Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffR
A checkout doesn't inconvenience honest people who pay for the book -- how would honest people pay for the book if there was no checkout? That would be inconvenient.
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I've read that some small towns, on low-crime islands, have book stores open 24/7 despite not always being staffed. You pay by putting money in a box, or writing your credit card information on a slip. While check-outs can be more convenient than this if you pay cash and need change made, the example I just gave illustrates how the checkout is more for the retailer being safe against theft than for customer convenience.
A gift economy (example, calibre eBook software) is more convenient than a cash economy. A bookstore could, in theory, also operate by letting customers pay or not pay at their whim. It would show more trust in customers, and be more convenient for customers. But given human nature, it generally will not work.
Book publishers have managed the digital transition without the enormous repeated rounds of layoffs seen in newspapers. DRM could just be one reason for this. Not having pay walls for newspapers is convenient for customers but disastrous for journalist employment.