Quote:
Originally Posted by FlameCity
I don't know about other industries but when it comes to bookstores in Canada (ie Indigo . . . and that includes the other divisions of Indigo . . . Chapters, Coles, etc) they do not set the price of books they carry. You'll notice that the prices are printed on the books. That is because the publishing company sets the prices. There is nothing that the stores can do about it (or the staff that have to hear the same comments from every customer that comes in . . . all day long) . . . they have had to purchase there stock at the Canadian rates. So if you actually want to cause some sort of change you'd be better off sending your complaints or objections to pricing policies to the Publishing Company that is responsible.
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You are right. Chapters/Indigo is a Canadian bookstore that buys from Canadian publishers. They do not import books from the States like those that are able to match on par are often doing. Chapters is supporting the Canadian economy that way.
Also, as you alluded to, the prices for books are established by the publishers, not the bookstores. The contracts for buying books are often established months or years in advance- back when the Canadian dollar was down.
Even now, though- you start to see an adjustment. A book that sold for $35 in store six months ago might cost $30 now.
Lastly, if you take a look at many of the bestsellers they have, you'll notice they are 30% or 40% off. This results in those books often being cheaper than the US prices.
Trust me, they are trying to be more assertive when negotiating new contacts. But they can't drive themselves out of business by dropping down to par. It's not feasible, especially without importing from the States.