Quote:
Originally Posted by mlewis78
Costco? Other than that, I'm surprised that a supermarket would have discounted books.
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CostCo (and competitors Sam's Club and BJ's) are more than just supermarkets - they're warehouse stores that carry almost everything.
I haven't seen supermarkets here in NYC carry books, but discount drugstores like Duane Reade, CVS, and Walgreen's generally have some, along with popular magazines. They are likely supplied by a rack jobber, selected from current popular sellers, and I'd be surprised if the store exercised any selectivity as to what titles were stocked. They are impulse purchase items, grabbed while the shopper is in the store to pick up something else.
Supermarkets in NYC not stocking books is likely related to the cost of space. Rents in Manhattan vary from expensive to astronomical, and supermarkets will allocate the most space and give favored placement to relatively high margin items like frozen foods, deli, and gourmet specialties. It's all about sales/sq ft and inventory turnover, and I suspect books simply don't yield enough revenue for the space they occupy. You
will find various magazines like Cosmopolitan and People, and scandal sheets like the National Enquirer and the Star as impulse purchase items at the checkout counter, but they space they occupy is low.
Things will be different in areas where rental costs are lower and the supermarket has more space to play with.
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Dennis