Monday, January 14, 2013

Memo to the guy scanning books with his cell phone in our science section

You can now browse books before you buy them from amazon at one of amazon's new retail showrooms! There's one in the 1300 block of Ninth Street...





4 comments:

Jeff Hall said...

It is antipathy for customers that has driven people TO online retailers like Amazon. Even when our first and best instinct is to shop locally. Why not ask if you can help Science Guy find something, suggest some new science books Science Guy might enjoy or, you know, add value somehow to the shopping experience Science Guy had in your store? There is a reason Amazon is growing and locally owned bookstores are dying and it isn't because Science Guy looked up some reviews on his phone.

Unknown said...

He might be using Goodreads, which also allows you to add books by scanning the barcode. It's how I remind myself what I want to buy when I'm no longer broke.

Unknown said...

Honestly I've used Amazon to search books, reviews, etc. so I can then come in to the Regulator and buy the book - Goodreads too!

Anonymous said...

I don't know if I am THE guy you speak of, but I have scanned barcodes at your store, even in your science section. I am a member of your store, even though I live in Carrboro and rarely get to visit to take full advantage of my membership. I usually scan barcodes at your store, and others, because I have a ridiculously poor memory and there are literally thousands of books I want to read. I scan them using bookcrawler, to a "WishList" that I keep handy on my phone - iPhone to the rescue! I've visited Flyleaf in Chapel Hill and used the wishlist to get a book that I had seen earlier at B&N but couldn't afford that day. Just because you have it on your shelf today doesn't mean I have money in my pocket today. So when I come up to you, pull out my phone, and ask for a book, please show some understanding - I have a Kindle, but I also buy a lot of books from Independent book stores, including yours.