They had little choice.
Independent bookstores are closing all over. B&N storefronts, too.
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html
Quote:
Temporary Bookstore Closures Expand Nationwide
Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Ga., is offering store pickup.
What began late last week with a handful of independent bookstores announcing temporary closures has become the norm. Dozens of indies nationwide have now sent out notices to customers relaying the bad news, along with offering numerous alternative ways to support local booksellers as well as heartfelt expressions of concern. Here's just a small sampling of the messages being shared during these troubling times:
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Much more at the source.
The NYT forsees major problems:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/b...s-authors.html
Quote:
In these isolated times, many people are inside reading, but the book business, like others, is bracing for catastrophe. Major literary festivals and fairs around the world have been canceled. Public libraries have closed. Author tours, signings and bookstore appearances have been scrapped.
As the severity of the coronavirus outbreak continues to intensify, authors, publishers and booksellers are struggling to confront and limit the financial fallout. Many fear the worst is yet to come, including more store closures and potential disruptions to warehouse and distribution centers, as well as possible paper shortages and a decline in printing capacity.
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And even Amazon is focusing their warehouses and logistics on pandemic and houseware supplies. For now it's merchant services but their inhouse supplies are sure to follow because they pick up books at the publisher facilities, so they have more pressing uses for those trucks and shelves.
https://www.newsday.com/business/ama...rus-1.43255691
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-pri...irus-outbreak/
Quote:
Amazon is now prioritizing shipments of medical supplies and household staples that come into its warehouses to help it respond to massive consumer demand during the coronavirus outbreak.
This means independent sellers on its sites will no longer be able to ship new deliveries unless they fit into these high-demand categories. The change is in effect until April 5 for both the US and European Union marketplaces.
"We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock," an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.
"With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. We understand this is a change for our selling partners and appreciate their understanding as we temporarily prioritize these products for customers," the spokesperson continued.
Amazon has been making several quick changes to respond to shoppers flocking online to buy goods amid shortages, lockdowns and health fears. In addition to it prioritizing certain items, the e-commerce giant said Monday it plans to hire an additional 100,000 people in the US to help it manage the surge demand during a typically slower time of the year for retailers.
These changes should help ensure more customers get much-needed supplies to their homes and allow Amazon to more quickly build up stocks of these high-demand items. But the change could also harm many small businesses that rely on Amazon for sales.
Amazon said it's taking similar steps with both sellers and its own vendors.
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Suddenly, sacrificing ebook sales to promote dead tree pulp sales isn't a viable strategy.
Expect a lot of ebook promotions and discounts from the "big 5" in times to come.