What's happening to bookshops?
I read with a tinge of sadness in the news recently that the
Whitcoulls flagship store in Queen St, Auckland is closing down. It's
not a big surprise - Queen Street rents are astronomical and Whitcoulls
have struggled in recent years just like other book chains with the rise
of Amazon and buying online.
I worked at this store for a number of years as a shop assistant. I enjoyed the excitement of working in a big store and being around books as well as magazines, DVDs and luxury pens. I remember the buzz of a new Harry Potter release, politicians and All Blacks coming in for book signings and how we sold Dan Brown by the truckload one Christmas. The staff there were great to work with and passionate about their jobs. Now that building will become a Farmers. What will happen to all those staff I wondered, some of whom have worked at that store for many years?
I've noticed (sadly) how over the years Whitcoulls have become less and less of a bookshop and more of a one stop gift shop that competes with the Warehouse. When I worked at the flagship store a few years ago there were books on both the ground floor and first floor. But when I last visited I saw that all the books had been moved to the ground floor, meaning they would have had to have dumped a lot of stock, mostly non-fiction. It was no doubt a sensible business move as I know lots of those books sat there on the shelves for a long time. What sells it seems is stationery, Lotto tickets, toys, chocolate and other gifts, not books.
It pains me to see that bookshops are steadily going the way of CD stores and disappearing. I remember when Borders on Queen St closed down and was replaced by a burger joint. I used to like going in there at night (they used to be open till 10pm) to browse the new books and read magazines. Dymocks have also gone. One reason I believe for their demise is the high price of books in New Zealand. For example Desert God by Wilbur Smith is currently $35 in trade paperback but it's only $USD14.31 for the Kindle version. The bestseller Gone Girl is $28 here but at Waterstones in the UK it's only £6.74.
The truth is I hardly buy print books anymore myself. I bought a Kindle recently and I have been impressed with the user experience. It's ideal for taking on holiday. The books are much cheaper than buying in print and the choice on Amazon is vast with millions of titles to choose from, all just a click of a button away. Out-of-copyright classics like Ulysses are free. Kindles have come down in price too with the latest model the PaperWhite WiFi 4GB available here for well under $200.
I wonder who buys Lonely Planet guides anymore when we have travel apps like Trip Advisor? Who buys cookbooks when recipes can be googled? Nobody uses print encyclopedias anymore and the Encyclopaedia Britannica is now only available online. I think however there will always be a place for children's' picture books - nothing beats the experience of holding and reading a picture book with a child.
At least we still have independent book stores like Unity and Arcadia which seem to be surviving better than the chains. But will there be any bookshops left in ten years time? I hope so.
I worked at this store for a number of years as a shop assistant. I enjoyed the excitement of working in a big store and being around books as well as magazines, DVDs and luxury pens. I remember the buzz of a new Harry Potter release, politicians and All Blacks coming in for book signings and how we sold Dan Brown by the truckload one Christmas. The staff there were great to work with and passionate about their jobs. Now that building will become a Farmers. What will happen to all those staff I wondered, some of whom have worked at that store for many years?
I've noticed (sadly) how over the years Whitcoulls have become less and less of a bookshop and more of a one stop gift shop that competes with the Warehouse. When I worked at the flagship store a few years ago there were books on both the ground floor and first floor. But when I last visited I saw that all the books had been moved to the ground floor, meaning they would have had to have dumped a lot of stock, mostly non-fiction. It was no doubt a sensible business move as I know lots of those books sat there on the shelves for a long time. What sells it seems is stationery, Lotto tickets, toys, chocolate and other gifts, not books.
It pains me to see that bookshops are steadily going the way of CD stores and disappearing. I remember when Borders on Queen St closed down and was replaced by a burger joint. I used to like going in there at night (they used to be open till 10pm) to browse the new books and read magazines. Dymocks have also gone. One reason I believe for their demise is the high price of books in New Zealand. For example Desert God by Wilbur Smith is currently $35 in trade paperback but it's only $USD14.31 for the Kindle version. The bestseller Gone Girl is $28 here but at Waterstones in the UK it's only £6.74.
The truth is I hardly buy print books anymore myself. I bought a Kindle recently and I have been impressed with the user experience. It's ideal for taking on holiday. The books are much cheaper than buying in print and the choice on Amazon is vast with millions of titles to choose from, all just a click of a button away. Out-of-copyright classics like Ulysses are free. Kindles have come down in price too with the latest model the PaperWhite WiFi 4GB available here for well under $200.
I wonder who buys Lonely Planet guides anymore when we have travel apps like Trip Advisor? Who buys cookbooks when recipes can be googled? Nobody uses print encyclopedias anymore and the Encyclopaedia Britannica is now only available online. I think however there will always be a place for children's' picture books - nothing beats the experience of holding and reading a picture book with a child.
At least we still have independent book stores like Unity and Arcadia which seem to be surviving better than the chains. But will there be any bookshops left in ten years time? I hope so.
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