====================Quote from nitro:
"Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44926222
I understand how this will benefit authors in the short term, since they are cutting out middle men, in theory. But are we all really going to buy our books from AMZN only? Barnes and Noble is the only bookstore chain left, and imo there should at least be one place where we can go and be exposed to a large number of books, sit and have a cup of coffee, read a newspaper, peruse and buy books.
We are creating the next AT&T.

I do the same thing at Aston dealershipsQuote from jd7419:
Same reason people go to bestbuy. Check out the tvs side by side then order through amazon with their 30 day no questions return policy. The amazon buying experience is just better than anywhere else for many items.
Quote from cactus_trader:
I miss the social aspect of going to the bookstore. I used to live walking distance to boarders and I went frequently to browse around, have coffee, approach women, and I would buy books/magazines. It was nice to live across the street and I miss the bookstore. I think bookstores will continue to decline but a few will remain open in very popular locations.