Er, Amazon is opening a physical bookstore
Online retailer has been blamed for the decline of traditional bookstores
Internet giant Amazon, whose rise has been blamed for the decline of traditional bookstores, is opening, erm… a traditional bookstore.
In a move akin to Margaret Thatcher setting up stall as a milk-seller, the online giant has announced the opening of the store in Seattle, USA.
The surprising news was announced by vice-president Jennifer Cast, who claims that the store “integrates the benefits of offline and online book shopping.”
Whilst this promises a futuristic store, with drones hovering above your head delivering books for you to browse, the reality seems a little less exciting. Prices in the store are matched with the website, and shelves will feature book reviews taken from the site.
Amazon’s latest foray into the book market coincidentally comes after the announcement last month that Waterstones will stop selling Amazon Kindles, with managing director James Daunt saying they were "getting virtually no sales".
With physical book sales still in decline, it remains to be seen whether or not this new store will survive competition from its giant online rivals, such as Alibris, AbeBooks, and, of course, Amazon.com!
