Theos-Talk Archives (March 1997 Message tl00103)

ramadoss@eden.com wrote:
> Discount on-line book ordering is on the horizon. At this time
> www.amazon.com is the largest on-line book seller and I believe they
> discount anywhere between 20-30% on hardbacks and best sellers.
>
> Barnes & Noble and Borders are about to launch their www on-line ordering.
> Barnes & Noble is planning to offer 20% or more discount on all books. This
> would put them on par with such discounters in the US as Book Stop which
> offer 20% or more.
>
> I would be looking forward to the shoot out between these large outfits and
> we the consumers would be the beneficiaries.

	Will the consumers be the beneficiaries? When the big discounters, with
their access to better access to new books and bulk discounts, so they
can sell books at what it costs for the small, specialty bookstores,
they will drive the small bookstores out of business (just about the
only esoteric bookstores left in New York City are those which are part
of a larger organization, such as the Quest Bookshop, Open Center, and
East/West Books). But the national discounters are much more vunerable
to attacks by the religious right.

	If this trend succeeds, prepare to find no outlet in which to buy books
like THE SECRET DOCTRINE or THE MAHATMA LETTERS.

	Bart Lidofsky