Quote:
Originally Posted by porkupan
I am surprised, however, that so many people who visit this forum and seem to love to read are exhibiting such a nonchalant attitude towards possible liquidation of a major bookstore chain. Bookstores have been a major part of culture for so many years, centuries even, and in some ways they replaced libraries as places where knowledge could be obtained without necessarily paying for it. Personally, I am saddened by the fact that the majority of book lovers are resigned to get their books from a price cutting catalog, which is Amazon. I guess, price-shopping is "the American way", but I wish people cared more about the local economy and the local jobs. After all, many urban and suburban book lovers are not destitute, and could afford to spend a few extra bucks for the privilege to have a real bookstore in the neighborhood. I happen to believe that the bargain prices will only last as long as there is viable competition in the book selling business. Once the B&M stores cease to present any sort of a threat, the cheap prices at the online shark-super-store will give way to MSRP. The same goes for ebooks, by the way...
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I'd love to be able to give money to a small, local bookstore. But in this part of rural Indiana there aren't any. I go out of my way to shop locally, frequenting my town's IGA and Ace Hardware store, but as far as local retail goes those are my only choices. I continue to be a supporter of my local library, both through cash donations and purchasing books from their book sales.