So much is going on in the world right now that it is difficult to put the blame on a single person or entity.
Apart from the fact that many of us like to blame others for our misfortunes, we rarely ever want to see things for what they are. While it might be alleviating emotionally to put the blame on others, the brain never knows when to pause and reflect on what it is we want.
Profits and Loss
We need to reflect on both
I was about to buy a book today at the store titled "No Excuses," but the store owner wasn't willing to give me the right bargain for it.
At first, she said it costs around $2 for a copy. I could've just gotten the book right at that moment, but I also have other things I need to get at the market before getting home, plus transportation is at an all-time high already.
With that in mind, I had to negotiate for $1.5, which seemed like a good deal to me, but she made a call to the head office where she gets her books to ask what the current market price is. Surprisingly, it was exactly $1.9.
On hearing that, I knew I couldn't pay anything less than $2, but when I said I'd pay the $2, she rejected my offer without batting an eye and immediately returned the book back to the shelf. Surprisingly, she said she wouldn't sell it for more than $2.3 per copy.
Take it or leave it
I could have honestly gotten it for this amount, but her demeanor and reaction on hearing how costly it is now in the current market made me want to just leave for another store to get it, even if it would be costlier than hers.
Before leaving, she also made a comment about the current government, saying they are not the ones giving her money for her business to run. True, but by the look of things, the government won't be the ones to help her sell her market too since she's already making a mess of it.
I honestly won't want to go to her store again after this, even though it's my first time going there. I have a store I've been buying books at for about two years now, but today I just decided to check out another store so the workers at my former store won't start seeing me as a nerd.
Nerds are nerds, Profits are profits*
But some profits are more attractive than others. Books are really good business, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to start a bookstore business due to how deep we are already with technology.
Nowadays, it is easy to get PDFs and audiobooks of any books. And even though I have been a lifelong lover of physical copies, I think with the rising cost of physical books now and inflation here and there, I would have to switch to PDFs and audiobooks.
Right now, I have the audiobook for the book, which is about 3 hours, and all it took was just a few megabytes to download and a few more minutes to get the download completed.
I was avoiding the PDF too, but I think it is the right time to start adapting to them rather than keep spending money in bookstores. I would still get some physical books at the store, but I don't think they would be as often as before after this encounter.
Apart from the fact that the store owner was blaming the government for everything, she also has no knowledge about how her business is already on the road to peril because of technology.
It is like how the printing press business faded out without them even getting the memo. Physical books are good, but at this point, not everyone can afford them. I know I can't.
THANKS FOR READING