I totally agree that Sony should ditch the Sony Store - from my own experience, and of other Reader users, you bought the device, and never bothered with the Store !
Prices and availability offered no great advantages to a number of other sources, and Calibre made the "management system" , to be polite, look like
a Model T Ford .............
A lot of energy and dosh (that's £'s & $'s) were, in my opinion, wasted - Sony could never hope to get up there with the big player suppliers, Kindle in particular, but should have concentrated on the physical Reader.
Perhaps recommending Calibre ?!
And being a bit more realistic about their pricing policy, too.
However, it's a bit late now - the fact they have, it would seem, left the US to the others is a move which does not bode well for those of us who simply like the Reader ...... wherever we live, 'cos I can't see Sony making enough from the rest of the market, and it is extremely unlikely that they'll be back with a "game-changer".
I'm afraid I think they had their chance, took it .... and then blew it .