# The Death of Bookstores **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2025, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614 "2025-12-11T13:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/21 "2025-12-11T17:06:39Z")
Per capita, it seems. But that probably includes the bible and lots of self-help garbage. > **[Average Books Read Per Year by Country 2025](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-books-read-per-year-by-country)** > > Information and analysis on the average books read per year by country. Includes data on which countries read the most books per year and what are the most-read books of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/22 "2025-12-11T17:07:08Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Number, or number per capita? Total number is a useless bit of junk disguised as information. Per capita, according to these: > **[Average number of books read per year by country](https://lectupedia.com/en/number-of-books-read-in-each-country/)** > > Statistical compendium of the mean number of books read per year in each country, per capita. > **[Ranked: Countries That Reads The Most Books, 2024 - CEOWORLD magazine](https://ceoworld.biz/2024/06/03/ranked-countries-that-reads-the-most-books-2024/)** > > The United States and India undeniably hold the top positions for the highest percentages of book readers among selected countries worldwide. The United States leads in the frequency of book reading. According to a survey by CEOWORLD magazine among... ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/23 "2025-12-11T17:09:18Z")
It looks like the 12 vs 17 might have gotten flipped around in a few publications that cite that study, but that still puts the US very high on the list of avg # books read annually (per capita). ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/24 "2025-12-11T17:11:40Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > er capita, it seems. But that probably includes the bible and lots of self-help garbage. Mystery/thriller/crime is by far the most common type of book read in the US. Followed by History. Religion/spirituality/self help is down in the middle of the pack (20%) > **[What do Americans read the most?](https://malwarwickonbooks.com/what-do-americans-read-the-most/)** > > Image: NBC News Estimated reading time: 4 minutes When you read books, what floats your boat? If you're among the 54 percent of Americans who have read ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/25 "2025-12-11T17:28:53Z")
I don’t have a bookstore here any longer. I have had to order from [bookshop.org](http://bookshop.org) for any paper books I want to get. I have now typed the word “book” too many times and it looks weird. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/26 "2025-12-11T17:31:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’m definitely a victim here. To my read … that’s a pretty expansive take on victimhood. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/27 "2025-12-11T17:33:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > To my read … that’s a pretty expansive take on victimhood. To each his own. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/28 "2025-12-11T17:39:17Z")
Thanks for all the cites. Of course what matters for book sales isn’t book reading, but book buying. And book sales are what matter for book stores. Well, that and margins. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/29 "2025-12-11T17:47:21Z")
Yes, our town lost its Barnes and Noble many years ago (it’s now a Korean supermarket). But a new, much smaller, bookstore recently opened not far away. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/30 "2025-12-11T18:23:14Z")
A new small indie bookstore opened recently in my town. There’s used book store a few miles south of me, and another bookstore in the next town over. On the other hand, a used book outlet I used to patronize closed a couple of years ago. I still buy on Amazon, almost all Kindle books, occasionally use the library, happily visit the new bookstore (got to pick up my latest order today), and check Better World Books online for used books. My TBR pile looks like taking another 20 years to get through (if I don’t buy any more), but oh, well. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/31 "2025-12-11T18:27:11Z")
I think there’s a huge difference between chains, large chains, and large oligopolistic chains. The grocery business has any number of national and local chains, even though Walmart is by far the leader. But it only has 21%, so there is no oligopoly in that sector. Borders and Barnes & Noble, the smaller Books-a-Million, and Walden Books in every mall, had larger selections and more favorable locations with easy access free parking. They functioned as an oligopoly until Amazon came along. Another huge problem was that 50% of the market for books goes to bestsellers. Walmart skimmed off that market with huge unmatchable discounts, even before Amazon got involved. The triple tap killed the co-operative culture of independent bookstores. Some survived, although not one in my county. Some new ones took their places, by none of the new ones around here are full-spectrum in the old sense. They specialize in niches: children’s, black, gay, feminist, romance, protest, or new+used. Children’s bookstores keep popping up: a good sign for the future. But the individual knowledge of local stores has been superseded by gigantic social media cultures, like BookTok. People embrace enthusiastic and superknowledgeable fans rather than outsiders who can’t specialize in everything. No idea what the equivalence is in Germany. Cultures are local. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/32 "2025-12-11T18:40:06Z")
I buy very few books. Almost all of my reading material I get from the local library. I did buy two books from bookstores this year - one in Seattle and one in Winchester, Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/33 "2025-12-11T18:42:10Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > It used to piss me off to no end because I knew the bookstores would be gone because of it. Fucking cheapskates. They killed my favorite hangout pass time of browsing a nearby bookstore. Did you buy many books from them yourself, or just use the place as a “hangout pass time” for browsing. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/34 "2025-12-11T19:35:01Z")
Some numbers: > Since 2012 the number of bookstores in the US has been decreasing from 16,819 stores to 10,800 as of 2020. … > > In 2021, the bookstore industry sat at $9.5 billion, an amount that had been decreasing at a 5.7% rate every year, on average, since 2016. … > > There were 59,547 people employed in bookstores as of 2020 in the US. Between the years 2018 and 2020 the number of people employed in bookstores decreased on average by 11.4%. … > > Independent bookstores had 2023 locations in the US as of 2022. This number peaked in 2019 with independent bookstores having 1,887 bookstores and 2,524 locations. This number decreased again in 2020 to 1,700 stores and 2,100 locations, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Independent bookstores had 1,401 bookstores in 1,651 locations in 2009. … > > [[\> source](https://wordsrated.com/bookstores-statistics/) - slightly format edited, and not reflecting the past 4 years. It copies from uncited sources so mentions charts that are not present] There’s other sources on bookshops and public libraries per capita showing the US well down the global list. However, the data are very inconsistent with adjacent European, South American and Asian countries all scoring high, but their immediate neighbours don’t necessarily come close. To me that reflects both social reading culture and governmental policy in favour of the arts, education and social service. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/35 "2025-12-11T20:11:46Z")
I just now tried to look up any statistics on the number of bookstores in the U.S. over the past several decades. It appears that around 1990 the number started to drop. However, around 2000 the number began increasing again. Interestingly, the new ones established since 2000 tend to be independent bookstores, not chain bookstores. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/36 "2025-12-11T20:31:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > All of this, I’ve been told, is the result of everyone buying online, mainly from Amazon. That killed used book stores almost completely, wiped out most chains, and wrought havoc on indie bookstores. > > So why is it that when I visited Goettingen in Germany, the center city is rife with both new and used bookstores.? I It wasnt Amazon. First, online shopping has indeed killed some marginal businesses. But Americans are reading less- (well books anyway) [https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5298185/americans-are-reading-fewer-books-for-less-time-people-want-to-know-why](https://www.npr.org/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5298185/americans-are-reading-fewer-books-for-less-time-people-want-to-know-why) > [@DSeid](#): > > The death of the American bookstore may have been exaggerated. Yep. In the San Jose area, Recycle bookstore is doing well and even opened a branch store. Out here, B&N is doing great, and we went into Marshalls and they had a whole rack of really nice books for gift giving, including classics and best sellers. Thrift stores always have lots of books. > [@DSeid](#): > > There is no victim here. There is the market response to what consumers actually want as expressed by demand. > > Right now the market is expressing that there is a place for brick and mortar bookstores. And for on line booksellers. And e books. Even as we overall read less. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/37 "2025-12-11T22:27:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I think that the Harvard Square main store is still not B&N. The whole first floor is mostly filled with Harvard U. merch… tee shirts, sweatshirts, etc. Hardly a book in sight. There’s an excellent used bookstore in Brattleboro. A bit of a hike, but it makes a nice day trip. There’s also a good used record store and a couple of consignment shops worth visiting. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/38 "2025-12-11T22:56:55Z")
In San Jose, I’ve been going to [Recycle Books](https://sanjosespotlight.com/the-biz-beat-san-joses-recycle-bookstore-an-oasis-of-printed-culture/) since the late 70s. I would head over on my lunch hour once a week or so to pick up a sci-fi paperback or two. The main store has moved but it’s still an easy walk and I go over every so often to check the shelves for history/music/travel books before I resort to buying online. My coolest “find” has been a copy of “[Names On The Land](https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/review-names-land)” with this inscription: “To Dad - from Katie and Ed Dec 25, 1946”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/39 "2025-12-11T23:53:55Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It wasnt Amazon. First, online shopping has indeed killed some marginal businesses. But Americans are reading less- (well books anyway) This is not supported by facts. First, Amazon controls the market for books. > **[Amazon Book Sales Statistics: Intriguing Numbers and Facts](https://passivesecrets.com/amazon-book-sales-statistics/)** > > Amazon changed the world of publishing forever. If you are considering self-publishing your book on the platform, then you should read through these Amazon book sales statistics. > **Global Amazon Book Sales Statistics** > 1\*. 50% of all print books\*\* sold in the US are from Amazon. ([source](https://publishingperspectives.com/2020/08/us-publishers-authors-booksellers-call-out-amazons-concentrated-power-in-the-book-market/)) > > 1. **71% of readers** bought a book from Amazon last year. ([source](https://www.statista.com/chart/28042/share-of-respondents-who-bought-books-from-amazon/)) > > 2. Amazon holds a **60-70% dominant market share** in book sales, with 1.4 million self-published titles in 2018. ([source](https://publishdrive.com/amp/how-to-self-publish-on-amazon.html)) > > 3. Amazon Kindle has a **72%** share of the e-reader market, with **33.7% of users** spending 60-90 minutes daily reading on a Kindle and **5.3%** spending less than 10 minutes. ([source](https://ereader.blog/kindle-statistics/)) > > 4. Amazon controls up to **80%** of book distribution in the US. ([source](https://publishingperspectives.com/2020/08/us-publishers-authors-booksellers-call-out-amazons-concentrated-power-in-the-book-market/)) Second, it’s true that fewer Americans are reading. But that’s not the same thing as saying that fewer books are sold. Apparently, those who do read are buying more books, at least enough to cancel most of that decline. [Statista is behind a paywall but I found another source for the image.](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/194zw84/physical_book_sales_in_us_increased_by_hundreds/) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614/40 "2025-12-12T00:15:45Z")
Anecdotally, one encouraging trend I’ve noted is that when I’ve flown recently, there are a fair number of younger passengers (as an old fogy, anyone under 40 is “young”) that are reading a physical book and their number seems to be trending upward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-death-of-bookstores/1025614.md?page=3)