In Focus

Amazon vs. Barnes & Noble

My parents put a lot of emphasis on reading when I was growing up. It was definitely a favorite pastime for my siblings and me. That is, until I had kids. Then the only reading I did was from the back of baby food jars and bottles of formula. As my kids grew, so did my reading level. Yep, that's right. I graduated from "Pat the Bunny" to Dr. Suess in record time.

Well, just this year my oldest daughter started Kindergarten and my youngest has loads of neighborhood kids to occupy her time. I can honestly say it's been almost a decade since I've read like I have been lately. And now that I actually have the time for these indulgences, the best part is that there are two really satisfying ways to partake in them. They each cater to whichever mood I'm in, and they both trade publicly via Nasdaq. Forget Calgon! I'd rather have Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble take me away any day!

You're probably familiar with both of these meccas for book lovers. Amazon.com is a terrific website where you can browse around, check out various books in any category you'd like, and even read other people's reviews of your chosen reading material. If you see something you like, you can purchase it and have it conveniently appear on your doorstep as quickly as the next day. This is great for those flu-ridden, long, cold winter spells when I can barely peel off my cozy Chick Jammies to start my day, never mind driving all the way to the bookstore to pick up a good read.

Or what about those weeks when you barely have a second to breathe, but you just HAVE to have the new Charlie's Angels CD? How about when the moving van is coming to pack your house and you realize you have no DVD's for the long plane ride to Cincinnati and not a moment to spare? Ta-Da!!! Amazon.com at your service. I l-o-v-e this site. It's easy to maneuver, fairly priced, and extremely reliable.

When Karin asked me to write about a public website, Amazon.com was absolutely the first one that came to mind. And when considering its likely competition, my thoughts immediately went with Barnes & Noble, the other on-line bookstore. But wait. Was it the on-line part (BNBN: Nasdaq) of Barnes & Noble or was it the bricks and mortar part (BKS: NYSE) that tweaked my interest.

If I'm with the kids and it's raining, or I need to get out of the house, or if I find a day where the grout in my shower needs cleaning, I can always count on a more mentally productive day if I drop into my local Barnes & Noble. See, I like the physicality of Barnes & Noble. I drop the kids off in the delightful children's section, mosey over to the aroma of a terrific cappuccino, and then sink down in a buttery leather couch and absorb some great material. It's like having my own personal babysitter and therapist all rolled into one. So, when I first heard that Barnes & Noble had their own internet clone, I wanted to see whether or not they could hold their own against the true on-line bookstore giant: Amazon.com. And for kicks and giggles, let's put 'em both up against the actual store.

Just based on these simple Chicks Dozen criterion, you can see that none of them fit snuggly into our philosophy, but that Amazon.com definitely leads the pack. Barnes & Noble, the physical bookstore (BKS), comes in second but their numbers aren't too exciting either. As for BarnesandNoble.com (BNBN), well, we'd almost be better off closing the book on that one.

I think a little healthy competition is good in any milieu. Isn't Amazon.com the first site that comes to your mind when you're thinking of ordering books online? (Or electronics, videos, cameras, toys, software.the list goes on an on.) Barnesandnoble.com provides that healthy competition; which is great for the consumer, but not necessarily for the company. Amazon.com monopolizes the on-line bookstore market, that's a fact. So the question has become: will barnesandnoble.com be able to keep up, or should they stick with bricks? The answer to that is anyone's guess. [See yesterday's article: TwoQuestions.com.] But judging by these numbers, I'd suggest the CEO's of all three companies indulge in their own Calgon moment!