General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Amazon Is Crushing Main Street and Threatening the Vitality of Our Communities [View all]HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)I should've but didn't also mention that support for monetary transactions via the internet, making possible credit card/debit card use from home, as opposed to sending checks or money orders through the mail, greatly facilitated Amazon.
It also facilitates direct sale from publishers who use that mechanism. And that's how I get academic books from Oxford, U of Chicago and Harvard, which were never on hand and always special order and much less convenient to purchase through bookstores.
I can place an order on-line and have a book in 3 days...even in the remote country-side of WI. 30 years ago that couldn't happen. It required a trip to a bookstore, a special order, and usually a trip back to the bookstore to pick up the book when it arrived 5-10 days later.
I have nothing against bookstores, I loved browsing them as much as I loved browsing library shelves. I miss them both. Digital books don't have the wonderful smell of discovery associated with finding a long overlooked gem waiting on a shelf.