Amazong?
- TJ Smith
- Mar 24, 2019
- 2 min read
Hello crappers!
I’m back with a review of another NYC bookstores! Unfortunately, this one won't be as amusing as some of my others but I reckon this review needed to be done.
Online shopping behemoth, Amazon, recently opened a physical bookstore in the heart of Manhattan. Yes, an online retailer opened a physical location. Why? Well, I’ll get into that later.
You can find the Amazon bookstore directly opposite the Empire State Building (because of course it would be there).
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Is it cool? Yes. Is the inside really pretty? Yes. Does it have its own cafe? Yes. Does it have a revolving door? Yes (and I love revolving doors). But, despite all of this, I was not a fan of the Amazon bookstore.
A little bit of history: when Amazon first started selling books, independent bookstores everywhere were outraged. Not only did Amazon have the ease of delivering books right to people’s doors, they also undercut standard retail prices that independent bookstores have to use because Amazon doesn’t have to pay for a storefront. As Amazon took off, independent bookstores suffered horribly and a lot of them shut down.*
And now Amazon has opened a bookstore. Is it just me or does this seem like a massive "fuck you" to all the independent businesses that shut down because of Amazon? Amazon's whole selling point was that they could undercut retail prices by not having a storefront and now they have...a storefront. In one of the most expensive areas of New York City no less.
"But why did you review a bookstore that you didn't like?" I wanted to review Amazon Books specifically to draw attention to the plight of independent bookstores. Bookstores have been a family business for many people throughout the ages but, with the rise of big-box stores such as Barnes and Noble and online retailers like Amazon, this tradition is suffering. I'm not huge on tradition but I think bookstore are important as an escape and there is a human element to that escape. There's nothing better than going to a bookstore where the person behind the counter knows and loves the books there. Large chains and online retailers take the passion out of books and the process of buying them.
Moral of the story: shop independent wherever you can. Passionate people make buying a book so much more enjoyable.
Shop independent and happy crapping, folks!
*https://www.npr.org/2018/03/29/598053563/why-the-number-of-independent-bookstores-increased-during-the-retail-apocalypse
