3 ms·

It would be nice if local, independent bookstores continued to exist but if the economics dictate they dont then I dont see any reason to hate the company that

It would be nice if local, independent bookstores continued to exist but if the economics dictate they dont then I dont see any reason to hate the company that can still viably sells books. That first sentence is a not a throw-away. I hope local, independent bookstores can continue to exist. And also that brick and mortar book stores continue to exist. But it's not like Amazon is illegally colluding to keep them down. independent bookstores just arent a very profitable businesses.

iteria 2y ago
I wonder about that. I ponder what Amazon's book selling sector (and really the whole part where it sells things) would look like without the money printing machine of AWS. If Amazon didn't have that would they really be able to do what they do and burn the industry down. I don't disagree that bookstores are probably not that profitable, but I do think that Amazon is taking all the oxygen out of the room and not necessarily by being better, but have having a dragon hoard of cash that probably wasn't generated by selling books.
nolroz 2y ago
Can we be a little annoyed if a big company that can leverage publisher deals, massive amounts of analytics and loss leader tactics actively try to cut off business from smaller companies?
- noisy_boy 2y ago
  When a sizable chunk of the people on this site are trying to grow their idea into a big company that can leverage deals, massive amount of analytics and various tactics to cut-off business from the competitors?
  - Filligree 2y ago
    Is that really a large chunk of us? Or is it just a loud chunk?
    - noisy_boy 2y ago
      It could be either but I think silence is harder to spot amongst the loudness.
sriram_malhar 2y ago
Sorry, this is an extraordinarily blinkered view. Why must they be evaluated purely on money terms? Having local independent bookstores enhances the quality of living for an entire community, and places like Amazon and Walmart make them desert zones. Does that not bother you?
- subroutine 2y ago
  Because thoughts and prayers don't pay the rent? If they did enhance the quality of the community, they would be patroned at a level that sustains them. If you simply enjoy knowing a local bookstore exists as a storefront in your downtown district, maybe you could rally the community to subsidize their economics like a park or swimming pool, and perhaps you could even rent books for nearly free - just stamp the back.
- monkeyelite 2y ago
  > Why must they be evaluated purely on money terms? Because it's a business providing a consumer good - not a public institution. > Having local independent bookstores enhances the quality of living for an entire community How do they do that? They don't help me because they don't carry books I'm interested in at prices I'm willing to pay. It's serving so few people in the community it can't pay for rent. Public access to books is subsidized already through libraries.
  - fc417fc802 2y ago
    As a counterpoint, I've visited a few smaller towns that used the local government to keep big box retailers out. It's generally an hour or longer drive to the nearest one and as a result main street remains alive and well. Which is to say that the marketplace as a whole exists for the benefit of the public. The entire point of regulation is to remediate issues that competition alone fails to address.
    - monkeyelite 2y ago
      This is about online vs retail in a space where the online version has clear advantages for the consumer. We don’t need to prop up an inferior (worse selection, higher price) book industry. > Which is to say that the marketplace as a whole exists for the benefit of the public. That’s a more generous characterization than I would use. Once again, if I’m forced to use worse goods at higher prices thats not a benefit to me.

iteria 2y ago

I wonder about that. I ponder what Amazon's book selling sector (and really the whole part where it sells things) would look like without the money printing machine of AWS. If Amazon didn't have that would they really be able to do what they do and burn the industry down. I don't disagree that bookstores are probably not that profitable, but I do think that Amazon is taking all the oxygen out of the room and not necessarily by being better, but have having a dragon hoard of cash that probably wasn't generated by selling books.

nolroz 2y ago

Can we be a little annoyed if a big company that can leverage publisher deals, massive amounts of analytics and loss leader tactics actively try to cut off business from smaller companies?

noisy_boy 2y ago
When a sizable chunk of the people on this site are trying to grow their idea into a big company that can leverage deals, massive amount of analytics and various tactics to cut-off business from the competitors?
- Filligree 2y ago
  Is that really a large chunk of us? Or is it just a loud chunk?
  - noisy_boy 2y ago
    It could be either but I think silence is harder to spot amongst the loudness.

sriram_malhar 2y ago

Sorry, this is an extraordinarily blinkered view. Why must they be evaluated purely on money terms? Having local independent bookstores enhances the quality of living for an entire community, and places like Amazon and Walmart make them desert zones. Does that not bother you?

subroutine 2y ago
Because thoughts and prayers don't pay the rent? If they did enhance the quality of the community, they would be patroned at a level that sustains them. If you simply enjoy knowing a local bookstore exists as a storefront in your downtown district, maybe you could rally the community to subsidize their economics like a park or swimming pool, and perhaps you could even rent books for nearly free - just stamp the back.
monkeyelite 2y ago
> Why must they be evaluated purely on money terms? Because it's a business providing a consumer good - not a public institution. > Having local independent bookstores enhances the quality of living for an entire community How do they do that? They don't help me because they don't carry books I'm interested in at prices I'm willing to pay. It's serving so few people in the community it can't pay for rent. Public access to books is subsidized already through libraries.
- fc417fc802 2y ago
  As a counterpoint, I've visited a few smaller towns that used the local government to keep big box retailers out. It's generally an hour or longer drive to the nearest one and as a result main street remains alive and well. Which is to say that the marketplace as a whole exists for the benefit of the public. The entire point of regulation is to remediate issues that competition alone fails to address.
  - monkeyelite 2y ago
    This is about online vs retail in a space where the online version has clear advantages for the consumer. We don’t need to prop up an inferior (worse selection, higher price) book industry. > Which is to say that the marketplace as a whole exists for the benefit of the public. That’s a more generous characterization than I would use. Once again, if I’m forced to use worse goods at higher prices thats not a benefit to me.