One of my favorite bookstores, Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA, has a new sign up:
The sign is intended to remind patrons that buying books in indie bookstores—not just browsing there—is what keeps those stores alive. Explains the bookstore’s email newsletter:
The sign is in response to a growing trend at Harvard Book Store (and indeed at bookstores around the country). Folks come in, browse our shelves, get help from booksellers, attend our free events–but then make their purchases online at Amazon. If you like our store and enjoy our services, we’d ask you to think about the power of your purchases and their affect on our viability.
The sign is strikingly direct, but Harvard Bookstore might not have time to mince words. Another longtime local business, the stationery company Bob Slate, closed its doors last month after 80 years.
Do you ever browse books in your local store, then sneak home to purchase them online? Would a sign like this change your mind?
