Overabundance

By Andy on Aug 19, 2009 | Add a Comment

<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]-->I went to one of those huge supermarkets the other day looking for a folding chair. Who thinks of lawn furniture as a food item? But nowadays we’re all about one-stop shopping, so there are department-store items at supermarkets and market items at department stores. 

Wandering through that space, which seemed as large as a football field, I watched the shoppers. Some people love the warehouse approach to shopping: everything you may or may not need (including a few books, but not the chair I needed), seeming acres of piled produce, yards of cereal boxes in ranks competing for attention, 50 varieties of cheese, a bakery, oysters in their shells, and over there almost a grove of olives. It’s like a city of food, with a city’s impersonal feel.

Others prefer the small-town ways of a local market. They take pleasure in the mom-and-pop style of the neighborhood grocer, who knows your preferences and makes an extra effort to stock what you like or save you just the right cut of meat. The choice may be a little less, or the price could be slightly more on some things, but you have a relationship—hopefully a friendly relationship—with the proprietor. It’s comradely commerce among neighbors. 

These days, some bookstores operate on the same model of overabundance as supermarkets do. They are filled with seeming acres of books, magazines, music, and impulse items selected by corporate headquarters to fit demographics. Of course coffee and baked goods are strong inducements to reading, merging the hipness of the coffeehouse with the elegance of the espresso bar. But do you need a knowledgeable assistant? Want to order something you don’t see? Need some other special help?  You can’t count on getting it here.

And now, some people prefer electronic shopping, visiting Web stores from the comfort of home, finding bargains (which may not be bargains when you add shipping), and simply enjoying the virtual overabundance.

I do all of those in moderation, and now this bookstore offers a lot of those opportunities as well. Yes, we’re the mom-and-pop place on the corner where you’ll find much of what you want on hand. If you’re one of our frequent buyers you get everything at a 10 percent discount (applied when you’ve accumulated $100 in purchases). Want a recommendation? Check our staff picks list or ask our thoughtful staff for suggestions. Can’t remember a title or an author? We can probably figure it out. Need a special order? We may be able to get it for you next day without a shipping charge. Want an out-of-print book? We can probably find it for you. Like to shop at home? Let our new Web site take you to the Baker & Taylor's Retailer Place and you’ll have more choice than you can imagine, and standard shipping is free. Want to meet an author or share your enthusiasm about a subject or activity, we have plenty of such events on our schedule.

Overabundance? I thought you had to go to a superstore, but I guess you can find it right here if you need it.