Amazon Posts A Loss: I Had No Idea I Bought Quite That Many Books

I just saw an article about how Amazon recently posted a loss in their most recent quarterly earnings. Man, I had no idea I bought quite that many books.

As most people who know me are aware, I read quite a bit during the course of a year. Around about a year and a half ago, I realized that I was buying most of my books through Amazon. I still supported my local independent, Tattered Cover, as well as other independent bookstores when I happened into one, but I bought a lot from Amazon because I tended to pick up books which just weren’t usually stocked. I decided to make a real effort to buy from independents and generally only buy from Amazon when it was a book that could only be bought there.

And, it was actually much more convenient than I thought. That was the only advantage Amazon had for me, convenience. I could just order a book when the whim struck me and sooner or later it would show up at my house. However, I discovered I could order books just as easily through the Tattered Cover website and have then shipped to the store. I literally walk in front of the store every workday, so it was really easy just to walk in and grab what I ordered when it came in. They even called me when it was in, no shipping necessary.

So, it was going good. Then I saw that Amazon posted a loss this quarter. My only thought was: Man, I had no idea I’d been buying that much. I guess they really miss getting the majority of my business.