I can't tell you how ecstatic I was when Amazon started up - I am a bibliomane, and although I loved bookshops it was so frustrating having to seek books that I knew existed - let alone the now pure joy of being offered almost instantly those books and even those I had not known about!
But one must beware of unintended consequences. It is one thing to browse Amazon and find titles which please; but it is completely another to browse a physical bookshop then order the book from Amazon, even if it is cheaper. That is stealing the service provided by the bookshop.
I was appalled when I heard that one of the columnists on the Guardian newspaper whose writing I enjoy admitted that she does this. I have heard of this behaviour not only with books: folks browse in all sorts of shops for the products they desire, then even in the shop itself will use their phones to check prices and order cheaper online instanta.
This is stealing service. If we keep doing it, especially during a time when it is difficult for retailers to maintain showrooms, then the retailers will hit the dust.
And, of course, one price we perhaps do pay by getting some goods more cheaply is that the retailer does not pay tax in our country, hence helping to deprive us of services - perhaps such as libraries.
Pause for thought (sketch piece from Diebenkorn, reverse applique 2006)
I do buy lots of books from Amazon, and browse and buy on Amazon. But, if I see a book in a bookshop I buy it there, because that shop did me the service of letting me see the whole book.
4 comments:
I am in full agreement with you about buying in shops. I am physically unable to go out and shop now so I do appreciate amazon, but prior to my troubles, I loved nothing better than spending hours upon hours in little used book shops over in my adopted (spiritual) home of Yorkshire, sitting down in amongst the stacks on tiny step-stools, reading bits and pieces out of ancient falling apart book, but always, in the end, carrying up a large stack of them to the cashier and happily walking out the door with my heavy plastic sacks of new-found treasures.
Such a thorny issue. I worked retail for awhile and it drove me nuts when people would come in, pump me for info, try to talk me into lowering prices by saying they'd seen it cheaper in another store. Then why in the heck didn't you just buy it there? I suspect because they couldn't get the info I was providing, or perhaps that store didn't have as much merchandise to compare. At any rate, I agree that you owe that storefront the extra for providing you the opportunity to really check over an item and benefit from salespeople's expertise. Oh yeah, and the instant gratification of purchase in hand.
Bex, I agree that online shopping is an incredible boon - I make use of it so much myself, especially as I have always hated shopping anyway, except book browsing.
Sheila, yes, it's the lack of appreciation of the value added by an informative sales person that I find so reprehensible. Nowadays so many people expect information for free. Well, they expect so much generally for free.
Maybe it's just a part of getting older (and wiser??) but I'm more reluctant - and even adamant - about not visiting "dodgy" shops and websites - the tax evaders, unethical producers, etc. And more inclined to shop locally, rather then making the (easy) journey into town.
There was a time when people "tithed" - gave 10% of their income to charity. Keeping this principle in mind might help the "thrifty" people to be a bit charitable when we consider price differentials between online and real stores.
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