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Old 02-11-2013, 05:27 PM   #81
charmian
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Posts: 386
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Join Date: Feb 2009
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Personally, I'd pay a small fee (like a dollar) if it were a book store with really specialized content (such as the used foreign bookstore, because I can't get those books online without paying extremely high shipping costs), or if it were a really huge bookstore. I'd be especially likely to pay a fee for a used bookstore because I'm more likely to make a purchase there.

However, I think bookstores that implement this policy might see two unintended consequences:

1) By "punishing" everyone for the "sins" of the showroomers, they also publicize the practice of showrooming. When the employees tell people "well, we have to have this policy because of the showroomers" they'll be informing people about this practice.

2) It may actually accelerate showrooming. Setting a fee for something makes people feel like they've been given permission to do it. There was once a daycare that had a problem with parents picking their kids up late. So, they decided to charge a fee, thinking it would discourage them. But, instead there was an increase in late pick-ups! The parents now felt that they were paying to do it, so they felt they were morally permitted to.

I can see a fee meaning that people who previously didn't showroom because they felt it was wrong or rude now doing so openly.
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