Why do some people love the Independent Bookstores and feel bad about buying from Amazon & Barnes n Noble?

Answer 1

Hey Zak,

Mostly because there is a face at your independent bookstore that may live next to them or be related to them.

Amazon has no face - to them !
Barnes & Noble; they might recognise the face, but it's usually a kid that lives across town.

GUILT, I guess.

James

Answer 2

Independent stores might not have as large a selection as the national chains, but in this case bigger isn't necessarily better. You can find stuff at an independent store that may have been out of print for years and is nearly impossible to find. Plus you know the people who work there are fellow bibliophiles (like myself), and if you wander in with no particular book in mind, they can give you great recommendations, unlike the few times I went to a Barnes and Noble and the sales associate drew a complete blank. All she did was direct me to the fiction section. Independent stores just have a more friendly atmosphere.

Answer 3

Amazon and Barnes & Noble stock popular books, by current authors, and cheap books in classic series, where there are no longer author royalties to pay because the authors are dead so the books are in public doomain. In their defence, they will order a book for you, but that's a guaranteed sale, not a speculaltive offer.
Independent book stores frequently have a theme and stock a wide range of lesser known authors, along with the top authors in their field. Independents, too, will special order, but often you can browse through their shelves and find books you have never heard of, which won't happen with B&N or Amazon.

Answer 4

honestly, i like small bookseller's better because typically i walk into a store looking for unusual books. independent press books. old editions. that used booksellers always have a four for a dollar rack. I've gotten some of my coolest books for a quarter. typically independent booksellers know what they're talking about. i worked for one for a while and the woman who owned the store was the biggest bibliophile i've ever seen. I went into barnes and noble the other day and because I didn't want to wander around the store for an hour I asked the lady at the help desk where Charles Bukowski was classified. she said there wasn't any. I strolled over to literature to peruse and what do you know two shelves of bukowski. At my store, someone knew where every author was classified, because we did inventory, we stocked the shelves, we did everything.

Answer 5

Something I don't like about the larger chains is that there is no variety...classics (and no huge choice of titles here), latest release 'popular', and a whole lot of cooking/self-help/sport that I just don't give a damn about. Independent bookstores can specialise in a certain genre.

I also like the fact that while only one edition may be available through X chain store...an independent store may have an older edition or a less 'trade' edition...a little more physical class than -for example- trade paperbacks.

Answer 6

Probably for the same reason they feel bad about buying from Walmart instead of the independent retailers.
Let me tell you something, if you have what I'm looking for at a reasonable price and it's at a good location, more likely than not, I'm gonna buy it from you and I'm almost positive the general public feels the same way.

Answer 7

I just like the old family owned, "mom and pop", store feeling. I don't feel badly when buying from any of the others, but I do like supporting the small, independently owned, businesses in my community whenever I can. It's more personal, and a nice atmosphere to just browse around.

Answer 8

I guess its sympathy for the small guy. Personally I don't care where I get my books. If one place is cheaper than the other or if one place has more selection Im going to head to that store. personally I don't have time to be hopping around from store to store or waiting 3 weeks for a ma and pa store to order in the book i want to read.

Answer 9

not at all, till my final breath. we are all given a heart that tells, us how we sense, the 5 senses as human heart nicely-knownshows each and every thoughts we are in a position to locate, with our genuine thoughts the, hates ,pains, happiness. triumph, downfall. hurting, sorrow, aches, soreness, thoroughly happy, exhilaration, loving feeling.exceedingly in case you fall in love .or in love.

Answer 10

many readers are elitist who take themselves too seriously when in reality they're just like little emo kids who only buy from local record stores, it's just a sign of taking something WAY too seriously