[janjanjan]

B&N's original genius wasn't just pricing. It was the atmosphere in the store. An example--we never took our young children to a standard bookstore, not even a Walden Booksellers. They just weren't welcome--at least not if they wanted to touch something. B&N, otoh, welcomed children, complete with hands and mouths. They both touched the books, unshelved them, looked at another, and talked about all of them. That made for a wonderful weekly trek to the bookstore, with both Mom and child buying something. Since Moms and Dads often come complete with young chldren, that opened up a whole new market that the traditional bookstore didn't even want. Yes, they also had some books cheaper than other booksellers, but since I entered those stores only when on the prowl for something specific, I really didn't pay attention to that factor. As my kids grew, I still visited B&N regularly, and continue to do so.

I know there are people who loved going into traditional bookstores, and miss them and their atmosphere, but there are a lot of us who rarely entered any bookstore pre-B&N, so B&N didn't get dollars I was spending elsewhere. I was basically a library reader only until buying books became so accessible.

I wonder how many children and young adults who are avid readers today got their start just that way, and how many of today's children won't have that experience.