Superstores

The interior of a Barne's & Noble, featuring full bookcases and furniture for leisure reading.

Also referred to as big-box stores, superstores are book retailers that are stand-alone buildings. When they first came into the world of retail, they were independent stores rather than chains and were frequently in big cities instead of suburban areas. These large stores allowed for more stock, and therefore more options, than bookstores within malls because of all the space.

Superstores changed the book shopping experience for its customers. More space allowed for more shelves, so bookcases set up throughout the store were able to be smaller. This allowed customers to view the locations of all the different sections at once and allowed for dimmer lighting for a more comfortable experience. Some stores also placed upholstered chairs around the store and introduced in-store coffee shops so customers could sit down and relax while perusing their finds. These differences made for a more welcoming experience overall, adding to the appeal of superstores.

Famous Superstores

United States:

• Barnes & Noble
• Books-a-Million

Canada:

• Chapters

United Kingdom:

• Waterstone's

Unfair Competition

Unfortunately, the creation of superstores was not beneficial to everyone. Independent bookstores took a big hit, as they found it hard to compete with the variety of options superstores had to offer and their prices. Superstores were large enough and popular enough that they had more negotiating power over publishers to lower book costs and they could handle losing money on some books because they had plenty more.

Many independent bookstores were forced to close as a result of competition with big-box stores. One study noted that "In 1995, bookstore failures were up 26 percent from the previous year, with 132 firms closing, and in 1996, the failure rate rose another 14 percent, with 151 firms closing."