Cost v Value…or ‘how much is too much?’
Posted under Material things I love, Witterings
I have recently rediscovered the delicious treat of buying books from a Real Bookshop, one with walls and shelves and books which you take home in a bag, not books that Postman Andy delivers in boxes branded ‘Amazon’. I love Amazon, don’t get me wrong, I love it for its speed, its range and, of course, its prices. There is no way around the fact that buying books from a bookshop and, especially, a local independent bookshop is substantially more expensive than having a quick Amazon fix. And my local bookshop is an indepedent; nothing is discounted, no ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ offers. You pay the price that’s printed on the back of the book, no exceptions.
When you look at the figures it’s hard to justify my new found love. A recent trip resulted in Sex & Stravinsky (Barbara Trapido), The Secret Intensity of Everyday Living (William Nicholson) and The Man Who Disappeared (Clare Morrall). Cost? £27.97. Ouch. The Trapido was £11.99, kind of pricey for a paperback? Cost via Amazon? £17.14. I can’t be bothered with the maths but even a total maths dunce like me can see that a book fix of £17.14 is a long, long way from one costing £27.97.
But then how do you account for the ‘value’ of shopping in a bricks and mortar shop, the pleasure of browsing…picking books up, rifling through them…letting yourself be entranced by beautiful covers or typeface…being persuaded by personal recommendation…picking up what other people seem to be drawn to. All those elements have a value that are above mere ‘cost’. But is it worth the additional spend?
Our local bookshop is small, so every inch of the shop has to earn its keep. But the owner, and the staff, are all passionate about books and seem to have a knack of presenting their wares in a way which means I absolutely CANNOT leave the store without at least one or two books I had no intention of buying. The back of the shop is a coffee shop, of course, and the rest of the shop is lined with shelves with the exception of two large round tables. The tables are my downfall. The tables are the shop’s ‘candy’ as far as I’m concerned…a rotating presentation of new books, themed books (currently cool camping/caravaning, sewing, crochet, knitting, crafting etc etc), topical books, local books, seasonal books. The tables, plus a small selection of ‘recommended by our staff’ are the shop’s only ‘hard sell’ opportunity really although their window presentations are exceptionally appealing. Their final punch in the stomach is by the till, ‘This month we are reading’ and a copy of the shop’s book club’s ‘book of the month’. I’ve been ‘had’ at least twice that way…both happy experiences I am delighted to say.
Without doubt the shop experience delivers a value to me. I’ve read books I never would have even considered on Amazon as a result of their careful presentation. I bought books as gifts which I never would have stumbled across on Amazon, and which have been huge hits. I’ve spent a number of carefree half an hour or so browsing which online shopping can never compare with. Plus, whilst Amazon is quick, nothing compares to the adrenalin ‘high’ you get from walking out of the shop clutching your purchases immediately.
What I can’t decide though is…’how much is too much’? How much of a premium am I prepared to pay for the ‘value’ offered by the whole experience of shopping in a local bookshop? £27.97 compared with £17.14 seems painfully expensive. But, then, I didn’t know Barbara Trapido (one of my very favourite authors) had published a new novel and I was so excited to happen upon it on one of the Siren Tables and it’s a total winner. The other two were bought on impulse. I’m ploughing through The Secret Intensity of Everyday Living and thus far it’s not earning a place on my ‘to keep forever’ shelf. A bit disappointing to be honest.
A few days later two other books had found their way on to my Amazon wish list, on the recommendation of Grethic. I mulled on it for a few days and decided to see if the local bookshop stored them and, if they did, I would buy them there. In fact neither Wild Swimming (Daniel Start) nor Wild Swim (Kate Rew) were on the shelves. I could have ordered them of course, but there was a nagging sense that I would end up ‘overpaying’ for them without having had the ‘value added’ experience of either just happening upon them whilst browsing, or having the pleasure of an ‘immediate hit’.
A quick search on Amazon showed I will save myself £10.01 if I buy from them, rather than the local bookstore. Around 50% in fact.
I’m so undecided on the whole ‘cost v value’ issue that I haven’t bought them at all. Perhaps I’ll try the library and save myself the moral dilemma! Of course none of my musings have touched on the value of a local independent that goes beyond my own, personal gain. Because there is a wider, community value of shopping locally without a doubt. And if you choose to live in a small town, as I do, do you have a responsibility to be part of keeping local business alive? Hmmm.
I don’t have the answer. I can’t decide whether to stop buying on Amazon and either suck up the cost of buying locally, or limit my purchases to ‘essentials’ and perhaps making better use of the library and the Oxfam secondhand bookshop which is opposite. Or find a kind of happy medium…perhaps Amazon for Things I Know I Want…and local bookshop for ‘browsing hits and gifts’.
What do you do? I would hate not to have access to wonderful, thoughtful independent bookshops…but can I afford to shop there consistently? Or is the value added so great that, in fact, we as a community can’t really afford not to?
Discuss.
