Amazon.Com VS. The Neighborhood Bookstore
Apr 17 '01
The Bottom Line Supporting a local shop is a wonderful thing if the local shop is worth supporting.
While many “Main Street USA”’s have fallen victim to outlet malls, catalogue shopping, and all of the other shopping options we enjoy today, my town has been lucky. For whatever reason, our Main Street is not plagued with empty storefronts – we have actual stores. While most are gift shops (my friend complained that she could buy candles in 9 different stores but there was not one place to buy socks for her kids), the people of my town try very hard to support them so that we can continue to have an attractive downtown. I do what I can - there is a dress shop in which I buy practically every special occasion dress, and I usually get my prescriptions filled at the drugstore (it still has an old-fashioned soda fountain.)
We have a bookstore and many people love it and its friendly owner. It has an adorable name and this cute little clapboard shop built in the 1800’s helps the heart of Main Street looks ever so precious.
But I really hate it. I buy my books at Amazon.com.
The things I dislike about our neighborhood bookstore are probably things that the owner feels are necessary to stay in business. For instance, it seems like she carries more coffee table books and children’s books that seem more toy than book than real books, but maybe nobody buys the real books from her. All I know is that life is too short and I’m not shopping there just to shop there – if a small business owner wants my business I’ll meet them more than half way, but they have to give me something for my trouble.
Amazon.com gets my business for many reasons:
Amazon.com is more flexible and yet there are not as many variables in customer service issues. When I used to buy books at the neighborhood bookstore much of the experience depended on who waited on me. The return policy was ambiguous and I was never sure how special orders or markdowns were going to work. Years ago, when Bonfires of the Vanities was on the New York Times Best Seller List, I went into the local store to buy it. They didn’t have a copy, but told me they’d order it for me. The following week when it came in and I went to pick it up, the store was having a sale – every in-stock book was 10% off. I felt that because the book I bought should have been in stock in the first place, it wasn’t an obscure book, and they’d ordered a dozen more along with mine to put on the shelf, I should receive the discount. They said “no” because they considered it a “special order”. I didn’t argue, but it bugged me. For a regular customer like I had been, I didn’t think giving me 10% off would have been a big deal and it would have made me happy. If the local store wants to compete, it could start by improving the customer service and being nicer to the customers.
At Amazon.com I never have to take somebody’s attitude along with my book. Again, variables at Amazon.com do not exist because their data bank is less likely to have a bad day than the staff at the local place, a group of apparently bored and boring housewives that got jobs there because they think it makes them seem intellectual. Once my entire book group was buying the book we’d chosen from them. They didn’t have enough for all of us, so they said they’d get more, and they’d call those of us that had not yet received one when they came in. (They said about a week) I waited until about a week before the book group was to meet, and they hadn’t called me but I knew I’d better get started reading, so I stopped by the store to see what was going on. They said that the books had come in but that my name was not on the list and they’d run out again. I was irritated, but when they asked if I wanted them to order another, I said “no” that it wouldn’t give me enough time to finish the book and I’d get one from the Border’s Bookstore in the next town. When I got home from the Border’s there was a message from the local shop on my machine, “Mrs. WendyD, your book has arrived and you can pick it up at your convenience.” When I called to say I already had bought another copy; guess what they said? They told me that since they’d ordered the book I’d have to pay for it. I refused, and never went back. I honestly don’t need that kind of aggravation - My husband, although dear to me in many ways, gives me enough of it. And if I had ordered in the first place from Amazon.com I would have received the book in 4 or 5 days.
I still get personalized service from Amazon.com. I love how they give suggestions according to recent things that I’ve ordered. And the information I can receive about my account on their site is very complete, telling the dates and status of my orders.
Amazon.com almost always costs less. I just did a little experiment. I looked at my account at Amazon.com and wrote down the last six books I’d bought from them. Then I took the list to the local store to see if they had the books and how much they cost. They had 2 of the 6 ( I was actually surprised about that). The 4 that they did not have they could order, but it would take a week (longer than it takes me to get books from Amazon.com). All of the books cost less including shipping and handling at Amazon.
At Amazon.com it is easier to find books even if I don’t know the author and the title I have is half wrong. If you have a couple of the words in the title, Amazon will come up with possibilities (sometimes hundreds, but at least you can look).A clerk at the local store might want to help, but they just don’t seem to have the resources, and you’re on your own. In the process, at Amazon.com, browsing is an adventure. I love surfing around their seemingly limitless databank, discovering things I’ve never heard of, listening to the music samples, and reading customer reviews from books I’m interested in.
And at Amazon.com, I can shop at 3:00 AM and in my PJs. The local store just hates it when I do that!
Amazon.com will keep trying to locate my hard to find requests. Several times books have arrived that I’d given up on and even forgotten I’d asked them to locate. On a really personal note, they donate to Oprah’s Angel Network, something I consider a worthy cause.
If you have a neighborhood bookstore that meets your needs, I’m happy for you, but I’ll bet you’re in the minority. I support Amazon.com because I want them to stay in business. I buy a lot of books and I don’t want to have to go back to the unsatisfying experience of relying on my neighborhood bookstore.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
WendyD3520
|
|
Reviews written: 56
Trusted by: 53 members
About Me:
EPINION FRIENDS: PLEASE SEE MY LONG BIO FOR A MESSAGE
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.