Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
Actually, it kinda does. 
The store has to pay rent, it has a lot of employees, it needs liability insurance, it has lots of overhead. Amazon basically needs servers and a few warehouses, and it's infamously demanding on its warehouse staffers. And if they don't have the book in their warehouse, they can usually get it shipped directly from distributors like Baker & Taylor, in a process that's invisible to the buyer.
As so often happens, people underestimate how much it actually costs to run a business.
That's why lots of bookstores have added cafés, non-book items and do author signings.
It doesn't seem to have changed the fundamental dynamic of the shift to online sales. |
Some years ago, I went to a bookstore in my home town and discovered that a part of it was actually a bakery/café! I must admit I rather liked the idea.
