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It is pretty insane, but it's pretty much a harmless delusion. People aren't going to pay to browse. People might pay a cover charge to get into a bar, but they have to really want to go to that bar. I don't think that people are as eager to go to a bookstore as they are to go to the most in-demand nightclubs.
People who walk into a bookstore are potential customers. It is much better to try to find a way to get them to buy books than to drive them away, which is just what charging them to browse will do. Most of us have times where we go to a store, don't find anything we want, and leave. That doesn't mean we might not buy something on our next visit. But if a store charges a fee just to look, that business is going to lose customers. If you assume that people are freeloaders, you're going to drive off potential customers. Even if they are holding an e-reader, it doesn't mean that they might not buy a paper book.
If B&N ever does go away, that will open opportunities for independent stores, but those stores have to be able to take advantage of the market. Blaming other businesses and technology doesn't do it.
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