Amazon has been planning on launching a retail bookstore since 2012, when Good e-Reader first broke the news. Amazon had to put their operation on hold because they had to first work out the logistics of running physical bookstore. This was accomplished by opening up a series of university textbook stores over the last few years in the United States. They It looks like all of the kinks have been worked out and the first physical Amazon bookstore opens today in Seattle.
The Amazon bookstore will have thousands of print books available to be purchased and unlike a traditional bookstore, the company is leveraging data from the Kindle bookstore and GoodReads. They will be stocking books that have been rated four stars, or higher, but local staff will curate their own collections. Prices at Amazon Books are the same as prices offered by Amazon.com, so you’ll never need to compare online and in-store prices.
Amazon Books will also have a dedicated tech area where trained staff will be able to demonstrate the virtues of Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets. You will also be able to checkout alternative products like Amazon Echo or Dash. When Amazon releases new devices in the future you will be able to pick up them in the bookstore they day they are released, instead of ordering it online and waiting a few days for it to be shipped out.
Amazon Books is fairly massive, with 7,500 square feet of retail space. If you want to check it out the store is located at 601 26th Ave. NE in University Village, next to Banana Republic and across from JOEY Kitchen. They are open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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.
