Newswire
Posted on October 31, 2019 at 12:15 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Now here’s something that might strike terror into the hearts of readers: the thought of an admission fee into a bookstore.
A New Yorker column, in which writer Howard Fishman wonders whether charging an entry fee would help keep brick-and-mortar shops afloat, has been making the online rounds for a few days now.
Fishman admits he’s no economist, so he’s merely guessing at whether this would work; a handful of New York booksellers he spoke with didn’t seem terribly enthusiastic about the idea.
That said, versions of it have evidently succeeded abroad.
A shop in Porto, Portugal, charges five euros (about $5.50) to enter but also applies that amount as a credit to purchases, while a Tokyo bookstore charges $14, which also grants access to a reading area with complimentary hot beverages.
Would you pay to browse a bookstore? And do you think you’re alone in your opinion?