On Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:29:26 -0800, "Bill McKee"
wrote:


"jps" wrote in message
news
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.

Ignorant of where the real people shop.
http://www.walmart.com/storeLocator/...ch_zip=9819 9

18 walmarts in the seattle area.

No, silly ass. They're not in Seattle. They're between 11 and 45
miles away. The closest, Bremerton, is an hour ferry ride. Learned
how to read a map yet? Might come in handy one day while boating.

Approx. 600,000 people live within Seattle limits and not a single
Walmart. There are, however, at least 50 bookstores within the city
limits. This is Seattle, not Laredo, Texas.

From memory, the only city with more bookstores per capita is Austin.
At least one town in Texas is literate. And guess what, it leans to
the left, doncha know?

Requires a brain and a little curiosity, rare commodities in Texas.