
Independent bookstore fan showrooms Amazon Books - oneeyedpigeon
http://seattlereviewofbooks.com/notes/2015/11/06/independent-bookstore-fan-showrooms-amazon-books/
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abat
Looks like the Amazon price is $16.79, and this customer chose to pay the full
MSRP of $27.95 to buy from another store.

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username223
For that same $11, he could have gone to see a movie and bought a pack of gum.
Who's to say which is a better deal?

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doggydogs94
I would say the book is a better use of the $11.

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askafriend
That's not the point...he can have both the book and the additional items
described above.

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mastazi
Honestly I "reverse-showroom" all the time. Online websites are usually very
good for gathering information about a certain product and the reviews add
value to that info, however when I want something I want it NOW and I always
end up buying from a physical store. I don't think I am the only one. Yes in
this case I would have paid $11 more because I think $11 are worth less than
24h of my time (which is what I usually wait, at a minimum for a delivery -
never had same-day deliveries where I live)

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parennoob
One thing I can easily see being able to "reverse-showroom" for cheaply is
used books. Used copies of "The Martian" are currently $7.44 + $3.99 shipping
at Amazon, which brings it to more than the $9.00 new price with Prime.

If my local bookshop gets in on the act and pegs used books to, say, even a
dollar below the new book price on Amazon _and advertises that fact boldly_ ,
I (and more importantly, a lot of millenials) would gladly buy from them
instead.

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dingaling
A typical wholesale price as set by a publisher is about 50 to 60% of the RRP
for mass-market stuff and 80% for specialised titles.

But most bookstores buy their stock from middle-man distributors on a
returnable basis. That's a couple of clicks of about 10 to 15% each on top of
the wholesale price, plus the store has to add their operating costs and
margin onto that. So discounting is very difficult for a small shop.

Compared to Amazon which buys huge volume directly from publishers on a non-
returnable basis and can park slow-selling stock in warehouses for years at a
very low per-item cost.

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baddox
Am I crazy, or does that receipt screenshot look like an Amazon receipt?

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ceejayoz
I thought that as well. It seems they've adopted Amazon's color scheme and
font.

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chambo622
Is it possible they're using Amazon payments to process the orders? If so, an
even greater dose of irony.

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basseq
This is a publicity stunt, pure and simple. The whole point of showrooming is
to find the product that works best for you—a concept that works much better
in person—then seeking to find the best price. The internet has made this
easier than ever, but it's always happened.

Note that I've totally reverse-showroomed Amazon: looked up reviews and
alternatives, then found the lowest price somewhere else.

Amazon doesn't _care_ because the cost to showroom is minuscule, and very
often they win the price war. The sale is all that counts. Independent
retailers care because they have become commoditized: it's a not-insignificant
cost to showroom, and they're never the cheapest price.

I love local shops, but it only works if there's something unique on offer.
That perfect espresso, the unique letter-pressed greeting card—I can't get
these anywhere else.

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jccalhoun
So this person went to the actual bookstore Amazon is trying out, bought
someone from the website of another retailer, and then went to that retailer's
actual store to pick it up. Way to stick it to the man!

Unless of course "the man" is the oil company who actually ended up profiting
from that extra trip you made (unless of course that person took public
transit or a bike or walked or something...) and your time you wasted...

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askbypollankit
Amazon using it's strategies to grow and if local business can't do something
to tackle these, they are ought to perish. From customers point of view cost
and quality matters. Low cost will always be preferred.

And off course not everyone will be receiving a $75 gift.

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bitzun
The website listed on the twitter of the independent book company points to a
Chinese domain landing page.

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whitehat2k9
Joke's on them, they paid almost double the price.

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Navarr
and got a $75 gift certificate for it..

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gluelogic
Will everyone?

