wegmans more than ever), but I knew Danny Wegman and heirs weren't missing my 10-12 dollars. And as luck would have it, Wegmans has since posted a sign in the lobby of a few of their stores stating that Danny's organizational philosophy was to always think of others first (and to this they add a facsimile of his signature), so I'm sure he'd have understood, assuming non-hypocrisy on his part.
I do occasionally buy books that I *really* like, or to support a couple independent-and-on-life-support bookstores in my area, but unless I'm currently talking to a very well-disguised Sam Harris, I'm probably not buying your books anyway. One thing that I think is overlooked in this discussion is that the very concept of buying a book isn't necessarily sound. I mean, people buy music/DVDs for repeated listenings/viewings, but in the case of books, re-reading is far less frequent. One read is enough; I'd much rather move on to the next book than give an already-read one repeated readings. Reference or serial loaning to friends is one thing, but for personal conventional 'use'...it's kind of a wasted purchase. Bookshelves in houses tend to remain untouched; the dusty old bookshelf is a well-established motif for a reason.
It was wrong NOT to pay for the food at the grocery store. Unless a service or a product is offered for free, you gotta pay for it.
I live in Detroit, Michigan. About 15 years ago, a Kroger opened a new grocery store in the city. It was a very big deal around here because no national retailers were opening stores in our city for obvious reasons. The store lasted 3 years because too many of the patrons - AND the people who worked there - shared your mentality - "but I knew Danny Wegman and heirs weren't missing my 10-12 dollars".
Maybe if it is a few people with your mentality, a store can survive, but if it is a whole lotta people who have that mentality, then you get your store closed because of insurmountable shrinkage.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
