The Boston Tea Party was about a delivery from the BEIC corporation's warehouse that would have put local tea merchants out of business. Ironically, Amazon warehouse deliveries put local brick and mortar book merchants out of business.
The real funny bit is that the East India Co. was able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes because of political connections and that’s why they were going to be able to undersell the local tea merchants. Today the Tea Party and the GOP are enabling major corporations to do much the same without even a hint of realizing the irony.
Every local irl bookstore can special order any book for you that's in print. And because it ships with their normal order shipment, it arrives faster and doesn't cost you postage and handling.
Support a local business who can probably order every book Amazon offers withe potential additional step of going to the shop and placing the special order, then picking it up in the same duration. There may be a slightly longer wait time.
Support Amazon due to the convenience they offer.
Edit: Point 2 is obviously reduced to a simple statement, when there are obviously downsides to Amazon. You'll never have the face to face customer service that many people prefer or enjoy. You can't ask an employee at Amazon for a book recommendation. Amazon's website doesn't have that amazing bookstore smell, either.
I overheard a woman complaining at a Wal-Mart yesterday because their deli meats were on the other side of the store.
Well Jesus lady, sorry that the people who Raised the livestock, fed it, butchered, packaged and delivered the meat to your store wasn't right in front of your fat fucking face the moment you walked into the store.
Our local bookstore has a wine, beer and coffee bar, book club, game nights, author reading and signings, lots of children's events. And the staff has a great knowledge of books-- I've only had to tell them a genre or author I like, and they make spot on recommendations. It's a treasure.
Highbraries? I fuckin love reading when I smoke, my imagination/immersion gets so much better. It’s almost like watching movie of the book, but only as you really want it.
My wife and I joke about renting out a strip mall, knocking all the non supporting walls down, and combine the whole thing into a sandwich shop, game store, smoke shop, yarn store, pizza shop, and I think there was one more thing. We'd have anything you need.
The bookshop I used to work in offered tea, coffee & cakes on a pay what you like basis (free if you wanted) and byo wine and beer. Plus we priced below amazon and offered free theatre, book readings, concerts. John Cage (back when it opened in the 80s), Ralph Steadman and Carol Anne Duffy have all done performances there designed specifically for the venue (&never repeated) that were free and often directly rooted din the history of our town- but people still choose amazon over us. Its not about convenience, its about habits.
You walk in and on the left there's a bar where you can order drinks etc. and on the right there's stacks of books you can read while you drink your drink.
It wins when people care about quality usually but the price and convenience scaling of big business means everything you are neutral on big hulking evil corporations do better.
Which to me is an argument for government corrections not against it. Because grassroots creativity and entrepreneurship is important to influencing the taste of the big guys.
If you live in a small rural town, with hobbies that really only exist in a city, you get how hard buying local is. Food and produce? Cool. But the 70 year old bitch who runs the bookstore isn't gonna have or even bother to order in a manga I'm tryna read.
It depends. I guess convenience here in Los Angeles is about what’s faster. Go to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book in 15-30 min, or wait on Amazon’s free two day shipping? And it seems same day delivery is only AFTER $35. So normally it’s just B&N for me
It's always busy in my local bookstore. It's more like a cozy library (you're allowed to get coffee and read the books on the couches or at the tables) and it seems to be working. Also a lot of events that they organize from readings to small bands. They call themselves more of a culture center than a bookstore.
They were going under before they totally rebranded themselves.
I unfortunately use Amazon a lot because I can't walk around a store and even visiting a store in my scooter takes the energy away from something else I may need to do, like vacuum. (see spoon theory) It sucks because I own a retail store that's also being hurt by Amazon.
I unfortunately use Amazon a lot because I can't walk around a store and even visiting a store in my scooter takes the energy away from something else I may need to do, like vacuum. (see spoon theory)
I had heard the phrase before but never looked up what it meant, so thanks for teaching me something new today!
But, that's a good point to bring up. Online shopping and retailers like Amazon enables and empowers people with disabilities to reclaim some independence they may have lost or never had before.
It sucks because I own a retail store that's also being hurt by Amazon.
That definitely does suck! Hopefully you can offer great services above and beyond what Amazon could ever dream of to keep the Amazon monster at bay.
because neither will ever be happening. just as an example, if you want company "x" to stop dumping their hazardous waste into rivers, you have to ban dumping hazardous waste into rivers.
the majority of consumers won't stop consuming a product because the company does something bad/unethical as long as it's cheaper/better/more convenient. even if it could destroy us all. in most cases they couldn't even do it since how in the world should people know if the screws in the machines that create their product was created by a company doing unethical shit. the supply chain is just way too big for it to be possible, even IF more than 1-2% of people would be interested in ethical consumption.
Of course it's 2. Everyone wants convenience. People like to think they would gladly do more work and wait longer and whatnot just to support local stores but we all know in the end they will go back to amazon because it's faster and less of a hassle.
A local bookstore will have pretty much any new best seller out there and most any classic. They may not have obscure books, but that's ok. I wouldn't expect them to waste retail space on something a customer may come in to buy once every 20 years.
I can go over to the King's English in Salt Lake City, Weller Book Works, or a Barnes and Noble and have the book I want in 15 minutes from now. With Amazon, I'll get it in 48-60 hours.
I won't lie and pretend I don't shop on Amazon. But I only typically do shop on Amazon if the prices are cheaper than at a local shop. I do prefer to support local business every chance I get, as long as it makes economic sense.
Absolutely false. I and many I know go out of our way to support local. And I refuse to give fucking Bezos and crew a single dollar. The problem with society is we want everything now and fuck the consequences. It's a shitty attitude to over-prioritize convenience over long-term benefits.
I can say that I personally will put my tabletop gaming money towards the local gaming stores in my area before Amazon, or any other online stores like Star City Games, see it.
In the tabletop gaming community especially, there's a pretty strong movement to support local brick & mortar stores because that's where a lot of events happen. "Buy where you play" is a pretty cool thing to do. This is especially the case in games with sanctioned play, such as TCGs like Magic, Miniatures games like Warhammer, and P&P RPGs that have "league" play, such as D&D (Adventurer's League), Pathfinder (Pathfinder Society), and Starfinder (Starfinder Society). So it's a lot easier to justify buying local to people because without buying local, those places will shut down, and if those places shut down, you won't have that place to play anymore, sometimes you won't even have a place to play sanctioned at all, especially for TCGs.
I use Libby which goes through my library consortium (yes we have a consortium in North Texas) because I don’t want to buy physical copies of books, but I also want to support the library. Let’s turn the debate from local versus online to why are you guys single-handed-ly killing off the forests! “But I like the feel of turning the pages!”
I know it may sound strange...but, yes. I always liked the term used in Fight Club, "single serving friend". It's a fitting description of how I try to interact with strangers.
I guess I just don't care about local bookshops. I used to think that I did, but what I actually cared about was how they support the local writers, regional interests, etc that get missed by national chains. But it was silly of me to expect those things from my bookstore, when they came tethered to all the inconveniences you listed. There are other organizations (NPR, universities, local arts councils, etc) that are better equipped to support the literary arts.
Bookstores are dying and I am no longer fighting it.
Amazon's website doesn't have that amazing bookstore smell, either.
It does if you order books from the Amazon app on your phone while you're relaxing in a bookstore. It's even better if the bookstore has free wifi. If you're really brutal, order on the Nook on display at Barnes and Noble.
At one point Jeff Bezos was a small business owner selling books out of his garage. If Amazon had existed back then, he would've driven himself out of business.
No it doesn't, I get same day delivery from Amazon. Even when I lived someplace without it I would get stuff from Amazon in 2-3 days which is as fast or faster than I've ever gotten a special ordered book from my local store. I still go out of my way to buy books and comics from local shops but it is less convenient than ordering online.
I've never gotten same day delivery without paying for it. Meanwhile here I am waiting for an order that was initially promised to be delivered Friday (2 days ago) and is now going to be delivered on Tuesday. It's become so common I don't ever order something from Amazon and depend on it being there the day they say it will be.
Isn't that only if you don't have prime? I've looked into it before and seem to recall it was just if you've paid for shipping and you don't have prime.
it arrives faster? amazon comes in two days, or is instant if I buy kindle.
it doesn't cost postage and handling? how much does it cost for me to drive across town TWICE to pick up a $10 book? the IRS says mileage on my car costs 54.5 cents per mile, so...
amazon lets me read reviews from people who have read the book and glance through the contents using their look-inside feature. can't do that at a bookstore if the book has to be special ordered.
sorry but saying that an advantage of book stores is that they can special order a book is just wrong.
if they have the book in stock, great, that's an advantage.
This is my biggest reason for using Amazon. The book is almost always cheaper to buy online. I use Indigo a lot for that reason too. I could walk into any Chapters/Indigo store but the exact same book is offered at a discount when ordered online. I almost always qualify for free shipping and can wait the extra few days.
James has been a librarian for 20 years in my city's historic 117 year old library (built on the foundation of the previous one--it burned down). He's somewhere in his 50s, very stern, but holy fuck does he love to talk about his books. Yes. His.
James is the dude you walk up to and say "Hey, I read a lot of fantasy but i want to branch out into murder mysteries. What do you reccomend?" And as soon as those words leave your mouth, loafers are shuffling away faster than you'd believe. Try to keep up, because he won't slow down until he's found the book he read in 1982 then donated. He keeps track.
After he's handed the book to you, he doesn't even ask "Do you need anything else?". He just looks down at you down his big, wide nose. The deal is done, he wants you to read the book and come back again later.
Then, and only then does James get really talking. He loves his books, and turns into a kid again when he describes his favorite parts, twists, and characters. You and James will share that book like you're best friends, and he always has another one for you.
I love James. I love our library. How often would you get that in a bookstore?
I'm torn. On the one hand I like the physical environment of a bookstore that an online presence just can't match (unless Amazon implements VR. Holy fuck that would actually be super cool, you put on a VR headset and walk around a virtual Amazon bookstore, pick books off the shelf and the ones you put into your buggy arrive at your house 2 days later), on the other hand I believe in capitalism and I'm not about to stop using my computer to support local typewriter companies.
If you are ever in mobile,AL check out Bienville books on dauphin street down town they have a great selection in a historic building and are dog friendly with milk bones and a water bowl.
I must say, I love that I can pretty much find any book I can think of on Amazon, often for the minimum price, $3.99 plus tax.
In the mid 90s I went to great lengths to track down copies of an out-of-print series after I’d stumbled across the first book at my beloved nearest Half-Price Books. I was using the Internet for the the first time, and I’m not even clear in my mind what my method was for this book hunt. I think I posted desperate queries on message boards? I also emailed used book stores all over the country. I tracked down one copy at a little shop in Minnesota; they contacted me, actually, I think. My mom, I mean, the Easter Bunny, gave me another one. It took two years to get all 6. Now, I can get them all on Amazon, from all over the country or the UK, with 1-click.
The amazing thrill of success is gone, but the time-consuming Hunt is also gone, and I can get busy actually reading.
I do frequently see the same bookstores listed as the sellers on Amazon, Motor City Books, something Hippo Books, at least two UK sellers, etc. So are they the warehouses you refer to?
I wish there was a way the small stores could find a niche feature that Amazon can’t overcome by convenience and availability. I don’t know what that is though. Maybe like Brazos Bookstore, here in Houston, which focuses on Texas, Texas culture, history, and books by Texan authors, etc. It’s a fun way to support local writers and stories.
Slight tangent, but book-collection related: I own about a thousand print books, and my husband has said he doesn’t want me to get any more. When I was recently in Dallas and hit up the gigantic Half-Price Books like I always do, and came home with about 9 or 10 history books I never would’ve even known about otherwise, it sparked a heated debate. I see my personal library as a project, a prized collection, an investment, and heirloom, something that brings me joy, and he sees it a pain to store and worse to move. It’s a real point of contention. Anybody else have this disagreement? Advice on how handle it? How to convince him they’re worth it - and I do reread almost everything, too - would be much appreciated. Supporting Half-Price Books only gets me a few points.
Currently I’m thinking of setting an in-out system, which will stop the buildup of more and more books. I have to get rid of a book for every new one I get. There’s a book drop nearby, plus we donate to the library at my late Grandfather’s hospital. I need to do a big clean-out, though, rather than literally getting rid of one book at a time, since that’s not efficient, though less painful. (Never selling to Half Price Books again; I once took a huge load of hardback books and made a measly $7, which was enough to buy ONE book from them.)
Anyways, advice or thoughts on what to do about my book collection would be much appreciate.
My wife and I had probably 500-600 books and we both lived them but the point was they weren’t special books (no first editions of any particular value, mostly paperback, etc) and we had to give them away when we had our 3rd kid because he took the room with all the books. We put a bunch in the garage and realized they would never get touched. But I feel ya. I love having them.
I love even just how they look, but I also love standing in front of a shelf and just reminiscing and rediscovering! In the days before Kindle (and my ebook collection is equally huge but not an issue) I’d stand in front of a shelf and wind up pulling out an armful of books I wanted to reread all at the same time. My bedside was a mess of stacks and stacks of books until we put another entire book shelf there to hold the “books I wanna reread as soon as I can get to it” category!
You have reminded me of a key detail: we don’t have children. If we did, I’d certainly have less time for reading and a lot fewer books. But I am such a nerd I buy children’s books to keep in the guest room we’ve set up as a playroom for when our friends with kids come over. It has a tv, Wii, toys, and books, because growing up, my parents would take us to their friends houses and there’d be nothing to do all night, not even paper to draw on (which scandalized 8-year-old Me.) I want my friends to be able to come over for dinner and games night and not need a babysitter and have their kids entertained. It’s been so handy.
But anyway, I realize that being childless thing is the main reason we can even be this situation. We fully expected to have kids, but we couldn’t, and now, at our late 30s and my health poor, we’ve accepted that it’s just not going to happen. Maybe my book obsession is a bit of a reaction, filling empty space and time.
Another place to get rid of excess books just came to mind: donating them to my k-12 school libraries. Youcan donate in honor or memory of someone and a little bookplate goes in the front; I like that.
When I was younger I’d read constantly so your story makes me jealous!
I recently started reading again (trying to stick to digital books for ease) and as my kids get older I’m hoping to read more. Only ~3 more years before they are self sufficient enough to let me and my wife catch a breath and read. 😭
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u/mandy009 Jul 22 '18
The Boston Tea Party was about a delivery from the BEIC corporation's warehouse that would have put local tea merchants out of business. Ironically, Amazon warehouse deliveries put local brick and mortar book merchants out of business.