

Bookstore has Black Friday Anti-Sale, Customers Pay Same or More - mankins
http://www.loremipsumbooks.com/help/black-friday/

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BigDamnDeal
While this sounds cute, I'm not sure what the incentive is for anyone to
actually buy something they wouldn't have, or pay more than they otherwise
would. Maybe it'd be more fun to participate if the idea were very clever.
This seems about as witty as dressing up as a "non-participant" for Halloween.

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rms
Yeah, this is just a PR joke

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padmanabhan01
I believe the world would be a better place if there were no special sale
events. That way you can buy what you want whenever you want without having to
worry about someone else buying it for 30% less a week later. Also saves that
useless hassle of searching for deals!

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swolchok
It's not about someone else buying it for 30% less a week later, it's about
_me_ buying it for 30% less a week later.

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lsb
So I'm assuming the appropriate response is to come, and buy the same amount
or less?

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Mz
This seems like a fairly lame fundraising attempt to save a business. The main
problem with that is that people do fundraisers for charitable causes, not to
save a dying business. And they raise money for a charitable cause they feel
is, in essence, a good investment. Keeping a business limping along -- which
presumably hasn't resolved whatever underlying problem got them in this mess
-- is not something most people would consider 'a good investment'.

They would have been better off posting "Sale!!" or even "Going out of
business! Clearance -- Everything MUST Go!" signs and doubling all their
prices. I say this in part because I read an anecdote where some new employee
accidentally marked prices up rather than down on the stuff labeled as being
'on sale' and it sold like hotcakes.

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almost
A decent used bookstore is a wonderful place. I can imagine wanting to support
them if I lived nearby.

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Mz
Here is an excerpt from another page
(<http://www.loremipsumbooks.com/help/5000/>):

 _For the past 6 years, our small independent bookstore in Inman Square,
Cambridge has been a place for books, community, and innovation. We now face a
difficult hurdle in a difficult industry in a difficult economy: the store
must move—or close.

Luckily, we found a better space (more books! room for events!) but we need
the funds to make it happen. Maybe you've sold books when you've had a cash
crunch — well, that's exactly what we're looking to do now, only on a bit
bigger scale: Ten days. Five thousand books.

That's right — selling five thousand books in our inventory (of 19,000) will
raise the cash we need to fund the move, hire staff, and set up bigger and
better than before in a new location a few blocks away. (Don't worry, still in
Inman Square area, and we'll bring the Chicken Machine with us.)_

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A couple of thoughts:

A) This sounds like a much better presented fundraiser and is not terribly
different from any other sales event where someone says "We are moving and we
would rather sell our existing inventory to you at steep discount rather than
move it." It still places too much emphasis on the pity factor -- on the idea
that this is a fundraiser rather than a business model sales event -- and I
still think that is a mistake. Most people are not interested in meeting the
needs of your business so you can stay in business. Generally speaking, they
expect you to meet their needs and for you to figure out a pricing
model/business model that will keep the doors open so you can continue to meet
their needs.

B) If you are serious about being willing to support them, you can buy a
certificate online at the above page. There are a couple of places that
indicate you can buy books through them online, though I am not figuring out
how to do that. However, since you implied you would be willing to donate
money and view it as a good cause, hey, here is your chance to do so: Buy a
certificate and don't redeem it. Voila. Donation.

