Amazon to close all of its physical bookstores and '4-star' shops
Amazon's bookstores were ... odd.They helped me realize that what I value about going to a good independent bookstore is curation.  Not "highest rated" or "most popular" - but books I wouldn't get otherwise exposed to that an employee has selected to carry, and display.That and local-interest connections to the place the bookshop is located.Amazon's bookstores looked very much like a good independent bookstore (well, if you take away all the Ring Doorbells and stuff), but lacked that essential ingredient. Everything was just based on some "best seller" list for a specific category.If I already know what I want, Amazon is a really easy place to get it.  If I'm casually browsing, both Amazon.com and Amazon's physical bookstores were really bad at helping me discover something new that I'm interested in.I'm physically incapable of visiting a good independent bookstore without buying something.  Often far too much of something.  It's an expensive disorder I have. I think the last time I walked into Elliott Bay Books with no intention of buying anything, I walked out about $300 poorer.I've probably stopped in to Amazon's bookstore at University Village in Seattle about a dozen times since it opened. I only ever bought something once.  A charging cable.