RE: Logistics.....what a waste of fuel and everything!!
Actually, that is a brilliant idea! Do you order from any of the wholesalers when you are here? I'm guessing Bertram's would be the most advanced, although they built a new warehouse not too long ago. I seem to remember it had the ability to expand (like those gas storage containers), when they needed it to. I expect your idea will happen little by little as one company and then another tries it, driven by trying to reduce costs, much the same as e-books production progressed.
I think people will still like bookshops but one of their major functions already seems to be as a showroom for books that are then bought through the Internet. Although I think last year was the first time paper book sales were higher than digital books, and there is a roaring trade in secondhand books.
We don't order from Bertram's as we're only a small business and to be honest, using Snazzle (in Leicester) and Red House and even bargains at Home Bargains and the Works we can buy in cheap enough to ship and sell here. We also using discount vouchers, collect points etc lol....
Most of our stuff is sold mail order. The only 'shop sales' we have are from parents of the kids we have over for Therapy or English classes. Sadly these days, books are always kept in plastic bags to protect them, in the proper bookshops too, at least with the foreign books.
We also buy a lot of S/H books in UK and love the fact they get recycled amongst users. This also happens here and the wife reads probably 10 Thai books a week! She is a hoarder though and although she puts them in our online S/H shop, she prices them NOT to sell lol!!
In the UK, it was very sad when Borders went out of business. I used to spend hours in a branch on a retail park just outside Leeds with a Starbucks in it. I bought a lot as well as using it as a library, but the clincher for me was they also sold a lot of World music and DVDs, I love French film noir as well as trying many other movies from all over the world. As for South American music, they had CD racks full!
Happy days. Times change. Not necessarily for the better or worse. Just different, but we adapt :-)
Yes, I miss Dillons for the same reasons, they used to have a massive bookshop and coffee shop here, over three floors, beautifl building. There's still Daunts in London, and Hatchards, I try and spend money there.