MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Help us find Sony store prices that are out of whack

Dr. Drib · 08-01-2007, 12:43 PM

A number of issues I would like to respectfully adress:

_____________________________

After approx. 7 months, it appears that Connect has not only lowered the price of Neal Stephenson's trilogy (The Baroque Cycle), but has also - FINALLY! - corrected the mispricing from one link to another link.

______________________________

I spent approx. 1/2 of my life (I'm 56) working at bookstores and also as a buyer for (at that time), the largest independent bookstore in Arkansas.

I could construct a very lengthy letter here - but I will not - stating all I know about how discounts, shipping, profit-margins, remainders, membership discounts, stripped returns, net pricing, returns, database managment of inventory, loss leaders, supplemental stock and other avenues of profitabilitiy [audio books, cafes, greeting cards, games, etc.], and how a class-action suit brought by independents years ago has impacted upon the book trade.

Some of the arguments posted on this thread (I'm talking logic and knowledge here) are simply erronenous.

I want to also make it very clear that I have been OUT of the book trade since 1989. Full disclosure.

I also want to make it clear that I know NOTHING about contractual content vis-a-vis ebook publishing/marketing.

There is a further confusion here as well, regarding book format: Hardback; mass market paperback; and trade paperback.

I just want to point out - with my contribution toward some further understanding the complexity of these issues - that I am a book lover with some marketing/selling knowledge, and that I am ALSO AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF IGNORANCE.

I'm not manufacturing any knowledge here; rather, I want to let everyone know about my strengths AND weaknesses.

Anecedotal information: Even when we were selling law books for the UALR School of Law, and purchasing said books from West at net pricing, and paying approx. 17% in shipping costs to get the cartons of casebooks, hornbooks, legal aids, etc. here, we had to price them accordingly in order to realize a profit and to also deal with overhead, salaries, damaged returns (time) --; even dealing with all these issues, there were still complaints about why were we charging such high prices for these textbooks.

It's like trying to explain to someone that if you are a member of this bookstore and you get 10% from a book that is already 10% off, the total wasn't actually 20%. Rather, when you take 10% from something and then take 10% again from that same something, you actually end up with 19% discount. [Try it with a $1.00 and see what you get.]

With all due respect to the syllogistic argruments circulating here, but there are contributing factors at present that add to a very complex issue.

Don

08-01-2007, 12:43 PM	#94
Dr. Drib Grand Sorcerer Posts: 45,504 Karma: 60119087 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Peru Device: KINDLE: Oasis 3, Scribe (1st), Matcha; KOBO: Libra 2, Libra Colour	A number of issues I would like to respectfully adress: _____________________________ After approx. 7 months, it appears that Connect has not only lowered the price of Neal Stephenson's trilogy (The Baroque Cycle), but has also - FINALLY! - corrected the mispricing from one link to another link. ______________________________ I spent approx. 1/2 of my life (I'm 56) working at bookstores and also as a buyer for (at that time), the largest independent bookstore in Arkansas. I could construct a very lengthy letter here - but I will not - stating all I know about how discounts, shipping, profit-margins, remainders, membership discounts, stripped returns, net pricing, returns, database managment of inventory, loss leaders, supplemental stock and other avenues of profitabilitiy [audio books, cafes, greeting cards, games, etc.], and how a class-action suit brought by independents years ago has impacted upon the book trade. Some of the arguments posted on this thread (I'm talking logic and knowledge here) are simply erronenous. I want to also make it very clear that I have been OUT of the book trade since 1989. Full disclosure. I also want to make it clear that I know NOTHING about contractual content vis-a-vis ebook publishing/marketing. There is a further confusion here as well, regarding book format: Hardback; mass market paperback; and trade paperback. I just want to point out - with my contribution toward some further understanding the complexity of these issues - that I am a book lover with some marketing/selling knowledge, and that I am ALSO AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A HUGE AMOUNT OF IGNORANCE. I'm not manufacturing any knowledge here; rather, I want to let everyone know about my strengths AND weaknesses. Anecedotal information: Even when we were selling law books for the UALR School of Law, and purchasing said books from West at net pricing, and paying approx. 17% in shipping costs to get the cartons of casebooks, hornbooks, legal aids, etc. here, we had to price them accordingly in order to realize a profit and to also deal with overhead, salaries, damaged returns (time) --; even dealing with all these issues, there were still complaints about why were we charging such high prices for these textbooks. It's like trying to explain to someone that if you are a member of this bookstore and you get 10% from a book that is already 10% off, the total wasn't actually 20%. Rather, when you take 10% from something and then take 10% again from that same something, you actually end up with 19% discount. [Try it with a $1.00 and see what you get.] With all due respect to the syllogistic argruments circulating here, but there are contributing factors at present that add to a very complex issue. Don Last edited by Dr. Drib; 08-01-2007 at 12:48 PM.