What is it with Books-A-Million? Is this the Tea Party bookstore or what?

[theHandpuppet]

This morning my partner and I decided to check out a new Books-A-Million store in our area. I guess we should have gotten a clue by the prominent display at the fronr of the store, one that featured books by Beck, Palin, and assorted RW idiots. Yes, this store had a LOT of books but not one single, solitary book of GLBT interest. Not even something with a passing mention in the psychology/sociology section. Tons of books for teabaggers, neo-Confederates, shelves heaving with Christian-themed books of all types. How could a store have twenty books on knitting socks and not one book of GLBT interest? What is with this business?

[peacebird]

1. it struck me as a fundie xtian store-

[Not Me]

9. same thing.

nt

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. Books-a-Million...

...specializes in remainders, i.e. books that don't sell.

Same thing with Edward R. Hamilton, Booksellers. and Book Warehouse. Tons and tones of Regnery books, and books published by Mary Matalin's branch of Simon and Schuster.

They get published, so their authors can go on book tours, have titles under their names on TV, and all, but no one actually reads them.

[theHandpuppet]

5. If they specialize in "remainders" and books that don't sell ....

Why are all the books full price?

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Maybe your local store does its own ordering?

http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=4866605848008&query=glbt&where=All&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=Search

[theHandpuppet]

6. Very interesting

I'm really wondering now if the local store is owned by some RW Xtian fundies. The amount of Christian-themed books was astounding.

[demwing]

4. My Neighborhood Books-a-million had a Glenn Beck display

right up front. Gag.

One day I came in and turned all the books backwards and upside down. The guy behind the counter, who looked like the alternative sort, just laughed. Two days later I came back and the Beck display was gone, with the books hidden four rows toward the back, near the Sarah Palin $3 discount bin.

I think the store ownership is the usual: corporate minded & profit driven, but the employees are often left leaning (I don't know many Pubs that love books enough to work with them), and listen to their customers. I spend my money there and am very vocal about my politics, and they always great me warmly.

If they don't have what you want, ask for it. :)

[doc03]

7. I think the answer is simple like it or not right wing books

sell. Faux Noise has better ratings and probably 95% of talk radio are right wing. I was at Borders yesterday and noticed books by Repugs outnumber Dems by at least 5 to 1.

[Bluestar]

8. Used to sell to BAM when I sold children's books

They are based in a really small town in Alabama. Does this answer your question??

[begin_within]

10. I met the owner of that company once.

Their headquarters is in Florence, Alabama and I went there to visit that company (related to their fireworks business that they also own) and met the owner. Very right-wing. It doesn't surprise me at all that they don't have any GLBT books. They are also the supplier of books to Wal-Mart stores.

[ngant17]

11. the local BAM in Orlando

closed recently. I think it was replaced with an Aldi grocery store. BAM had lots of overpriced books. You can usually do better by looking for same title on Amazon. Same thing for Hamilton. Just search for any title from Hamilton and you'll almost always find it cheaper on Amazon.

[hendo]

12. I picked up a bunch of Tom Clancy books at one for less than half off.

But I went in with a purpose and was able to find what I was looking for, so I didn't look around at many of the other books in the store.

[PoliticAverse]

13. If these are the books that are selling in your neighborhood...

you might want to ask what's up with your neighborhood.