Working in a bookstore, I experience the daily joy of biting my tongue and smiling like Paul Lynde at customers who complain that books are often much cheaper online. "Well, if you don't have what I want, then I'll just go to Amazon," they like to say. "Seriously. I don't understand why you don't have my hairdresser's roommate's self-published book of unicorn poetry from the 1980s. It's a bestseller!" I clench my fists while counting one, two, three in my head before the inevitable closing line: "This is why you people are going out of business."
Sigh...
Sigh...
Some people are so predictable, they actually make me wince. As a bookseller, I'm all too familiar with the (uphill) battle of winning over shoppers who think Amazon is the end-all for books. Sure, they boast low prices...but that's because like Wal Mart, they also sell catheters, cat food, and toilet paper. Need a box of tampons with that copy of Doctor Sleep? How about a case of Ramen noodles with The Goldfinch? Tell you what: If you buy all five of the Game of Thrones paperbacks, we'll throw in a plastic spear and Djembe drum!
Ugh...it's so hard not to hit shoppers upside the head like the Skipper did to Gilligan. It's a challenge not to ask them, "Have you ever had a Business 101 class?"...or, "Do you know the difference between an online store and a brick & mortar retailer?" Customers that snip "I'll just go to Amazon" remind me of two years ago: "Well, I'll just go to Borders." I'll occasionally fire back, "You knoooooow, our website has the same prices as Amazon. And if you order from us, you keep the bookstores in business." But these customers' threats are laden with stubbornness, and pride prevents many from saying, "You're right. I do appreciate shopping a store, rather than a website." Hopefully, while enjoying Amazon's tender customer service, their title won't come from Hachette...
Ugh...it's so hard not to hit shoppers upside the head like the Skipper did to Gilligan. It's a challenge not to ask them, "Have you ever had a Business 101 class?"...or, "Do you know the difference between an online store and a brick & mortar retailer?" Customers that snip "I'll just go to Amazon" remind me of two years ago: "Well, I'll just go to Borders." I'll occasionally fire back, "You knoooooow, our website has the same prices as Amazon. And if you order from us, you keep the bookstores in business." But these customers' threats are laden with stubbornness, and pride prevents many from saying, "You're right. I do appreciate shopping a store, rather than a website." Hopefully, while enjoying Amazon's tender customer service, their title won't come from Hachette...
That being said, there were two major announcements yesterday:
1. BN announced a partnership with Samsung, and the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet 4 Nook - a device that far surpasses anything that Amazon has to offer. The Nook has always been a better product than Kindle, but like the Tucker automobile, even a superior product can get overlooked if it's competitor has deeper pockets.
2. David Abrams - a self-made billionaire and hedge fund manager - purchased a sizable quantity of Barnes & Noble shares, a clear sign of faith in the company. I'm not a financial expert, but I can recognize that an investment like Abrams' is proof that bookstores are still viable...and that B&N is positioned for longevity.
Either one of these stories is amazing on its own, but when both are taken together, it's the greatest news ever - like if Seth MacFarlane were to were to direct a Star Trek/Alien crossover. It's such a relief to hear good news for a change...especially after several years of downsizing, E-reader struggles, understandably nervous customers, and snotty posters on anonymous online forums who've reveled in our company's distress. People once complained that BN put small bookstores out of business, but then Amazon came close to forcing everyone to close - including the big guys.
But I've always known that BN would pull through, and recent revelations about Amazon's bullying of Hachette (and, consequently, bullying of customers who want to buy Hachette books from them) has changed the retail landscape for the better. People are finally realizing what Barnes & Noble knew all along: bookstores are a crucial part of our communities, and allowing them to get crushed by an online retailer is just...wrong.
1. BN announced a partnership with Samsung, and the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Tablet 4 Nook - a device that far surpasses anything that Amazon has to offer. The Nook has always been a better product than Kindle, but like the Tucker automobile, even a superior product can get overlooked if it's competitor has deeper pockets.
2. David Abrams - a self-made billionaire and hedge fund manager - purchased a sizable quantity of Barnes & Noble shares, a clear sign of faith in the company. I'm not a financial expert, but I can recognize that an investment like Abrams' is proof that bookstores are still viable...and that B&N is positioned for longevity.
Either one of these stories is amazing on its own, but when both are taken together, it's the greatest news ever - like if Seth MacFarlane were to were to direct a Star Trek/Alien crossover. It's such a relief to hear good news for a change...especially after several years of downsizing, E-reader struggles, understandably nervous customers, and snotty posters on anonymous online forums who've reveled in our company's distress. People once complained that BN put small bookstores out of business, but then Amazon came close to forcing everyone to close - including the big guys.
But I've always known that BN would pull through, and recent revelations about Amazon's bullying of Hachette (and, consequently, bullying of customers who want to buy Hachette books from them) has changed the retail landscape for the better. People are finally realizing what Barnes & Noble knew all along: bookstores are a crucial part of our communities, and allowing them to get crushed by an online retailer is just...wrong.
Now, if we can only get our Cafes to spike the coffee, I think we'll all have Paul's famous shit-eating grin :)