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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 2020)
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 9 Bookstore campaigns to resist Amazon By Katy Yoder Correspondent Paulina Springs Books9 owner Lane Jacobson is part of a David and Goliath story. Many bookstores are being crushed by the giant powerhouse, Amazon. The American Booksellers Association is banding busi- nesses together to fight back. To improve his odds, Jacobson joined the ABA9s national campaign called <Boxed Out.= An October press release from the ABA encouraged booksellers to educate cus- tomers about the long-term ramifications of purchas- ing from Amazon instead of community-based businesses. <The time is now for a conversation about consumer choices, the challenges of small business, and the threat of monopolies,= the release stated. Jacobson is extremely grateful for the support his bookstore received during an earlier GoFundMe campaign, as well as sales through their website and limited capacity in-store shopping. <We9re in a pretty good position and not facing any existential threat right now. But 20 percent of indepen- dent bookstores across the country are in danger of clos- ing by January 1, 2021,= said Jacobson as he set up the <Boxed Out,= display in front of the Hood Avenue store. The ABA9s timing for the campaign coincides with the fourth quarter, which is make-or-break time for book- stores. This year, many won9t survive. <The cause of death for these stores may be listed as COVID-19, but the pre- existing condition will be Amazon. This campaign is meant to highlight that,= said Jacobson. <More people are beginning to understand the impact online shopping has, and how damaging it can be to communities.= The campaign is not just about bookstores, but buying locally in general. <So far things have been better than we feared, but our expenses are way up,= Jacobson said. <Usually we spend 99 cents to make a dollar but now we9re spend- ing a dollar to make a dol- lar. Bookstores at the best of times have to work hard at breaking even or being slightly profitable. Right now, we9re working twice as hard to achieve the same return. We9re shipping a lot more books. There9s more labor needed with more things to do like monitoring people in the store so everyone9s safe. Cleaning products are not cheap, so the expenses really add up.= The focus of this cam- paign is to resist Amazon. <The numbers are stag- gering,= said Jacobson. <We pay our employees more than Amazon pays theirs and they9re a $1.6 trillion com- pany. It9s bonkers. There was a study in 2016 that showed because of Amazon, there were 44,000 displaced shops, 637,000 displaced retail jobs with only 137 added jobs. So that9s a net loss of 500,000 jobs. Not to mention between $4 to 5 billion in uncollected local and state sales taxes. It9s extremely anti-compet- itive, and the numbers are staggering.= Jacobson says that selling books on Amazon is a lost leader. <They sell books at a loss to train people to buy every- thing on Amazon. That9s their long-term strategy. The model hamstrings authors and publishers. That means authors don9t get paid as much. If authors or publish- ers try to stand up against Amazon it means their books get buried in their searches or they won9t reorder them.= Amazon has reached a level where people are con- ditioned to assume Amazon books are cheaper. But it9s not always true. <Seasonally they raise prices for high demand items. They don9t show the market price and their price any- more. They9re phasing that out as they close the gap,= said Jacobson. With a nationwide cam- paign, bookstores from Washington D.C. to Sisters have banded together. Their shared messaging is attracting national attention. In front of Paulina Springs, slogans on stacked boxes remind shop- pers the battle bookstores are fighting to stay in business. <It9s also a riff on the ubiquitous drowning in a sea of Amazon boxes,= said Jacobson. Campaign dates lined up closely with the annual, Amazon Prime day. <They were forecasted to make $10 billion on that day. The numbers are hard to get your mind around. When people spend money in local businesses, it recirculates at a much higher and quicker rate than it does when you shop online,= said Jacobson. <Local shops are more likely to donate to charities and do fundraisers for the commu- nity they9re in. That9s a mas- sive local impact advantage of 610 percent over Amazon which only recirculates at 4 Gypsy Wind Clothing JUST ARRIVED! Sweaters & Vests, $25 - $49 Purses, $10 - $49 183 E. HOOD AVE. • OPEN WED.-SAT., 10 A.M.- 4 P.M. Drive-Thru Halloween! Saturday, October 31 from 1 to 3 p.m. We will be giving out treat bags to children of all ages! Drive through our front entrance while we provide a safe experience following all COVID-19 guidelines. For more info call us at 541-549-5634. 411 E. Carpenter Lane, Sisters Th eLodgeInSisters.com • 541-549-5634 PHOTO PROVIDED Lane Jacobson is part of a national campaign to take on Amazon and keep shopping local. percent locally.= For more informa- tion more visit www. paulinaspringsbooks.com. or call 541-549-0866. Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com OPEN FOR BREAKFAST 9 a.m. HAPPY HOUR 3 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. 175 N. Larch St. 541-549-6114 4 hardtailsoregon.com Facebook darcymacey Entertainment & Events OCT 29 THUR OCT 30 FRI OCT 31 SAT NOV 1 SUN NOV 7 SAT Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Venardos Circus 7 p.m. Halloween show with socially-distanced seating! Buy tickets online at LiveYourCircusDream.com. Paulina Springs Books Virtual Event Books In Common Regional Literary Event Series with Beth Piatote and Sameer Pandya 6:30 p.m. For more information call 541- 549-0866 or go to BooksinCommonNW.com. Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Family-friendly trivia. Socially-distant. Free. For additional information call Eurosports at 541-549-2471. Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Venardos Circus 7 p.m. Halloween show with socially-distanced seating! Buy tickets online at LiveYourCircusDream.com. Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Venardos Circus noon, 3 p.m. & 6 p.m. Halloween show with socially-distanced seating! Buy tickets online at LiveYourCircusDream.com. The Lodge in Sisters Drive-Thru Halloween 1 to 3 p.m. Drive through the front entrance, where children will receive a treat bag. Call 541-549-5634 for more information. Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Venardos Circus 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. Halloween show with socially-distanced seating! Buy tickets online at LiveYourCircusDream.com. FivePine Resort Happy Girls Run Staggered starts to ease crowding. 5K run/walk and half marathon. A portion of all proceeds benefi ts SPRD. Register at www.happygirlsrun.com. Events Calendar listings are free to advertisers. Submit items by 5 p.m. Fridays to lisa@nuggetnews.com ?