Amazon is Changing the face of Book Sales Yet Again

Rumor has it that Amazon is getting into the brick and mortar book business big time. Mall reps and human resources rags are talking about it and articles are popping up all over the place calling attention to it. What will it mean for indie bookstores to have the largest retail book giant in the neighborhood? Well, what did it mean for the locals when B&N moved in and eventually out? Given the diversification of the lines sold at B&N and the rebranding as stores akin to libraries sporting coffee shops and other push-in offerings that keep potential customers milling about for hours at a time, there’s still hope for an unsullied bookstore. Will Amazon fill that role thereby ousting smaller shops once and for all? Well, it remains to be seen where these shops will open. Right now, it’s Seattle, Wa. and word is hot on a new location in La Jolla, Ca. As test sites we’ll all begin to see the kind of technology that will be put in place. Lips are flapping about eliminating the checkout process with data on the book/item being transmitted alternatively. I bet there will be a 3D printing and filling stations for Kindles as well. As far as the imagination can take us, knowing Amazon is never afraid to be the trendsetter.