wraggster
March 11th, 2007, 16:56
Partially due to the book's high cost, over a quarter of independent booksellers in the UK have chosen not to stock Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The book's sticker price, $34.99, is roughly twice the $17.99 cost of Sorcerer's Stone when it was published by Scholastic in 1999.
Independent booksellers are also unable to offer the extraordinary discounts being advertised by major retailers (Amazon is offering 46% off, Costco 50% off, Borders 40% off and Walmart 49% off.) To these retailers, Deathly Hallows is what is called a "loss leader" - it drives traffic to the store. The companies' profits take a big hit from the actual sale of the book, but they make their money from the sale of other items customers purchase while shopping.
Independent booksellers are also unable to offer the extraordinary discounts being advertised by major retailers (Amazon is offering 46% off, Costco 50% off, Borders 40% off and Walmart 49% off.) To these retailers, Deathly Hallows is what is called a "loss leader" - it drives traffic to the store. The companies' profits take a big hit from the actual sale of the book, but they make their money from the sale of other items customers purchase while shopping.