BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - We don't need no damned books, we're in Texas!

jps

On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:12:42 -0500, wrote:

On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:37:26 -0800, jps wrote:

LAREDO, Texas — The final chapter has been written for the lone
bookstore on the streets of Laredo.

With a population of nearly a quarter-million people, this city could
soon be the largest in the nation without a single bookseller.

The situation is so grim that schoolchildren have pleaded for a
reprieve from next month's planned shutdown of the B. Dalton
bookstore. After that, the nearest store will be 150 miles away in San
Antonio.

I assume the "book stores" can't compete with Walmart. I know around
here B&N is having their ass handed to them by Target, Walmart and the
public library. I see lots of people milling around but not many
actually get into a checkout line. If it wasn't for the coffee they
might not be making any money at all.
There is also a lot of pressure from the internet
Amazon will make it tough for anyone who has rent to pay in a mall.
I would never buy a DVD in a store. You can usually get a disk or a
book sent to your house cheaper than the best bargain bin deal in a
store.

"The B. Dalton store was never a community destination with comfy
couches and an espresso bar, but its closing will create a literary
void in a city with a high illiteracy rate."

I suspect it's driven by more than price pressure. You need to have
enough interest in the product to sell it in volume. 230,000 people
can't generate enough interest in a single bookstore? Yikes.

There isn't a Walmart within 20 miles of Seattle that I know of and
most educated people here consider them a cancer and stay away.

I don't think Target is considered a spot to purchase reading material
unless its the kind that sits in the checkout line.