Last weekend, Julie Bosman at the NY Times addressed a nefarious shopping trend that’s plaguing bookstores: “showrooming.” The term means browsing in a brick-and-mortar store, finding a book you like, and then using your smartphone to buy it online, and “probably at a steep discount from the bookstores’ archrival, Amazon.com.”
Bosman isn’t just pointing fingers at the e-commerce giant; she’s got figures to back her up.
“According to [a] survey, conducted in October by the Codex Group, a book market research and consulting company, 24 percent of people who said they had bought books from an online retailer in the last month also said they had seen the book in a brick-and-mortar bookstore first.
Thirty-nine percent of people who bought books from Amazon in the same period said they had looked at the book in a bookstore before buying it from Amazon, the survey said.”
Now, with the holiday shopping season upon us, Amazon has announced they’re taking $5 off purchases that are scanned in brick-and-mortar stores via their Price Check app for smartphones. “While Amazon’s applications and its $5 incentive can be viewed as friendly to consumers, physical retailers will see it only one way — as an attack,” writes Tricia Duryee at AllThingsD.com.
Amazon is a business, and they’ll do what’s best for their bottom line. But consumers shouldn’t undermine independent businesses by helping larger companies snipe their sales. Showrooming isn’t bargain hunting, it’s taking advantage of the careful curation and expertise of booksellers and other small business.
It is difficult — if not impossible — for independent booksellers to compete with Amazon’s prices. And it’s difficult for shoppers — especially during the holiday season — to turn down a deal. But when we do our Christmas shopping, we should think of this not just as the season of giving, but as the season of giving a shit. Because when we buy from an independent bookseller, we’re supporting a community that actually cares about books and that’s the real bottom line.
For those looking for the convenience of online shopping, check out the website of your local indie bookseller (Manhattan’s McNally Jackson, for example, offers in-store pick-up, will hand deliver anywhere in lower manhattan for free, or fed-ex for anywhere else). You can also buy eBooks through many indie bookshops, like Word Brooklyn and Greenlight. Powell’s is also a great resource with a vast selection (we link to them in every book review we publish).
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– Benjamin Samuel is the Online Editor of Electric Literature. He spends too much time online and doesn’t need to do his shopping there.
Benjamin,
It seems odd that you’re so vehemently defending retailers and not consumers. Your logic implodes here: “But when we do our Christmas shopping, we should think of this not just as the season of giving, but as the season of giving a shit. Because when we buy from an independent bookseller, we’re supporting a community that actually cares about books and that’s the real bottom line.”
What? That’s not the bottom line; it’s just a bottom-thinking line. If I’m an out-of-work American, why would I spend twice as much on a book–a book!–especially one given as a gift, which I’m not even going to read, and chances are neither will the receiver, just to support the local bookstore?
One ought to think less about the well-being of retailers and more about the well-being of the American people and its economy.
Perhaps there’s a greater problem with Amazon’s lower seasonal prices than the fact that it burdens independent bookstores.
Even during a recession, the American workforce has benefited from seasonal employment.
Since Amazon shopping is done online, it doesn’t need to hire seasonal help to work the registers and stock the shelves.
This holiday season, physical bookstores that can’t match Amazon’s prices will undoubtedly be anticipating fewer in-store customers, and won’t need to hire as many seasonal workers.
People who rely on seasonal employment will be met with more competition over fewer jobs and many will not find work this holiday season.
Because fewer people will have jobs, there will be less money overall to spend on gifts, etc.
Therefore, because Amazon, an online retailer, offers lower prices this season, it has the collateral effect of depriving the American economy of several thousand much-needed seasonal employment opportunities, which in turn is detrimental to the economy at large (less money going out means less money going in).
Robert, I think we’re ultimately arguing the same point. I agree that to support the workforce or stimulate the job market, American consumers should spend money in brick-and-mortar stores and small businesses that hire workers based on the expectations of higher sales. At the very least, we shouldn’t be using a store (which costs business owners money to rent and staff) as a way to drive sales to larger businesses, especially, as you say, one that leads to fewer jobs. It might be more expensive, but you’re right that the ultimate cost is one that’s detrimental to the economy at large.
The argument isn’t unique to bookstores either, but I don’t think anyone (not even a bookstore) wants you to buy a book that no one will read. Especially one you’re giving as a gift. — Benjamin
It seems to me this could extend to any business competing against an online retailer, not just bookstores. Amazon’s offer to discount items scanned in a brick-and-mortar business, however, seems to move if not into unfair trade practices territory then at least into sleazy trade practices territory. Grinch indeed.
“why would I spend twice as much on a book–a book!–especially one given as a gift, which I’m not even going to read, and chances are neither will the receiver, just to support the local bookstore?”
Maybe a little more thought should go into present buying if they’re unlikely to read the book you bought them? Maybe you’d support your local bookstore because you like buying books for people that are unlikely to read them? For the unemployed – their friends & family should understand a lack of gifts, surely?
I think the likes of Amazon do take on seasonal staff though in their warehouses to cope with the seasonal demand, I think most businesses of that nature tend to.
With that said I do agree with you both!
Maybe it’ll come full circle, albeit too late, when the high streets shop units are derelict (a sad sight already happening in many towns)?
Damn, noticed a spelling mistake after clicking ‘post comment’! Should say ‘too late’ in the last sentence
[...] Amazon: How the Grinch Stole Christmas Sales [...]
[...] In case you haven’t overheard the outrage, Amazon is endorsing the nefarious practice of “showrooming” by offering discounts to holiday shoppers who essentially undermine brick-and-mortar stores (you can read our post about the controversy here). [...]