We visited Amazon and Barnes & Noble bookstores in New York City - and they revealed a depressing truth about the future of retail

Advertisement
We visited Amazon and Barnes & Noble bookstores in New York City - and they revealed a depressing truth about the future of retail

amazon books nyc 34th st

Mark Matousek / Business Insider

The books in Amazon Books feel like window-dressing for Amazon's larger goal: to get consumers to buy into its network of hardware and services.

Advertisement
  • Amazon is growing at an incredible rate, while Barnes & Noble has been struggling for years.
  • While Barnes & Noble's stores are more inviting than Amazon Books', the latter's minimalist philosophy is probably closer to the future of chain retail.
  • That model isn't ideal for bookstores, which are best when they can offer specialized curation and enough inventory to encourage random discoveries.


It's hard to think of two businesses with more different trajectories than Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The former is one of the most valuable companies in the world, while the latter has struggled for years and just announced it would be firing employees after a disappointing holiday season.

It's also strange to imagine the two as direct competitors. Before opening its first Amazon Books store in 2015, Amazon didn't have a physical retail footprint. Now, it has 13 bookstores that represent yet another obstacle to Barnes & Noble's attempts to turn around its fortunes. Three more Amazon Books stores will open soon, according to its website.

I visited one of each brand's stores in New York City and discovered a depressing truth about the future of retail.

Here's what I saw:

Advertisement

We visited Amazon and Barnes & Noble bookstores in New York City - and they revealed a depressing truth about the future of retailEXCLUSIVE FREE SLIDE DECK:
The Future of Retail 2018 by the BI Intelligence Research Team.
Get the Slide Deck Now »