Culture may close the book on shops

Contra Costa Times ^ | 6/22/6 | John Simerman

[SmithL]

First, it was Bush's fault, then it was Wal-Mart's fault. Now it's cultures fault?

Maybe they should sue the guy who invented the Internet.

[mewzilla]

Well, they probably don't want to blame B&N. Its CEO, Leonard Riggio, is a big Dem donor.

[CobaltBlue]

"It was Bush's fault"? Help me out here. You post a thoughtful analysis on the demise of independent bookstores, and then you follow up with something banal like "it was Bush's fault"?

Why even bother?

Is there something inherently amusing about bookstores? Other than eating the books, I mean?

[SuziQ]

Well, if the store would sell books that a larger number of people actually BUY, it wouldn't have to close!

[mewzilla]

The problem is, though, that the big boxes do dictate to a great extent what gets published. Like grocery stores and discount stores do with their shelf space.

Folks can always publish themselves on-line. E-books are an option.

[RonHolzwarth]

When the printing press was invented and came into common use, a lot of scriveners in England were thrown out of work. But that took a few decades, if not centuries.

In today's world, changes take place almost overnight.

[ahayes]

You think Kant is "commie stuff"?

[bkepley]

"It was Bush's fault"? Help me out here. You post a thoughtful analysis on the demise of independent bookstores, and then you follow up with something banal like "it was Bush's fault"?

Well they have to know how to attract customers that's all. There's a thriving independent bookstore here that offers customers an environment and books the chains don't offer. Not that I like it that much. It's a lefty place.

[SuziQ]

Independent bookstores need to be masters of niche marketing. The lefty bookstores will always thrive in college towns, etc. Used book stores seem to do well because folks want to turn over their own stock of books from time to time. I'd think a combination of new and used would be a good one, selling some 'hot new authors' as well as new editions of the classics, along with used books.

[em2vn]

"I was in the Safeway in Sonoma, and they had Noam Chomsky for sale."
Quickly find another market if your's is selling anything by Chomsky.

[bkepley]

"The lefty bookstores will always thrive in college towns, etc"

I've often thought someone should open one catering to "righty's". Might work...might not but it's worth a try.

[SmithL]

You think Kant is "commie stuff"?

The problem with Kant was that nobody was buying it.

[P-40]

The thing had sat too long on the shelf.

Put some pictures of J-Lo's butt on it...then it will sell.

[ahayes]

Sad.

[Clioman]

"I was in the Safeway in Sonoma, and they had Noam Chomsky for sale."

Customer: Where can I find Chomsky?
Clerk: Aisle 6, Laxatives...

[Alama]

Probably he never read it...

Somebody here told me that Adam Smith was a liberal for the nanny state...

[theFIRMbss]

>The computer system at Cody's Books ... told him to ship back Emmanuel Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason." ... "When one of the greatest works of Western philosophy, if not the greatest, wasn't selling at Cody's, there's something wrong," said Ross

Hmmm. We can only
wonder how other great books
perform at the store . . .

Perhaps the First Church
of Pamelatology
should buy the book store . . .

[Alama]

One thing the author or the bookstore owner don't fault is how the culture war which replaced the study of Kant, Plato and other "dead white man" in colleges by the trash of such as Rigoberta Menchu may be at fault...