4 ms·

The failure of brick and mortar book stores is a net negative to society. Deserves to fail, maybe, but it'll suck when they do.

• lmkg 9y ago
  Unlike the Internet, when a break-and-mortar fails it's not easy for a competitor to break into the space and scoop up their market share. In theory in an efficient market, players that deserve to fail will be replaced and the market as a whole will remain and become stronger. In meatspace, where many things have friction, players that deserve to fail will bring the market down. I also wish it weren't the case, but it's not a market many players are actively trying to enter right now.
  • Slansitartop 9y ago
    > Unlike the Internet, when a break-and-mortar fails it's not easy for a competitor to break into the space and scoop up their market share. Also, in this space, there's a competitor that's on it's way to a monopoly. if B&N goes belly-up, I'm not even sure where I could buy books besides Amazon.
    • nkrisc 9y ago
      My situation might be different because I live in a major US city, but I can think of a handful of independent bookstores near where I live. If they didn't have what I was looking for they could probably order it for me.
    • laurex 9y ago
      Try powells.com, an independent but pretty comprehensive bookstore in Portland.
• always_good 9y ago
  So many good memories as a kid of going to the local B&N with my parents. Unlike our library, it had coffee and social energy and tables set up for browsing and was open past 5pm. It shared a cursed strip mall with a Blockbuster, a LAN gaming center, and a music shop that was finally torn down last year.