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I have not been in a BM bookstore in months. The last time I was there was to pick up a Moleskin Journal so I could buy a pretty Oberon cover for my Baby Journal. I could have ordered it online but happened to be at the Mall and had lunch next to a Barnes and Noble.
Honestly, I am more inclined to spend money in a local Mom and Pop chain, ie an independent book store type thing, then I am a BN. The mega stores have done a fine job of undercutting the local stores claiming the right to do so based on larger shipments, diminshed costs, and lower prices. All perfectly fine and legitimate. I have no problem when they go out of business because an internet company is able to do the same thing.
Smaller, local stores I do not browse in and then buy online. Those stores represent something different for me. It might not make logical sense, but there it is. Then again, I do not go out of my way to shop at local stores. Now, if DRM went away, and there was a way for me to go to an indie book store and get some good reading advice from the owner and buy a Mobi version of the book from the store, I would do it in a heart beat. I like discussing books and finding new authors. I don't find that the Borders and BN folks ever had enough expertise to help me with that so I didn't shop there. Indie bookstores got my business because they normally had people who you could talk shop with.
Again, if the brick and mortar store want my business they need to make it worth my while. Provide good service, good info, and prices that are at least within 10% of the online store. Do that and I will buy from you. Provide crap service, no help, and higher prices and I will go online every time.
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