|
I can understand being protectionist toward smaller booksellers, but how many small booksellers are there compared to the number of people who would benefit from discounted prices and free shipping? Where is the point where one need outweighs the other?
Are book sales taxed in France? Perhaps it might be better to give a tax exemption to independent book sellers of a certain size, to encourage purchases there.
Intellectually, I like the idea of the continued existence of small booksellers because they do serve a need by providing books that might not be available elsewhere and the staff can be a storehouse of knowledge. In reality, though, I never patronize them; I've only gone in them when I've been on vacation, looking for something to read. I've lived in this town for a couple of decades and I couldn't tell you if there was a small bookseller around here or not. The idea of searching through stacks and shelves of assorted books, trying to find something that might pique my interest to me is a chore rather than a pleasurable pursuit. I've never looked at it as some sort of treasure hunt. Some of this is due to physical and visual limitations on my part - when it's hard to read book titles on lower shelves, looking for books on them becomes work. For me, the online booksellers are a Godsend because I can easily find books and authors that interest me. I'm sure there are folks in France who are just like me and who would be hurt by the proposed new law.
|