Quote:
Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel
i think for a lot of people going to a book shop has become about more than just finding new titles ; more and more bookshops seem to be adding cafés to their stores and people really enjoy browsing, getting their books, and then starting to read them right away while having a coffee.
for people without liseuses with some of wireless connection (remember, not everyone has or wants that) a kiosk or terminal would allow them to enjoy this sort of experience with ebooks.
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I think this is more where book "stores" are heading. They'll be more like book-lovers reading cafes that will promote and sell books and other items that appeal to book people, hold events, and be a lovely place to hang out with other folks who love books. They might have some paper books to browse but if you want to buy them in paper, it'll be POD. They could carry a variety of lovely bindings, too. Personally, I'd prefer to get the few books I love in a binding I like then have the mishmash on my shelves now. If you get a deal on the POD if you bought the digital copy from them, that could help tie you into their store more, too. They won't be huge rooms full of multiple copies of books. That's just not necessary any more. I know it persists, but I think the days are numbered.
I think the kiosk thing is likely a needless expense. As a cafe, they'll have wifi and anyone who doesn't have connectivity on their reader can simply have an employee load their purchases. It could be integrated into the POS system easily. A few bucks for a USB cradle makes more sense than thousands for a custom kiosk. You could even have a single self-serve computer like they do for searching their stock already.