A Cautionary Tale
Yesterday I took a drive from Lancaster County to neighboring Berks County a) to get out of the house and b) to check the Barnes and Noble near Reading for a book I was looking for. I'd already checked the B&N in Lancaster and they didn't have it. The demise of Borders and Books a Million's hit-or-miss selection necessitated this action.
Fortunately, thanks to the highway system and Ephrata's central location, the drive time's about the same for both. Also fortunately, the B&N over there had what I wanted. On my way home I stopped at a WalMart and picked up another book at a reduced price, so it was a good Sunday all around.
Now, suppose the Berks B&N hadn't had what I wanted (a new release, but not from a major publisher). What then?
No prob. I just would have ordered it on Amazon. Along with one or two other paperbacks that I saw on B&N's shelves, but Amazon's offering for less.
I like print books. Sure, they take up space and I live in a trailer, but so what? I grew up with print. Force of habit. Print doesn't crash or get deleted (unless your house catches on fire) and pages don't have pop up ads. Sooner or later somebody's going to figure out how to program pop up ads into a Kindle, and then you'll hear screaming. Why not? They run commercials in movie theaters. And e-books from the big publishers don't cost any less than paperbacks, so I've noticed.
What's my point? When it comes to print, B&N may think it's now the only game in town. But I've got a laptop, and access to WiFi. With a couple of taps and a click I can get any book you don't have, and get discounts on others. You're not the only game in town, as long as that town has the Internet.
In a side note, our local Blockbuster is shutting its doors. They've already stopped renting and are selling off the inventory. At one time they were also the only game in town, until Netflix and Red Box and Hulu and those opened up the town's borders. I can't remember the last flick I rented at Blockbuster. I've been getting my movies (and whole TV seasons) from the library. For free. Top that, BB.
Take that for what it's worth, B&N. If you find yourself travelling Blockbuster's path, you have no one to blame but your business practices.
Fortunately, thanks to the highway system and Ephrata's central location, the drive time's about the same for both. Also fortunately, the B&N over there had what I wanted. On my way home I stopped at a WalMart and picked up another book at a reduced price, so it was a good Sunday all around.
Now, suppose the Berks B&N hadn't had what I wanted (a new release, but not from a major publisher). What then?
No prob. I just would have ordered it on Amazon. Along with one or two other paperbacks that I saw on B&N's shelves, but Amazon's offering for less.
I like print books. Sure, they take up space and I live in a trailer, but so what? I grew up with print. Force of habit. Print doesn't crash or get deleted (unless your house catches on fire) and pages don't have pop up ads. Sooner or later somebody's going to figure out how to program pop up ads into a Kindle, and then you'll hear screaming. Why not? They run commercials in movie theaters. And e-books from the big publishers don't cost any less than paperbacks, so I've noticed.
What's my point? When it comes to print, B&N may think it's now the only game in town. But I've got a laptop, and access to WiFi. With a couple of taps and a click I can get any book you don't have, and get discounts on others. You're not the only game in town, as long as that town has the Internet.
In a side note, our local Blockbuster is shutting its doors. They've already stopped renting and are selling off the inventory. At one time they were also the only game in town, until Netflix and Red Box and Hulu and those opened up the town's borders. I can't remember the last flick I rented at Blockbuster. I've been getting my movies (and whole TV seasons) from the library. For free. Top that, BB.
Take that for what it's worth, B&N. If you find yourself travelling Blockbuster's path, you have no one to blame but your business practices.
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