B&N and Specialty Houses

[Stephen Marek]

>> Thomas warns:
>> 
>>"Free standing, independent bookstores, such as my own, are out 
>>of business. They hardly exist as a genre any more...Free 
>>standing, independent publishers, without the independent 
>>bookstores to buy from them, are also under even stronger 
>>pressure...Barnes and Noble didn't enter web bookselling until 
>>Amazon.com proved it could work...Don't ever expect a chain 
>>bookstore to be responsive to your needs in the same way that 
>>the free standing independent was."
>>
>>**********
>>
>>I may be missing something, but isn't this a tailor-made web 
>>opportunity for the independents?  From the bit I've seen, 
>>Amazon's just an electronic mega mass merchant, no more capable 
>>of expertly addressing a specific community's needs than a B&N.
>>
>>"Web's good for the goose and good for the gander."
>>
>>Russ
>>rhenning at fsc.follett.com
>>
>>"whose opinions are etc., etc."

Anyone who thinks that amazon.com is just another "electronic mega mass
merchant" whose success can be easily emulated should take another look at
them.Speaking as a hard-core customer, I'd say that they're just about the
best in the business. Great web pages, ease of ordering, 3 million titles
available, numerous reviews and special information services on the web
site, deep discounts often to 40%, instant order confirmation, incredibly
fast shipping, and books that arrive in perfect condition. Probably nothing
to it :-)

Steve
Stephen P. Marek		         voice: 847.491.7678		
Head, Mitchell Multimedia Center         fax:   847.491.8306
Northwestern University Library    	 email: smarek at nwu.edu 
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