Story Time
Have you heard about Borders, the giant bookshop company in the UK that has declared bankruptcy? Incidentally, did you know that Angus and Robertson are also owned by the Borders group? Angus and Robertson have been known as the mainstream, chain bookstore in Launceston for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve avoided shopping there if I possibly can. There are a bunch of reasons why: their books are mostly dearer, their range is limited and their service is fast-food style.
I have a theory about why it’s the big bookshops that are hardest hit by the shift to digital media. Want to hear what it is?
There are 4 sorts of people who buy books. There are the students, the elite reader, the ‘consumer’ and the bookworm.
The student will buy books wherever they’re cheapest – often at a local bookstore that offers student discounts, or caters to school book lists. In Tassie, that would be Birchalls. Uni students are much more likely to buy at the bookstore on campus – usually at decently reduced prices – or shop online for second-hand text books. Younger students buy the books because they have to, and their parents usually make the decision for them, so it’s whatever’s easiest in the back-to-school rush. Older students are stereotypically strapped for cash, so the discounts are their door to a decent library.
The elite reader is, quite plainly, a bit of a snob. She might know exactly which book she wants to buy, but she’ll go to the little bookshop around the corner, where they use recycled paper bags and have art prints on the walls. She’s looking for a personalised service, for someone who can get to know her and recommend the latest obscure piece of literature that she might enjoy. Her bookshelves at home are divided into neat rows featuring the nicest book covers available – and in hardback whenever possible.
The consumer-driven reader is almost the exact opposite of the elite reader. His bookshelf (if he has one) has some precariously stacked Harry Potter books next to the Twilight series and a few Dan Brown titles. He’s the one who will read whatever the latest craze is – a new film adaptation? He’s probably bought the novel, and read a few chapters before resigning it to the shelf. He’ll shop wherever they sell the latest releases, and cheaply – the most likely stores for this reader to hit are Target or Kmart.
The bookworm is a bit of a jumble of all the other three. She’s probably a regular at the local bookshop around the corner, knows the uni bookstore like the back of her hand, and intuitively knows which local store will have a book at the cheapest price. She’s not above shopping at department stores for a bargain book she’s been waiting for, but she’ll spend hours finding the perfect gift for a friend at the one-man bookstore down the street. She knows the best online book stores with free shipping. She’s also a big fan of the local library, and she can tell you at least five books you totally should read this week.
Of course, there are the in-betweeners, the ones who do shop at Borders, because they couldn’t care less, and they need to buy a book with the minimum of fuss. But I truly think they’re a minority among bookshoppers. Buying a book is somehow a huge decision, one that reflects your personality and your tastes, and that stays with you for years. A book becomes a part of you, of your experiences and your memories. I can remember buying books because they were cheap, and right next to the bus stop, and I’ve regretted buying them, because they just weren’t the right kind of book for me. No one is going to leave that big a moment to the chancy hands of a multinational chain company!
So anyway, which type of book buyer do you most identify with?