Thalia has just unveiled a bold new initiative that hopes that book shoppers will forgo buying the print edition and buy digital instead. The German bookseller now has a system where you can purchase the e-book directly from the cashier and a download code will be provided that can be redeemed online or on the Tolino e-reader. The vast majority of Thalia bookstores have wireless internet access, so all you need to do is bring in your Tolino and customer service will take care of the rest.
I think the Thalia system feels clunky because you have to know what you want to purchase and pay for it in the store. Chapters and Indigo Books has a more robust system in Canada, there are kiosks spread around the store that you can use to purchase the e-book via debit or credit card. The e-books are sent directly to your Kobo account, bypassing the need to get a code and redeeming it at a later date.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
