4 ms·

I aggressively avoid buying books on Amazon, mostly for the reasons listed in the article, but between BAM and B&N, I will always go to a local bookstore instea

by sli 9y ago

I aggressively avoid buying books on Amazon, mostly for the reasons listed in the article, but between BAM and B&N, I will always go to a local bookstore instead. They don't grill me for PII at the register, for one. Overall the whole experience is way better. Finding a book is a tiny bit harder (emphasis on tiny), but honestly, I'm not in a hurry when I'm in a bookstore, so I don't care.

bunderbunder 9y ago
They don't grill me for PII, and that is at least a part of why they have an easier time getting it. The local bookstore put out a sign up sheet collecting email addresses, with a little blurb at the top saying what it was for. Nobody ever mentioned it, but after a couple trips of looking at and reading it, I just threw it down on a whim. By contrast, the sense of being actively pressured for my contact info at major retailers just makes me dig my heels in on the subject. I actually don't think finding a book is harder, either. If I know what I want, I just walk up to the counter and ask. If it's in stock, I go grab it. If it's not, they order it, tell me it'll arrive within a month, and I swing back buy to pick it up it about 2 days later. If I don't know what I want, the staff recommendation slips most independent bookstores put out are great, especially now that I've gone enough times to know which staff members share my reading tastes. And have led me to many, many more delightful books and authors I wouldn't have tried otherwise than Amazon's sad attempts at getting something useful out of collaborative filtering. ("You liked Pride and Prejudice? Well, how about... Sense and Sensibility!! Ta-daaaa, isn't AI amazing!?")
Slansitartop 9y ago
> but between BAM and B&N, I will always go to a local bookstore instead What's BAM?
- jadei 9y ago
  books a million I believe.
- garethsprice 9y ago
  Books-a-Million, another large bookstore chain

by sli 9y ago

bunderbunder 9y ago

They don't grill me for PII, and that is at least a part of why they have an easier time getting it. The local bookstore put out a sign up sheet collecting email addresses, with a little blurb at the top saying what it was for. Nobody ever mentioned it, but after a couple trips of looking at and reading it, I just threw it down on a whim. By contrast, the sense of being actively pressured for my contact info at major retailers just makes me dig my heels in on the subject. I actually don't think finding a book is harder, either. If I know what I want, I just walk up to the counter and ask. If it's in stock, I go grab it. If it's not, they order it, tell me it'll arrive within a month, and I swing back buy to pick it up it about 2 days later. If I don't know what I want, the staff recommendation slips most independent bookstores put out are great, especially now that I've gone enough times to know which staff members share my reading tastes. And have led me to many, many more delightful books and authors I wouldn't have tried otherwise than Amazon's sad attempts at getting something useful out of collaborative filtering. ("You liked Pride and Prejudice? Well, how about... Sense and Sensibility!! Ta-daaaa, isn't AI amazing!?")

Slansitartop 9y ago

> but between BAM and B&N, I will always go to a local bookstore instead What's BAM?

jadei 9y ago
books a million I believe.
garethsprice 9y ago
Books-a-Million, another large bookstore chain