Blog @ Canadian Geek

Behind the Counter #203 - Chain book stores, good or bad?

Posted on 2008 under Behind the Counter

Barnes & Noble, one of North America’s largest book chains, has shown a larger than expected loss in the 3rd quarter of this year, $18.4 million. As such, they will be scaling back on purchases of just about everything including, as the news peoples like to differentiate, manga and graphic novels.

No big shock there, really. As newscasters constantly report on the “global economic crisis”, striking fear into the hearts of Joe Six-packs across the land who then curl up in a ball and cower in the corner with their socks full of dollar bills, it was only a train coming from a mile away that consumer spending would be down and, as such, non-essential sectors would be affected severely.

And no, I do not solely blame the news for the collapse of the US economy (I mostly blame unions) but I do blame them for blowing things up and striking fear into the general public instead of offering realistic, helpful advice to keep things moving along in the retail market. Of course, this discussion could ramble on for weeks so I’ll circle the wagons back the point of the topic, are chain book stores good or bad?

Just like everything else in this crazy world, ask ten people involved in an industry one question and get ten different answers. This, of course, is just one answer.

They are good. Now, why are people competing with my dollar, usually by undercutting the SRP, good for my business? Exposure. They expose comics to people who would never think of entering a comic shop to comics, reminding them that they are still being made and invoking moments of nostalgia. The advantages small book shops like us get from them, aside from the aforementioned, is that large chain book stores offer minimal selection and the staff, generally, are not people who specialize in that area and could be helpful in the ways of offering suggestions to people directly or make recommendations for gifts.

It’s like buying throw away shoes at Wal-Mart but when you need good shoes; you go to a specialty shoe store and get all the help you need.

So having B&N, and probably Amazon, Chapters and the rest, have a poor quarter does not help keep comics in as much of the limelight as I’d like. Anytime there are cutbacks, something suffers and as far as comics have come, they will probably be hit the hardest as they are the least respected. We do need chain book stores to do well, just not too well.

The stories of how once comics were everywhere are many and usually the biggest target as to why the industry isn’t as healthy as it used to be. While I could easily point the blame at many other issues that have brought things down, exposure is key and without it, we all suffer. With TV and film giving the medium a nice (and seemingly needed) bump, it’s essential to capitalize on comics being so much in the public eye. Buying (the right) comics as holiday gifts can go a long way into indoctrinating new readers or rekindling lost ones. Plus, it gives you another reason to talk geek at the family reunion over the holidays instead of just getting hammered and hitting on your cousin for three straight days…

Ahem.

Buy comics this Christmas. The end.

The Shepherd

Behind the Counter #203 - Chain book stores, good or bad?

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