
Dying Bookstore to NYC: Just Treat Us Like You Treated Amazon - SunTzu9087
https://www.fastcompany.com/90369805/struggling-book-culture-to-nyc-just-treat-us-like-amazon
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cbanek
It makes sense that they're making the same arguments, but sadly I think the
difference is that unlike Amazon, this book store can't just pick up and go
somewhere else. They inherently have no bargaining power, other than saying
we'll go out of business.

If anything, it seems like being part of a community and sticking with it is
almost a detriment these days. Companies move to where labor is cheap, and
design processes to have replaceable people perform them quickly and
efficiently. These tax breaks only go to companies that are pitting different
areas against each other, which are very rarely any small or local business.

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thedailymail
There's a relevant saying in Japanese: No need to give bait to a fish you've
already caught.

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true_tuna
This happened to Borderlands in SF. Bookstores operate on such low margins
that an increase in worker pay to livable levels in expensive markets puts the
bookstore into the red (costing more to operate than it brings in) the owner
had a community meeting to announce that the store was closing. Someone asked
“what it would take to stay open and can we just give you that?” Borderlands
now has a great membership program with neat incentives and invitations to
private events. It was so successful that the owner took the bold step of
buying a building since future rent increases were the next big threat.

