Harry Potter is a corporate stooge
No, don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you how it ends this time. I had some people tell me so I wouldn’t have to spend the time reading it, but I’d rather not spoil anyone’s fun. This time. But still — I’ve got something to say about this whole sorry obsession. It’s about the business.
So there’s a little book shop round the corner from me. Harry Potter books in window. Can’t shift them.
Meanwhile, Waterstones and Borders open late on Friday/Saturday and sell the book at a ridiculous cut price from the moment it comes out.
I could mock the people who turned up (including some of my friends) or the ones who waited in line in fancy dress (not, thankfully, anyone I know) but the real problem is the business ethic there.
You have the big boxes basically sucking up this massive worldwide loss on the Potter book; I mean, selling the books so cheap and putting on the bullshit events has cost them absolutely millions. And they can afford it. Because they recognise that it’s an efficient way to get people flocking to them. More importantly, it’s about putting the competition out of business. It’s been on the consumer radar for years. Naomi Klein wrote about it at length in No Logo back in 1999. They’re still doing it. It’s aggressive, and in the end it destroys competition. The winners are the mega-chains. The losers are both the smaller businesses who die, and the consumer, who has only the illusion of choice left.
The little bookshop around the corner from me is where I always go to find something I want. I order it from them. It takes a few days longer, and it costs more, but that’s by the by. I don’t think it’s long for this world. the competition is between the vast chains, and they’d rather that the places with character were eliminated.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
The little bookshop round the corner. Yeah, I go there a fair amount of the time. Maybe it’s just when I go but they always seem to be loudly stocktaking across the shop. Once discussing how they had to get rid of a shedload of decent books in to make room for more Dan Brown.
I would have nevertheless have got my copy of the Deathly Hallows from them, but there are a few problems here. I bought Order of the Phoenix from them, I was up very early on the Saturday morning and presented myself at the shop just after 7 when it opened. There was one guy there who to be frank looked really unimpressed that I was one of those who had destroyed his chance of a lie in.
I am not bothered about the fact that they can’t reduce the price, I think that £17.99 is a completely reasonable price to pay for a hardback book of around 600 pages. What made me decide to go elsewhere is that they made pretty much nothing of what is probably the major publishing event of their lifetime. For those of us that have seen Harry through from the beginning it is an occasion worth marking, it’s not “bullshit” to the kids that have grown up with Harry and an event didn’t have to cost millions, it just needed a bit of decoration and a few drinks and nibbles.
I went To Waterstones, they opened at 9:30 provided free tea/coffee/squash and penny sweets, the staff dressed up in costumes of teir own making, they had a quiz where the prizes were some overstocked books and some cinema tickets they’d obviously blagged. The local bookshop could probably done just as well, as it was a great night. They chose not to.
In the end we all make our choices. I think the reasons I chose Waterstones for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows stand up far better than my reasons for going to Tesco rather than local produce fairs and market stalls. We have to live with the consequences of those choices too.
Even with my slow reading speed I managed to finish the book without anyone spoiling the end other than Joanne Rowling. Although the guy I was sat next to at church came close.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
What made me decide to go elsewhere is that they made pretty much nothing of what is probably the major publishing event of their lifetime.
But what was the point of them doing so? Seriously. There’s a good reason why there was no point in them bothering.
July 24th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
I got my copy from the local WHSmith just after midnight. It is my local bookseller, unless you count the Oxfam second-hand bookshop. But even if I’d been in Swansea, I’d have wanted to get my copy earlier than the little bookshop round the corner would have allowed. There’s something a bit special about being out at stupid ‘o’ clock to get a book, queuing with other people who are as keen on it as you are, swapping theories etc. I’m quite sad that was the last time it’ll happen. Our WHSmith didn’t have a party or anything like that to go to - some of the staff had dressed up, but basically the ‘event’ was made by the people themselves. Any bookshop prepared to open for an hour could have done that.
And I’m afraid I agree with Lemly, the customer service at the little bookshop round the corner is pretty abysmal - they seem to resent having customers as it disturbs their constant stocktaking activities.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:19 am
I have to say, they’ve always been absolutely brilliant with me.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:10 am
I should, incidentally, add that I’m a massive hypocrite, since I have an Amazon wishlist.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
- “What made me decide to go elsewhere is that they made pretty much nothing of what is probably the major publishing event of their lifetime.”
- “But what was the point of them doing so? Seriously. There’s a good reason why there was no point in them bothering.”
The point was that despite all of my other problems with that shop I would have gone there, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It would have been great to have walked down to my local shop and bought it from there, at whatever price. Really I just wanted them to want to sell me the book, to appreciate the joy on my face at finally having a copy. I wouldn’t expect someone who just turned to the back page to find out who died to appreciate any of this ;)
Yes I’m a geek, I’ve queued up for autographs, been to many dubious fan events, collected all sorts of things and as such I had to be at a Harry Potter launch party on Friday night. there was no way I would be anywhere else.