So you thought the day of the physical retailer was over, eh? That sites like Amazon and the like had put the ability to wander in off the street for a browse in the fiction section in peril?
Well, Amazon have well and truly managed to confuse us all by opening their first physical bookstore, over twenty years since its website first launched and was accused of killing the…errr, bookstore.
Although the web retailer already has a small number of physical stores - including one on a college campus in Indiana opened earlier this year - the one opening today in Seattle is its first physical bookstore. It's opening in Seattle's University Village, but it's a permanent location - not just a pop-up shop.
It won't be run 100% traditionally, however; they'll decide what to stock by relying on data pulled from their website, including customer ratings, sales totals, and Goodread's popularity. They'll also stock Kindles and various e-Readers, although the emphasis will be on books.
All in all, you could say that's a turn up for the books.
(Sorry.)
