11 December 2007
Read the lastest Retail Week column by Bernard Dooling
The recent spat between Asda and Bloomsbury, the publishers of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ – they have now kissed and made up – set me thinking about the paradoxes we all face when making any buying decision.
At the outset, the argument between the two companies centred around the difference between the recommended retail price of £17.99 (the wholesale price is £9.89) and the £5 price at which the supermarkets would be selling the book.
As it transpired, the real conflict was resolved when Asda sprinkled their own special potion on the problem and Bloomsbury agreed to deliver the books – I do love happy endings.
But is this a happy ending?
With the book being sold so far below the wholesale price, we have, what seems to be, the ludicrous situation that independent booksellers would be better off bulk-buying from the supermarkets rather than the distributor!
And yet, the price and convenience offered by the supermarkets, will be the preferred and perhaps only choice for millions of customers across the UK and probably further afield too.
The Harry Potter phenomenon has created an unprecedented frenzy. In an age of ‘instant everything’ and ‘attention deficit disorder’, we now see young and old alike, from all walks of life, devouring books of some 600 pages in what amounts to a religious fervour.
Now the rub. With the Harry Potter gravy train possibly at an end – what next for these insatiable readers?
Well, as sure as ‘eggs is eggs’ you will not find the answer at your local supermarkets. They cannot offer knowledge, service or the type of relationship that connects to the heart of the reader. They will not unearth and champion the next J.K. Rowling.
So, the alternative choice is to turn to the independents, the specialist who live, love and breathe the joys of reading, but who constantly struggle to match the convenience and price of the supermarkets.
I used to live in Muswell Hill in north London, home to one of the great children’s bookshops.
This is a Tardis-like store – small in size, huge in content.
What the store actually sells is the love of reading. The staff understand you and your children and they will endeavour, through their specialist knowledge, to sustain the magic that J.K. Rowling and many other authors give.
So often we read about retailers offering choice and simply refer to their product range as justification. However, when our customers now make a choice, any choice, they face the paradox of choice – is it cheap, is it healthy, is it sociably responsible… the list and the conflict of making the right choice is seemingly endless.
Customers today demand a retailing landscape that has real choice – differing locations, new experiences, a quick and easy service through to a leisurely browse and perhaps most importantly, where large and small can co-exist.
The need to ensure that ‘real choice’ is provided and maintained goes right to the heart of the ‘power of supermarkets’ debate. Size is not the real issue, rather that one size does not and should not be allowed to fit all.
