OK, I know this sounds insane, but Wal-mart cut it's prices on 10 brandnew book titles to $10 a couple weeks ago to compete with Amazon.

Amazon then lowered it's prices on those titles to $10 to match Walmart.

Target fallowed suit.

Then Walmart slaced the prices several times to arrive at a price at $8.98 a book for those brandnew hard cover powers.


The problem I have with this is that it's forcing smaller companies, and mom and pop shops to lower prices on the same titles to prices they already can NOT afford. It's hurting the small guy.


I admit, I *love* the concept of a hard cover book for less than $10, but this affects the small guy much more so than it helps out the big box stores.

yeah, FUCK buyin' boox

I don't buy so many books (we are huge library fans at my house), but I support my local bookstore by buying gift vouchers from there for every kids birthday party my kids get invited to - that's like 20 times each year.

Big Box store pricing always hurts smaller store business, no matter if it is hard-covered books, DVDs, or electronics.

I balance out my book buying between 2 local bookstores here in town and Amazon. Other than the occasional magazine I never buy books at the evil empire.

The titles they're discounting I'd never buy anyway.

The only bookstore where I live is barnes & noble, and what I buy there I'm usually paying full price for.

evenstar3 said:

When I used to shop there, I got the discount card. It costs 25 bucks, but if you get a lot of books it pays for itself pretty quick!

Imago said:

Fucking hippie.

That's hot.

I'll buy a book just about anywhere. I buy so many that the love gets spread around a lot. The last book I bought was The Lost Symbol from Costco for 16 bucks.

Dan, I can't thank you enough for reminding me to get Confederacy of Dunces. It's a comic masterpiece! I downloaded the audiobook from the public library and the reader is really good so I keep laughing out loud and people are staring.

Imago said:

dont u know silly that the "Market" fixes itself! It fixes EVERYTHING...it fixed hundreds of thousand out they home...

ZombieKitten said:

that is a fucking AWESOME idea! seriously...no sarcasm here. That's what imma do this year. Get everyone a bookstore gift certificate. Might be problematic in the states though...there's not many "book only" stores. They all slang CD's, software, coffee and any number of items that would inject loopholes into the point of the gift.

:blush: I don't buy books anymore...I borrow them from the library...

babynoz said:

I'm pretty much the same. I support the indies more, but I'll do big box stores without feeling guilty. I don't believe in supporting an independent store just because it's an independent. Some indies really shot themselves in the foot by not recognizing and responding to major changes going on in the industry and not adapting to better serve customers. (Graphic novels and manga are a good example; those books are blowing up at B&N, but independents have been incredibly slow to respond to the demand.) Independents have to do the work to make their stores accessible too and a good environment for readers to want to be in. When they do that, I'm there and support them heartily.

The whole publishing industry is so messed up, though, and publishers are really to blame. They're completely stuck in the 19th century. It's a totally bass-ackwards business.

Efan said:

Ditto. I shop a mix. I love a good indie bookstore and will always support them cause they still offer stuff I can't get at a big box. And I like supporting my local businesses. I hope to have one of my own in the next few years.
But if I'm at Target and there's a book on sale that I want I feel no guilt whatsoever in picking it up there.

Efan said:

They may survive unlike the recording industry, which was even slower to catch on. Amazon.com, for example, partners with lots of indie book stores and the self publishing industry is growing as well, so maybe there's hope.

CarrieMpls said:

What I love about the indies is that the owner is usually a book lover. I used to spend hours yapping with the guy who owned our local used book store and he would even let people exchange their old books for credit toward new ones.
[Edited 10/21/09 8:34am]

Other than Art Books, we don't even buy paper books anymore. We download them into our iphones.

johnart said:

Audiobooks are really convienient and fun to listen to when the reader is a good actor. Still, there's something about the ritual of settling into bed with a good book that appeals to me a lot.

PunkMistress said:

Two things:



1. I'm right

2. Yall are sooooo wrong.

PunkMistress said:

babynoz said:

I'm not talking about audio books. We use electronic books. Kindle for iphone and read them that way.So there's still the whole ritual of settling into bed to read.
Except the book doesn't weight 3 pounds and hit you in the face when you fall asleep.

But I tend to be a slow and impatient reader with books sometimes, I might try some audio books. Never have.
[Edited 10/21/09 11:27am]

I used to buy all my books from a selection of 6/7 second hand book stores.

Unfortunately as all you MF's went to Amazon so they have now all closed down except 1

So I have joined the Amazon.comers

Now could everyone PLEASE not buy that freakin Kindle or whatever that electronic book thing is

(sorry John just saw your kindle reference)

endymion said:

I motherfucking LOOOOVE the shit out of the Borders books Store in downtown Bournemouth. It's like you can stroll the beach, then walk through the park, and up to the bookstore in 5 minutes time.

So beautiful.

Imago said:

That shop does rock, you really do know Bournemouth

endymion said:

YES, I love Bournemouth!

So much to see, so much ass. It's perfect.

endymion said:

We didn't buy the actual Kindle. We use the one that comes as a free app on the iphone.

You could look at it as a negative (bringing books to extinction, which I honestly don't think will ever happen completely)...or as a positive (being Green and not killing trees to make extra paper). Like going paperless with bills and bank statements.
[Edited 10/21/09 12:17pm]

Imago said:

How cool is the council (local government) at Bournemouth they sold an old carpark and with the money they have built Europe's first artificial reef
it opens any day

http://www.bournemouthreef.com/


Bournemouth rocks

endymion said:

What the shit does that have to do with ass?