I was chatting with a B&N store clerk the other week who hinted at this plan. Great to see it become official.
Their new “indie” approach sounds intriguing and akin to what Amazon Books tries to accomplish. In today’s world, the physical store can no longer compete with the web’s infinite selection, but can still offer value in curation and presentation.
Don’t know if B&N will pull it off but wish them the best. I love bookstores and would hate to see them die.
If anyone can pull it off, James Daunt (the new MD) can. He's done exactly the same at Waterstones in the UK and it's made a huge difference: the bookshops have gone from "competent but uninspiring" to places where you genuinely want to spend time. And money.
I like Daunt, he genuinely seems to like selling books and he's reasonably ruthless about achieving the goals to get a business to health. His approach definitely seemed like a shock to the system for the business and the staff but it's been incredibly successful long term.
> In today’s world, the physical store can no longer compete with the web’s infinite selection, but can still offer value in curation and presentation.
Could not agree more. I always feel like I'm taking a risk when ordering an item from Amazon, but never feel that way when shopping at say, Costco. I trust Costco's buyers to curate and vet the quality of a product for me.
Their new “indie” approach sounds intriguing and akin to what Amazon Books tries to accomplish. In today’s world, the physical store can no longer compete with the web’s infinite selection, but can still offer value in curation and presentation.
Don’t know if B&N will pull it off but wish them the best. I love bookstores and would hate to see them die.