The future of book stores in Australia is looking grim. As if the mass closure of retail chains Border’s Bookstores and Angus & Robertson across the country wasn’t ominous enough, the Australian Minister for Small Businesses, Senator Nick Sherry, has now voiced his prediction for the pending expiration date for an ancient trade (no joke – Aristotle and Plato were buying books approximately 2,500 years ago or thereabouts).
Yesterday at a conference in Canberra Sherry said, “I think in five years, other than a few specialty book shops in capital cities, you will not see a book store. They will cease to exist.” It’s a sweeping statement that needless to say has pissed off a lot of people who operate within this allegedly endangered industry.
Joel Becker, the chief executive of the Australian Booksellers Association, hit back at Sherry’s doom theory telling the abc “I was stunned to hear the statement because it has no basis in fact… Around Australia the bookshop forms a key part of the retail community and also the broader community – they continue to operate and operate profitably.”
Regardless of factual evidence, there’s no question that online retailers like Amazon.com have swept in to take over a huge part of the book buying market from bricks and mortar retailers. The main reason, I’d wager, is quite simply because it’s cheaper to buy books online. Books are expensive you guys. And the fact is, unless you are wealthy enough to be oblivious about your expenses, if there’s an item you want to buy and know for a fact that you can get it for a cheaper price from one particular stockist nine times out of ten you’re going to take the discount. It’s just common sense. Books are not investment items. An intellectual investment, perhaps. An investment in your personal fulfilment, sure (obviously you can’t put a price on the grubby, wear torn, snot stained books you read again and again) But unless you’re talking about the handwritten manuscripts of Herman bloody Melville, financially books only depreciate in value – so paying top dollar is a little hard to swallow.
The other reason online sales is increasingly profitable is because, unlike shopping for clothes or furniture, a book is something you don’t have to try on to see if it fits – and so you can take advantage of the convenience online shopping allows.
As lovely as it is to take a stroll through your favourite neighbourhood bookstore how often do you buy merchandise? – Do you believe the end really could be nigh for bricks and mortar bookstores?
Via The Daily Telegraph.
