Capitalism at Its Finest

post by Michelle Griep

It's no secret that Barnes and Noble has been floundering lately. Sales are off. Not as many customers. It's just easier to click on Amazon and get what you want delivered to your door.

But (and I've always got a big but) I came across an interesting tidbit of news over the weekend. Bookstores may be languishing yet they are by no means dead -- and will likely never become extinct. There are just too many book freaks out there (God love 'em) who need the tactile experience of browsing through shelves and fingering hard copies.

And Amazon is picking up on that. Last year they opened their first brick-and-mortar store in Seattle . . . and it's likely the first of many. The chief exec of General Growth Properties publicly stated that Amazon could possibly open up 300-400 more.

So, what do you think? Now that B&N is limping around like a duck with a broken wing, big bird Amazon may be swooping in for the kill. An interesting way to take out your competition, eh?

Whatever, it won't stop me from shopping at one should it open by my house. Survival of the fittest.