I'm one of the many who has no problem with large, chain bookstores. I remember when all my city had was a tiny Crown bookstore, no larger than your average Starbucks. The first Barnes and Nobles was a revelation for me, and the six after that -- which don't even include the Borders that arose shortly thereafter -- were all welcome additions. But, like Matt, I recognize their advantages have largely been overwhelmed by the online booksellers. At this point, the brick-and-mortar book model seems to be leveraging the enjoyable atmosphere created by rows of books in order to subsidize the sale of expensive coffee drinks, wireless internet, and DVDs. At the end of the day, physical stores have fewer books, higher prices, and offer less useful information than virtual outlets. They're better for browsing, but without reviews and "other books you might like," worse for choosing. As Matt puts it, "[if] you don't need the book immediately, the practical advantages to shopping online are just enormous." And even that may end shortly, as the Kindle and similar devices make eBooks more viable. There is, after all, no real reason that text has to be printed on paper and carried around. Soon, you'll just download your book, and that'll be far quicker than driving out to the store.All of which I take to be a shame. I love bookstores, and spend a significant fraction of my time in them. When I go to Politics and Prose, I purchase books I don't need, partially out of a desire to simply donate to the store's continued operation. I keep trying to figure out a reason I believe bookstores will survive into the future, but it seems pretty clear that books will eventually be as mercilessly digitized as music, and most bookstores will close, just as most CD stores were shuttered long ago. Tell me why I'm wrong.(Flickr image used under a Creative Commons license from user EclecticLibrarian.) THE FUTURE OF BOOKSTORES.
I'm one of the many who has no problem with large, chain bookstores. I remember when all my city had was a tiny Crown bookstore, no larger than your average Starbucks. The first Barnes and Nobles was a revelation for me, and the six after that -- which don't even include the Borders that arose shortly thereafter -- were all welcome additions. But, like Matt, I recognize their advantages have largely been overwhelmed by the online booksellers. At this point, the brick-and-mortar book model seems to be leveraging the enjoyable atmosphere created by rows of books in order to subsidize the sale of expensive coffee drinks, wireless internet, and DVDs. At the end of the day, physical stores have fewer books, higher prices, and offer less useful information than virtual outlets. They're better for browsing, but without reviews and "other books you might like," worse for choosing. As Matt puts it, "[if] you don't need the book immediately, the practical advantages to shopping online are just enormous." And even that may end shortly, as the Kindle and similar devices make eBooks more viable. There is, after all, no real reason that text has to be printed on paper and carried around. Soon, you'll just download your book, and that'll be far quicker than driving out to the store.All of which I take to be a shame. I love bookstores, and spend a significant fraction of my time in them. When I go to Politics and Prose, I purchase books I don't need, partially out of a desire to simply donate to the store's continued operation. I keep trying to figure out a reason I believe bookstores will survive into the future, but it seems pretty clear that books will eventually be as mercilessly digitized as music, and most bookstores will close, just as most CD stores were shuttered long ago. Tell me why I'm wrong.(Flickr image used under a Creative Commons license from user EclecticLibrarian.) 
