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E-PrinceDorothea von Moltke never imagined that customers standing in her bookstore would use the internet on their mobile devices to search for lower prices.
This is now a regular occurrence in Labyrinth Books, said von Moltke, who co-owns the store ...
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An excellent in-depth story from the Prince with multimedia as well -- a lot of work must have gone into this, I want to see more!
"Dorothea von Moltke never imagined that customers standing in her bookstore would use the internet on their mobile devices to search for lower prices."
Welcome to the 21st Century, Labyrinth Books- suck it up.
How does buying books from England help any "local" business.
It seems that Labyrinth is doing the same thing that customers
are doing, shopping around for the cheapest prices.
Why is there so much animosity in Princeton towards Labyrinth books? They are a great very small bookstore chain (with only one other store, in New Haven).
buying "local"...a nice euphemism for protectionism
Nassau Interiors has been closing for two years; their rent was to be raised upon its renewal, they realized that they couldn't afford this and they made plans to liquidate and close. This stretches a year and a half before the current downturn, which therefore has nothing to do with their closing.
@ls:
to a certain extent, maybe. i will not buy local out of a sense of anti-corporatism, out of some sort of nostalgia, etc. i will buy local when it makes sense to buy local, which, for me, quite frequently. For example:
(1) if local is equally priced or less expensive than a comparable national product (and just as convenient to obtain), then might as well support the local guys
(2) if local is a little more expensive (i.e. labyrinth books, small world coffee, old world pizza, etc) then it frequently nevertheless makes sense to buy local because
you value the variety and local variation that is not present in national brands
you value the experience of walking down nassau street and hanging out there as a specific, unique, interesting place rather than buying everything mail order or from the mall
the quality (frequently, obviously not always) is better than a national chain
is this protectionism of a way of life that doesn't make sense in the age of globalization? maybe, but that depends on what your goals are. if your life is driven purely by following the macro-economic laws of supply and demand, then maybe buying local is not for you. but a lot of us value (and thus are 'demanding') having unique and interesting places to walk around and hang out, of which local establishments are an important part. if we no longer demand them, then they will go away. please don't try to make people feel bad for what they want.
-pete
When our son went to Labyrinth to sell back used books from this past fall term, he got the old run-around. Apparently, used books can't be accepted during winter break (while the store was empty), but only on special (and inconvenient) days later in the term. So, no store credit to use for next term’s books. The manager (I’m talking to you, Dorothea) tells us this is “store policy” – shorthand for “take it or leave it, sucker”.
Well, our buyer policy is this – what goes around, comes around. Chances are that was our son using his iPhone to shop for lower prices at Amazon and Barnes & Noble - which was where he bought the books he’s using this term. If that’s hurtful to you, well, now we are even. You made it a hassle and a pain to work with you, and we went elsewhere.
You want premium prices, offer premium service. And stop whining about people circumventing your little monopoly.
"stop whining about people circumventing your little monopoly."
It seems like this single phrase sums up every Prince story in which Labyrinth Books has been mentioned since it opened
Congratulations for a good article
It seems that there is a lot of bitterness on campus and in town about Labyrinth taking the place of both the U-Store and of Micawber. I agree that it was kind of annoying and a questionable decision on the part of Princeton's administration.
However, I do think it's great to have a unique merchant like Labyrinth books playing a role in the life of Nassau Street. They stock tons of intellectual books that Barnes & Noble would not dare carry. Sure, they'll charge you list price rather than the 10% discount or whatever that Amazon will give you, but I will generally gladly pay the full price to be able to walk home with the book right away and to help make sure local people keep their jobs and that Nassau Street remains a vibrant and viable place. It's not charity, it's caring about more than just getting the products at the lowest price possible.