Looking For An Affordable Online Bookstore?For the future, Gibson suggests that book discount online store stop listing a price in the dust-jacket of hardback books, allowing bookstores to set their own prices, some above a suggested price and others below, depending on local markets. The Locust book discount online store is one of the great prides of downtown Des Moines, but Gibson and Carson have some unpleasant things to say about it as well. The Book Store, under the terms of its lease, can't have to attract browsers and customers. The store used to advertise on local TV and in local publications, something that has been drastically curtailed because it is required to pay $490 a month to Locust Enterprises for general promotions that don't necessarily encourage demand for books. Some downtown promotional events actually attract customers away from the store during the all-important midday period, Carson says. Weekend business leaves much to be desired. "When The Book Store first opened, Saturday was our best business day, and no other day was even close," remarks Gibson. "Now, Saturday is our worst business day, and no other day is close. That's how much things have changed." Gibson thinks more consumers will again be attracted downtown, and he suggests free Saturday parking at ramps and garages to encourage the trend. Even best-selling hardback books don't usually sell in the hundreds or thousands locally. Indeed, a national best seller may count its totals in the tens of thousands -- not hundreds of thousands or millions. So Megan Carson's book orders seem surprisingly modest -- possibly 25 for Stephen King or Robert Ludlum books, fewer for Danielle Steele. Jane Fonda's most recent exercise book proved a disappointment in sales, says Carson. But she is optimistic that Garrison Keillor's forthcoming book, which will include his final Prairie Home Companion monologue, will sell very well, and Carson plans to order big on that one. The Book Store scores well with Des Moines businesses. Gibson says that an organization may hold a seminar requiring a certain book or a top executive may become excited about a book, wishing many subordinates to have copies. When this happens, orders for the books are often placed through The Book Store. Among business best sellers have been "In Search of Excellence," "The One Minute Manager" and "Iacocca." Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, Thackeray's and Coles often boast of the wide variety of book titles available. The Book Store has considerable diversity, including some offbeat stuff from British publishers. |