Quote:
Originally Posted by GrannyGrump
fjtorres said:
See, now that is the kind of store I LOVE! I like browsing around in a place that is like a treasure or scavenger hunt...
(Snip)
I guess there aren't too many like me still walking the earth, going by the high death rate of that kind of store.
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It is actually a common "Layout" in indie bookstores.
The randomness, that is.
Especially used bookstores and two-for-one paperback places.
One I used to go had packed bookcases: one for SF, two for romance, one for mystery, one (lightly stacked) shelf for litfic and two bookcases for the stuff they couldn't be bothered to sort.
Problem is, most shoppers go to stores with purpose. They want a specifc title or genre. Or to scope out new releases. Anything that gets in the way of that purpose sends them elsewhere.
Faced with a choice between a hit or miss "scavenger hunt" and a quick dash to pickup the latest release from a favorite author, most people prefer spending lifespan reading.
Besides, bookstores don't generate revenues by the time shoppers spend milling about
: they generate revenues by the number of books they find to their liking.
As I said above, a lot of bookstore operators are more interested in mystique (or "community") than in profits.