Kevin's Watch

Chapters has the disadvantage of being a giant chain store, so they don't have to work so hard. It makes them lazy and creates poor customer service

Actually, it has nothing to do with their being a giant chain store. I know lots of giant chain stores that have good customer service — which is how they got to be giants. The problem with Indigo/Chapters/Coles/Smithbooks is that it's essentially a monopoly. There are no other large bookshops in Canada to keep them honest. (There are small independent shops, but they can't compete on either selection or price, not having the capital or even the desire to do so.)

If Chapters had competition, they would have to work to keep their market share. As it is, they have a captive market, and who ever heard of working to please a captive market?

*grimace* indeed, that's true, Variol...
I just got my hardcover copy yesterday!!!! Hooray!!! I was so excited...I'm over half-way through the book, and I've cried like three times already...first time was just because of being back in the Land...yep, I'm a sap. anyway...gonna go read some more! *grin*

I have to admit that I got my copy at chapters, I beleive it was something like oct 19th at a downtown Toronto location, I had looked it up online beforehand and Chapters was advertising the selling price at soemthing like 29.99 which seemed like a nice deal, ofcourse when I went to pay for my copy I was informed that the price I had seen on the website only applied to orders made online, at that point I didn't really care much about price as I had the book in my hands, but I should have just gone to Bakka which is right beside my place of employment.

I posted my intersting Canadian experience in finally getting my copy in another thread ...

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