Have you noticed supermarket book sections getting smaller and less varied?

[MrsMoastyToasty]

I usually pick up new books from either Asda or a larger branch of Tesco. I'm not sure if it's my local stores but the amount of shelf space given over to books seems to get smaller every time I go. Have you noticed this too?

I've also found that I go to select a book -usually in paperback- and it's not a new book, just a reprint with a different cover.

I appreciate there's better places to buy books but sometimes I just want the convenience of adding a book to my weekly shop.

Because most people buy online, the only people I know who buy books in Tesco are retired

I hope so. I get that they're cheaper but I like to buy books in bookshops, and the supermarkets undercut them so ruthlessly.

Go to an actual bookshop. Yes it is slightly inconvenient, but you have the experience of choosing your books in a bookshop.

I do buy books from supermarkets for the price but the choice definitely has reduced in recent times

Yeah, I have more books in my house than they have in the book section(s) in Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsburys.

Its mostly celebrity writers now.

They’ve always mainly been the Triumph of the Laundry Girls / Christmas at the Little Pumpkin Spice Cafe type of books, haven’t they?

I've never really noticed supermarket book sections.

I don't often go to an actual supermarket as we do our big shop online and I've got mobility issues, so I like to keep my bandwidth for a decent browser in a bookshop. However, I was in the big Sainsbury's up the road the other day and was surprised by how little there was in the way of stock and choice - it really did come down to the Laundry/Pumpkin range. To be fair, the supermarkets know they can't possibly compete with even a tiny neighbourhood bookshop on variety, (let alone a full-sized Waterstones) but some people struggle to get to bookshops and rely on being able to pick up a paperback with their groceries.

Support your local bookstore

If you’ve got one.

And your library.

Yes, it's just the latest piece of drivel by Jordan or some dimbo from Love Island. In France, they sell classics in their supermarkets. Hard to imagine Tesco stocking Jane Austen and George Eliot and Virginia Woolf. Says a lot about the difference between us and France (sadly).

Interesting - in the U.S. book sold in supermarkets are really bottom-of-the-barrel.

I agree with the others here who said book stores are preferably - but I also buy used books at the library or even thrift stores.

I tend to think of supermarkets mostly having recipe books and then also bestsellers.

Vinted or an indie book shop rather than poor supermarket selection. Times have changed

Reprints of older books turning up in supermarkets seems to be a new thing - this only used to happen when there was a film or TV adaptation. I noticed it recently with "Pompeii" by Robert Harris. I assumed there was a film version coming out.

I'm retired and had no idea people buy books in supermarkets. My po sells books but I only know this because they're displayed in the queue. All my books come from amazon unfortunately.

I have bought supermarket books in the past but have definitely noticed the selection has been getting smaller. My two local Tesco stores used to have quite a lot of shelf space dedicated to books and offered a decent range. I used to have to control myself from buying too many books but these days I struggle to find anything that appeals.

My favourite supermarket seems to have plenty of books, both old and new. This is a probably a good thing, because we don't have a bookshop in the town anymore.

When I visit family where I grew up, it makes me sad to see that the (admittedly, small) supermarkets just don't sell any books at all. However, it does mean spending HOURS in a bookshop that is absolutely crammed with books old and new (including mountaineering ones on a shelf above the stairs).