Huh? I've never been in a coffee shop that 'charged for ambiance' "directly" as you put it. They charge me $4 for a cup of coffee that probably costs about $1, plus a few minutes of someone's time to make it. They let me sit in their trendy digs and drink said coffee.
Bookstores - they give you the convenience of getting it right then as opposed to ordering from online and waiting. You're paying for the convenience.
You obviously wanted/needed the book right then, so pay the $1.50 extra. You wasted a hell of a lot more than $1.50 of fuels between you driving back to the store and Amazon shipping it probably halfway across the country to your doorstep.
WTF.
edit: "I just want a book." No... you wanted a cheaper price on a book but you also wanted it right now. You can't have both (unless perhaps you want to pick up the latest Sarah Palin bestseller from WalMart). Pick which is more important to you - price or speed. Buy accordingly. Don't abuse the retail store. And don't give me the "they have a policy in place to return stuff." Policies like that are getting changed/eliminated/reduced because of people like you. You want to save 8% on your purchase? Buy from Amazon and wait 2-3 days.
There are two or three coffee stands in the town I am from. These are 20 square feet. There are also McDonald's drive throughs. (McDonald's has won nearly every blind taste test.)
By going to a shop I am choosing ambiance in addition to conveniece. They offer little else over any other method of getting coffee (which all generally offer just convenience).
I have no interest in sitting in a bookstore. There cannot be a 20 square foot bookstore that offers only convenience. So yes, I buy my books online. (Actually on a Kindle.)
Bookstores are going out of business because the ambiance they are selling to compete with coffee shops comes with much greater costs. Guys like the first poster are not putting them out of business. The internet already has.
Bookstores - they give you the convenience of getting it right then as opposed to ordering from online and waiting. You're paying for the convenience.
You obviously wanted/needed the book right then, so pay the $1.50 extra. You wasted a hell of a lot more than $1.50 of fuels between you driving back to the store and Amazon shipping it probably halfway across the country to your doorstep.
WTF.
edit: "I just want a book." No... you wanted a cheaper price on a book but you also wanted it right now. You can't have both (unless perhaps you want to pick up the latest Sarah Palin bestseller from WalMart). Pick which is more important to you - price or speed. Buy accordingly. Don't abuse the retail store. And don't give me the "they have a policy in place to return stuff." Policies like that are getting changed/eliminated/reduced because of people like you. You want to save 8% on your purchase? Buy from Amazon and wait 2-3 days.