Quebec has had it up to here with large bookstores in the Canadian province. Think of the horrors — large book chains like Chapters Inc. offer steep discounts for international bestsellers. Meanwhile the small independent bookstores selling French-language books have a tough time making a buck.
Don’t worry though, Parti Quebecois’ Gerald Larose has a solution — get rid of the book discounts. That’s right, no longer in Quebec will book buyers have to suffer the indignity of buying the latest English bestseller at 15 to 20 percent off. If Quebec’s Minister of Culture Agnes Maltais gives approval to the recommendations of a committee headed by Larose, such vulgar discounts will be a thing of the past.
No more would a Quebec consumer be able to enjoy priceless literature like Celine Dion’s new biography, My Story, My Dream for $24.50. Surely it is the proper role of government to ensure that such priceless treasures get sold at their full suggested retail price of $35.
Some naysayers suggest that Quebec book shoppers would simply turn to the Internet and order from companies like Amazon.Com which offer large discounts on numerous books. Perhaps, but why should Quebec participate in the evil that is low book prices.
It’s not about the practicalities of the issue, as much as it is a matter of principles.
Source:
Committee suggests ban on book discounts. Charlie Gillis. The National Post, October 23, 2000.