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Subject:Re: where to buy books From:"Walker, Arlen P" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 4 Jun 1997 12:57:34 -0500
I didn't see how this started, but if
I cringe when I see repeated references on this list to a well known
internet-based shipper of books.
refers to the A-word, I have an objection as well. Not as altruistic as
Mike's was, however.
Are you aware that most of the books they offer for sale they don't own?
Your order comes in, gets routed to another place which drop-ships to you.
It's disingenuous at best (and possibly an outright lie) to claim to be a
seller under those circumstances. That particular activity (not disparaging
it, it has a long and noble history) has its own word -- brokering. They
are book brokers, not book sellers. "Largest bookstore on earth?" Hmm. If
you count size that way, every bookstore on the planet is the same size,
because they can *all* special order books from the same distributors.
The lack of candor is enough to make me nervous.
I've always considered wealth to be defined as being able to patronise the
mom-and-pop stores, as opposed to the chains. Yet I've lost a lot to the
onslaught of the chains. In Omaha, for example, when the chains moved in,
Star Realm died. But I understand Todd at Merchant of Venus is still in
there fighting. He's one of the stores that reports numbers for the Locus
bestseller list, and is so far proof that the chains don't *have* to win.
Ah, well. Back to writing.
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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