Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!cmcl2!adm!smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix
Subject: Re: Summary of responses regarding Jim Joyces Unix Bookstore
Keywords: books, unix, mail order
Message-ID: <13341@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Date: 11 Jul 90 20:03:03 GMT
References: <1581@stsci.edu> <37505@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD.
Lines: 24

In article <37505@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> lauther@janus.berkeley.edu (Ulrich Lauther) writes:
>Why is it that in civilized countries a bookstore gets you a book that is
>not in stock typically within 24 hours, but not so in the US?

Because marketing in the U.S. is primarily geared toward the lowest
common denominator.  It is very easy to find popular books and records,
far too easy in fact, since every store will stock those.  For anything
out of the ordinary the "chain" (mass market) stores are not set up to
help you; their economics depend on volume sales, not special service,
and their main goal is to make money, not to be of service.  There are
specialty stores, for example Computer Literacy Bookstores in the San
Jose area, Ray Avery's Rare Records in Glendale, and others scattered
around, mostly near population centers (because when a retail company
specializes, it takes a large population base to result in enough
specialty customers).

Special orders at chain stores that accept them are merely routed to
the distributor, who of course doesn't stock anything execpt best
sellers.  The distributor in turn has to add the special order to his
next batch order from the publisher, which may not occur for weeks
depending on what is in stock and on turnover at the stores.

On the other hand, I've ordered many books directly from the publisher.
They tend to have their own books in stock more often than distributors.