Does anyone go to bookshops any more?

[Sofarris]

Hi Everyone,

I went into our local bookshop the other day for some final Christmas shopping and the place was like a ghost town. Last year it was rammed. Am I the only one who still uses bookshops?
I know lots of people are using Amazon and Ebay but does anyone feel like I do and find that it's better to go into a book shop?

What are your thoughts ladies?
x

Love bookshops
Haven't shopped on Amazon for ages maybe years.

We have an amazing independent bookshop near us. We buy quite a lot there, but it's not mainstream fiction, I buy that on amazon for my Kindle, but I buy unusual books, they get lots of authors visiting, so I either buy signed book at an event, or some of the stock of signed books afterwards. Lots of people got signed books for Xmas this year. It's also good for children's books, they have lots of hardback ladybird style books I buy DD to help with her reading. They don't seem to stock that much mainstream fiction, I think they know people don't buy it there. But it is my favourite shop in the world

You can get e-books at Waterstone's; I did when I had a voucher. It's a bit more faffy though.

But my friend owns an independent bookshop. So I do sometimes go there!

I go to bookshops still. The trouble is when I go there, I buy books.

Waterstones will give you a loyalty card which will give you whatever you have on it off any purchase. Also, they will stamp a card whenever you spend £10. So I tend to buy paperbacks in twos. Also click and collect can also give discounts. These incentives do help and I know that if we don't make the effort to support them we will be left with very restricted ranges of popular books in Supermarkets etc. I have a lot of books on my I Pad but have bought them also for DH as he dislikes reading on a tablet and I can't give up my I Pad for long stretches while he reads a book. I now tend to buy a book as there is something lovely about possessing one and you can hand them on to other readers.

Forgot to say that the stamped card when full will give you £10 off a purchase.

I love waterstones (no independent book shops available in my city centre sadly). When I am stressed out by city centre shopping, I go into waterstones and calm down looking at books. Yes, Amazon is cheaper (I only like real books not kindle), but DH usually buys me a waterstones voucher card for my birthday so I don't have to feel guilty about the money I am spending on books.

We have an Oxfam bookshop near us which I quite like going into, although its £££

We have a Waterstones which I love. I could spend all day in there.

My local bookstore is ace, I know because whenever I go in I always can't resist something. I buy physical copies of stuff I want to keep on the bookshelf. More throwaway fiction on the iPad

They are independent and have the best collection of moomin books and children's literature. The adult section is just edited really well so I always see something unusual that I like.

Guilty: I love Waterstones & other bookshop but I buy books from Amazon.

It's not just about discounts. It's more about the range of stock. You can normally get really obscure books, whatever author / topic you are after.

I am in Waterstones at least twice a week. Love spending my lunch break browsing books and buy too many.....

I've been trying to rein in my Amazon habit, not just because of what it's doing to the high street (although the thought of no physical bookshops is depressing) but because of how Amazon treats its staff to achieve those ultra cheap prices. We don't have a local independent bookshop any more and the range in our local Waterstones is pretty limited - if you know what you're looking for they can order it but browsing for stuff you've never come across is harder. I'd love to have a quirky book shop nearby with one or two copies of lots of interesting books instead of tables stacked high with three-for-two offers. Ideally with a cafe and a soft play at the back! In the meantime, for my Christmas book shopping I used Hive instead of Amazon - it's a great website, I found it just as fast and convenient as Amazon and almost as cheap, and your nominated independent bookshop gets a percentage of the sale.

Our local Waterstones is always busy. I love the Oxfam bookshop. I don't find them expensive in general.

I find if I really love a book I want to own a paper copy rather than have it on my kindle. Bill Bryson books for example.

I am trying to break my Amazon addiction, they really are an appalling company!

Can I recommend HIVE.

Hive.co.uk is where the two worlds of online purchasing and high street shopping collide. You love the ease and luxury of shopping online, but you don't want to see the bricks and mortar shops on the high street disappear. With hive, every time you make a purchase you are supporting your local independent shop as well, just by continuing to do what you love - buying your books, eBooks, entertainment and stationery online. Happy days.