Today it was announced that one of the biggest stores of a book store chain will be closing its door next year due to escalating rents in Manhattan. Is it really the escalating rent or the fact that most of the people buying their books online cheaper. It has been acknowledged in one of the articles related to it that most of the people just browse the store and then go home and order online (which includes me). Although I can understand that the retailers have to pay for the rent and utilities and employees salaries and other overhead but to pay for the full retail price when you can get the same book online with no sales tax and free shipping is just plain unwise.
There is also the matter of choice and availability. You can only go to one store at a time and maybe the book store may have run out of that book or it is an obscure book. But on the internet you can comparison shop and choose from a variety of online book suppliers and even find that obscure book if you spent a little more time. People just go to the book store nowadays just to have some peaceful and quiet time and just relax and read and when they are done they head home and order the book they have already read. Bookstores are just now a trial stop to eventual buying on the internet. Things are changing due to the internet and the book stores are no different or immune to it.
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