How does Chapters stay in business?
 

When they still charge us like our dollar is only worth 60 cents on the USD?

cause they sell books and people like books

yuppies

It has nothing to do with Chapters (or Coles or Black Bond Books or...)... it has to do with the publishers setting the prices. Frankly, I'm not going to drive down to the states to save $2 on a $12 paperback novel. Time and convenience > Saving pennies.

Yes, places like Costco have better pricing but their selection is very limited.

I shop online with them...usually they have pretty good deals. If I ever shop in the store, I stick to the bargain section.

yeah i cant stand the pricing on books.
also indigo.chapters or whatever has way lower prices than the chapters store, and chapters wont match those prices.

go to public library?! save more money!!

yea the prices are pretty rediculous, the only time i buy from chapters is if i really want it right now, or cant find it elsewhere

ive bought box sets of books off ebay for $15 total for a brand new box set of 3 books where EACH book at chapters was $25

amazon.ca

yeah the difference in the CAN$ and the US$ is pretty ridiculous @ times

and you can save if you buy online or from amazon but if you like books you cant resist going through a bookstore and picking some up right away

Chapters has the book market covered in Canada.
Retail prices are ridiculous but their online pricing is fairly competitive against amazon

I usually buy thier books online. Is not like I need it right away. Most of them is for school anyways so they can wait.......

I maybe setp foot in cheapters every months read what books they have and if I liek it I order online.

The reason products in Canada cost more than those in the US, even though our currency is almost at par, is because the Canadian government charges taxes/duties to bring goods into the country. Don't blame the retailer, blame the government.

Also, the size of the Canadian market is tiny compared to that of the US. That's also why we have a much smaller selection of goods.

^many books that are published in Canada still have the same pricing scheme. Also, Canadian books that are sold in the US dont have a a 20% price increase over their canadian counterparts, yet still face the same taxes/duties.

I get Chapters giftcards at xmas sometimes. I only use them online, prices don't seem that bad. Shame you can't get online prices in the stores I guess.

amazon.com

I have a Kindle and buy books online. eBooks are cheaper, and its super easy to order from amazon.com and pay US prices.

Borders is a big bookstore chain in the states that recently closed down. As more people move towards purchasing ebooks with eReaders or Tablets, Chapters either need to pivot or they might end up just like Boarders.

I still prefer an old fashioned paper book. I've tried an e-reader and I just can't get use to it. Even though I would save a ton of money...

How do they stay in business when amazon.ca beats their prices, and amazon.com beats their prices by even more while still delivering to Canada I will never know.

I guess people like the experience of going in and checking out the different sections and reading them a bit before purchasing the book. As for me, I only buy books on recommendations or after reading some reviews so I know what I want before I go in the store.

Really? What do you make of that thing they call a "free trade agreement" then? Does it not apply?

Only books i ever buy are informative and not like guiness world record.. stuff like 40 laws of power etc.

I like the kindle but having the physical book is just more appealing to me. also in 40 years time books will be a thing of that past :P.

Ok I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert at this stuff, but in general, Canadian taxes are higher than US taxes, no?

Another point to consider is that the CDN dollar isn't *really* going up, instead the US dollar has been going down.

And because our market is so small, there just isn't as much competition here in Canada.

certain books you really should read a little of first before buying. that being said, if you can wait then just go read it in store, then buy it on amazon.ca

taylor using the kindle imo is the BEST option.

once i switched to e-reader, hard copy was a thing of the past.

Im not a fan of the kindle or ebooks....if your going to read from a screen...why not just read it off your computer monitor.

Having a physical book and building a library collection appeals to me.