Why did you come to our shop, when you can shop online? Case study of Matras bookstore

My family decided to go on a weekend trip away, last minute. So we bought a plane tickets on Monday for Saturday flight. Great! As it was a new place, I have decided to go to bookstore and buy a city guide. Easy, simple and positive experience ahead of me, I thought. Forget about the pain of going to shopping mall, parking and walking kilometers (miles), exploring to finally finding the bookstore - Matras! I walk in, and I am already lost - no signs of sections. Nevermind, I ask the sales person who welcomes me and directs me to the huge bookshelf of travel books (which are not sorted in any order). Although there are only 3 customers and 2 sales people, none of us (customers) is being disrupted (I know that some people like to browse in bookstore - but I was on a task with an aim!). Because I do not wanted to bother those sales people, I headed to computer and search for the city guide just to get an impression of the book I am looking for (2 findings - yellow and green). Great! That allowed me to search faster, and I managed to find yellow one. What struck me was the price:

• Offline - in store was 27,00 PLN
• Online - on computer in store was 20,00 PLN

I know, 7 PLN (2 euro / 3 USD) is not a big thing, but I love to save and use promotions, so I asked the sales person (SP) if I can buy the book with the online price?
SP: No, the online price is for those shopping online.
Me: But I have this book in my hands and I want to buy it right now, right here for the lower price.
SP: It not possible.
Me: So if I go online now, and buy a book via website I will have a lower price?
SP: Yes, but it won't be this book, they will send a new copy from the distribution center.
Me: Hmm...

Analysis Another situation in just few days where I come across situation "Please leave offline and go online". I have put arguments and thoughts in post about Media Markt. Nevertheless, I came up with few more points to discuss this situation:

• Shouldn't the price be lower in store (they already paid for mass transport)? No, if they want to close the bookstores and make us buy mainly online.
• The sales person role is to make a sale right there, right then - make an effort and understand the situation, go extra mile, consult and find a solution - you have a customer that you may lose, if leaves unsatisfied (someone is making a fool out of me here!)

What's the future of bookstores? That's also a market that is facing difficulties and changes, due to online shopping of traditional books, but also because of the development of ebooks, audiobooks that can be downloaded and played/viewed on any electronic device. My perspective on the future of bookstores is they will be a places:

• small for hosting cultural events with writers, guests, celebrities
• coffee/tea book-rental shops where books will be "value added" to the drinks
• electronic shops with tablets/ereaders (kindle etc.) with sales people, who will advise on books that will be instantly purchased and downloaded or printed in the bookstore
• Print a book store with one copy of chosen book and the fast, efficient printer for sold copies
• type-oriented bookstores, we have scientific, music bookstores - maybe new types will come up (for kids, biographical,...)

I love reading, but recently I moved to kindle software via kindle and smartphones (synchronized), and shop via amazon and other ebook stores... But still, bookstores have some magic that should be discovered and maintained. However, some of them turn into supermarkets... and after those I will not cry. I will cry after one small in Stuttgart (Germany) with English-language books only, with great tea and coffee...