In Book-Pricing Battle, How Low Can They Go?

[Are_grits_groceries]

Call it a penny war.

Target, the discount retailer known for its low prices on dish detergent, home furnishings and Isaac Mizrahi clothes, has entered the battle to bring down the price of some of the holiday season’s biggest anticipated hardcover books to the lowest possible level. And Wal-Mart, which started it all and has vowed to maintain the lowest prices, immediately fired back.

On Monday Target began offering customers who ordered any of six soon-to-be published books on its Web site the same $8.99 price that Wal-Mart has been offering since Friday for 10 titles on its Web site.

Wal-Mart.com had originally offered the books for $10, then dropped to $9 on Friday after Amazon.com had matched its $10 price. When Amazon also went to $9, Wal-Mart cut its price by just a penny. And sure enough, when Target.com, the newcomer to the price war, matched that $8.99 on six of the books, Wal-Mart responded on Tuesday by dropping its price on those books to $8.98.

Target says it soon will include the four remaining books on its discount list, as well.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/21/books/21price.html?ref=books

Once more into the breach.......

[virgogal]

1. The books will be the loss-leaders for the holidays.

[TheCoxwain]

3. However .. if you buy the electronic version of the book ... you wont go to the store and that by

definition will not be a loss leader

[virgogal]

4. True--but most gift sales will be the old-fashioned print variety.

[DJ13]

2. I went several years before I bought a book

I used to buy two or more paperbacks per month, when prices were $4.95 to $5.95.

With paperbacks now selling well above $10 I say its about time the prices were brought back down to reality.

[virgogal]

5. I only buy books as gifts---thank god for the public library for

my personal reading needs.

[imdjh]

6. Haslam's Books

For many, the appeal of books is simply irresistible. For Tampa Bay area bibliophiles, there are plenty of places to indulge that craving to read, admire and collect old tomes, but Haslam's Book Store stands out as a special destination. Here's why:

1. Haslam's is a page out of history.
In the midst of the Great Depression, in 1933, avid readers John and Mary Haslam opened a book store to offer customers gently used books and magazines at bargain prices. When the next generation took over, in the late 1940s, Haslam's Book Store was well on its way to becoming the largest independent book store in Florida. Long before the big chain book stores, generations of Tampa Bay area residents shopped Haslam's.

2. Customers lose track of time in Haslam's.
Part of Haslam's charm is its atmosphere. Walking down the long aisles of shelves brimming with new and used books, time tends to stand still. It's not uncommon for shoppers to temporarily forget their problems as they wander the 30,000-square-foot store admiring more than 300,000 titles. An adopted alley cat may scamper by at any given moment, and more than one customer has claimed to see a ghost looking for something to read.

3. It's hard to walk out of Haslam's empty-handed.
Haslam's started out with an inventory consisting mainly of used magazines and literature. As the store began to expand following World War II, nonfiction and technical books were added at the request of customers. Today, the store covers a wide variety of subjects, with special sections on history, religion and spirituality, travel and even writers' reference books. Elizabeth Haslam, who passed away in 2007, created the children's section and sponsored book fairs in area schools for many years. With such an impressive selection, it's a challenge to leave without picking up something to read.

4. Haslam's frequently hosts author signings.
As a Tampa Bay area institution, Haslam's attracts both local and national figures and hosts many author events and signings. A schedule lists upcoming events.

5. Haslam's stills sells books at bargain prices.
John and Mary Haslam set out to offer customers gently used books and magazines at bargain prices, and that tradition continues today. A simple concept that never yielded to the kind of greed that often accompanies success, three generations of the Haslam family have upheld the founders' principles by making quality reading books accessible to the general public at affordable prices.

[taterguy]

10. Those damn book speculators are keeping the price artificially high

[peacefreak]

7. Say good-bye to more Independent Bookstores.

They are hurting already. This could be their death knell.

[Ron Green]

8. Support independent booksellers!

Don't buy at Wal-Mart or Walden, Target or Borders.

There is a price to pay when prices are too low.

[Occam Bandage]

9. ...

[LynneSin]

11. It's just the excuse to sell Sarah Palin's screed for $8.99

http://www.amazon.com/Going-Rogue-American-Sarah-Palin/dp/0061939897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256159131&sr=8-1