Discussion; Buying Online Vs Buying In Store

This is a topic I'm quite interested in hearing other peoples views on. I'd like to start by saying that I don't think either way is right or wrong I think anyone buying a book and reading is doing a great thing in supporting authors and broadening their horizons (I know that was a little cheesy). Also if you live somewhere remote then it can't always be possible to get the book you want from a store, I myself am quite lucky to live in a village that's close to a small town and 2 cities but I do buy online as well as in store.

      So I think the obvious bonus to buying online and the reason most of us do it is because books tend to be a little cheaper and you don't really mind waiting a couple of days to receive it because it saves you money and time (that you could be spending reading). I am a writer and when I publish my first book it will probably be online for at least the first year because it is easier to send copies to people to review and it's easier to sell in general than it is to get a book on a shelf. Which leads me to another pro for online buying, because so many new authors choose to publish this way you might be able to find a gem of a book by and indie author who you would never have been able to find in the shop because it's so expensive for said author to get a publisher. Also you are more likely to find the book you are looking for online than you are to find it in a small book store as no book store can possibly house every book but if you look hard enough online you are likely to be able to buy even the rarest of books.
      To balance this though I am also a fan of buying from a store, I'm incredibly lucky to have a decent sized book store near where I live that has super helpful staff. I love going in a watching what other people pick up and the staff at my closest book store will often approach me now (as I spend so much time in there) and recommend books based on what section of the shop I'm in and even though some people might not like this I love it as I'd probably never have found the book myself or thought to pick it up. I know every store is different but I have found that people who work at book stores seem to be some of the friendliest people in retail too so I always feel at ease even I'm just browsing. Which brings me to another pro you can actually browse books you wouldn't normally think to pick up and it opens you up to so many different authors to give a chance to, if you're wanting something a bit different to what you would normally go for I think buying in store is the best way to do this. Also book stores will often have signings by authors or book events for releases and these can be a great way of meeting new people and making friends.

      I think the biggest cons for online book buying is the fact you can't browse the shelves and so you have to know what you are looking for. Many websites will probably show you recommendations based on your previous buys but if you are wanting something new and don't know where to start online shopping is going to be a little difficult. Also if you're wanting to start a book straight away that's impossible when buying online at the very best you can get it the next day but that can sometimes cost more in postage and packaging than the actual book! Lastly when buying online you don't get that feel of customer care, you don't get to meet people who have read the book and can tell you if it's good or not, there's just no social interaction and most the time that suits me fine because I can be so awkward when talking face to face but talking about books is one of my favourite things to do!
      So the biggest con for me when buying in store is that some times they don't have what I'm looking for, a lot of the books I want to buy are because of booktube and because most the booktubers I follow are american it can sometimes be a bit tricky to get the books in store here in the UK. You can obviously ask the shop to order the books in and even though they don't ask you to pay postage and packaging it can sometimes take up to a week depending on where they get the book from so it's quicker and easier to just buy it online yourself. Another con would be that book stores aren't always able to offer deals on books so it can get a little pricey when compared to online shopping and I can see why this would put alot of people off, why spend more if you don't have to -why, for all the pro's I listed of course :).

I would love to know if you guys have any other pros or cons to add to the list? Do you prefer instore or online shopping?

Much love to you all, Peace out :)

Kirsty & the Cat
xoxo