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general Bookstores becoming extinct


ManaMinori

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2 hours ago, Dreambiscuit said:

I'd hate to see brick and mortar bookstores go away, but unfortunately they probably will in time. Browsing books on a shelf is much more fun than searching a website. I like to feel a book in my hands and flip through it, smell the paper, enjoy the supple shape and texture. There will never be a good alternative for living in reality and experiencing these things first-hand, but sadly everything is virtual now. 

Libraries are unlikely to die off, though. They are funded by municipal governments, which is why you're able to borrow books or use the computers in libraries for free with a library card. One good thing about libraries is that they aren't just places to store books, but also allow free access to Wi-Fi and computers, use printers (though usually at a small price), or double as community centers to host local events or classes such as ESL, computer labs, or resume/application writing. Sometimes they are used as homeless shelters as well to keep them warm with temporary shelter for the night. Libraries aren't just helpful to the community but to low-income residents who may not have access to computers, printers, or Wi-Fi at home. 

The issue with bookstores is that the they are privately owned and companies are ultimately based off of the profit margin they get from running it, which makes it all the easier to cut service from towns or cities who most desperately need it, and may not necessarily be interested in actually helping low-income groups gain access to reading material. Even then it might be difficult for them to fully disappear, as there's still a market for collecting physical books, and as I said in a post years ago, some books like guidebooks, magazines, puzzle books, and children's books don't translate particularly well in electronic form. 

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15 minutes ago, Anneal said:

Libraries are unlikely to die off, though. They are funded by municipal governments, which is why you're able to borrow books or use the computers in libraries for free with a library card. One good thing about libraries is that they aren't just places to store books, but also allow free access to Wi-Fi and computers, use printers (though usually at a small price), or double as community centers to host local events or classes such as ESL, computer labs, or resume/application writing. Sometimes they are used as homeless shelters as well to keep them warm with temporary shelter for the night. Libraries aren't just helpful to the community but to low-income residents who may not have access to computers, printers, or Wi-Fi at home. 

The issue with bookstores is that the they are privately owned and companies are ultimately based off of the profit margin they get from running it, which makes it all the easier to cut service from towns or cities who most desperately need it, and may not necessarily be interested in actually helping low-income groups gain access to reading material. Even then it might be difficult for them to fully disappear, as there's still a market for collecting physical books, and as I said in a post years ago, some books like guidebooks, magazines, puzzle books, and children's books don't translate particularly well in electronic form. 

Books have been around for a fucking long time. And what's said here is in truth

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  • 3 years later...
7 minutes ago, Clawdeen said:

Its hard because I love going to bookstores but its so much cheaper to buy the books online. 

I feel the same way. I like going to bookstores in person, particularly smaller ones with plenty of secondhand books, but I have largely been using online sources like Abebooks, as it is often cheaper and more convenient. I do still visit and buy from bookstores every now and then, though.

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I do not like physical stores being phased out.

More specifically, however, I do not mind as much if the bookstore mostly sells, say, popular new fictions. I do mind it more if the bookstore sells older books on a wider variety of subject, and perhaps some books or editions of books that are [at least relatively] rare or obscure.

I have spoken numerous times about how I appreciate the various physical aspects of a book: its condition, the type of cover it has (especially if it is leather), texture and thickness of paper, if the old owner[s] left notes and marks, its smell (unless it smells like cigarettes), its age, whether its spine is straight or curved, etc.

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I hope not. I think big chains don't bother with book stores and honestly if you want a specific book there's no point. You'll only find it online. But I still like to go into the book store and browse.

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In my opinion, they will never completely die. They will eventually see a resurgence and find a new audience. Look at records, cassettes, physical media, it's going back up again. The CD was supposed to be the end all be all for physical format media and it and everything it replaced went down and now its on it's way back again.

Covid, in my opinion, helped some.

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There will always be a market for books so I doubt that they will ever go extinct. Sometimes they aren't always exclusively book related. Afterall, you do get some bookstores that also double as cafes. So culture, aesthetics and special interests will keep them around in one shape or form. At least I think and hope so.

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Everything is internet and email nowadays. It is how the world works. Technology moves on, and old gets replaced with new and “better things”.

 

It saddens me.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm surprised. I've seen a few Barnes and Nobles up in Connecticut. Yale's bookstore is a Barnes and Nobles, in fact! We also still have one in my home city. I wonder how it's staying afloat?

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