Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
OK, so let me get this straight.
Let's say I want to go somewhere, sit down at a table, have a decaf, browse a few book titles, maybe read a few pages to know if I like the book, then buy the book.
With a wireless ebook reader, I can do all that at any of the half-dozen cafes that are closer, cozier, and less corporate (if that matters) than the nearest B&N.
So what reason is there for me to go to the bookstore to do all this, exactly? Conversely, why would a store want the high cost of operating a brick and mortar store (rent, staff, utilities, etc) when they can sell me their goods digitally at any time, any place, and without the need to draw me into a specific physical space, at a fraction of the cost?
The emotional attachment we may feel towards a particular kind of commercial space may have some appeal, but it does not alter the fundamentals. Many bookstores are going to go out of business, and these types of things won't save them. There won't be much point to a "bookstore" if it turns out to be a Starbucks with a tiny shelf of books.
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There are 3 advantages, that I can think of, that a B&M bookstore has. First is advice, but that's pretty much hit or miss. If you have a bookstore that hires clerks (or is owned by someone) with similar tastes, then you're lucky & should probably support them. Of course online sites also make recommendations based on your tastes, but it's harder to ask them why they recommend a new author/book.
2) it's probably a nicer place to spend your lunch hour than Starbucks-although again that depends on the store (and on the Starbucks)
3) it's a good place to meet people with similar tastes. And yes, you can do that online as well-but people you meet online rarely invite you to come over next Saturday for barbecue. (OK, sometimes they invite you but it rarely works out that you can actually do that.)
Starbucks is as good as a bookstore for meeting existing friends, but I consider it less likely that I'll meet someone new there that has similar interests to mine. And I agree that putting a 'small' shelf of books (like the book section in many grocery stores) doesn't attract me in the least.