Today is Love Your Bookshop Day 2021, a day when booklovers all over the country are encouraged to do their bit to keep the bookshops they love in business during this most difficult time. For me here in Melbourne, it means putting in an order at my favourite bookshops: Readings, Benn’s Books in Bentleigh and Ulysses Bookstore in Sandringham.
Ok, it’s not the same when you can’t browse and binge, but still, I had a lovely time last night choosing what to buy and which from what store. Suffice to say that the combined effect was to give the credit card a very good workout.
(I’m not even going to pretend that any of them are destined for the Christmas tree, they are all for me!)
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
Haha, our local, Fullers, is celebrating today with some events. I have had a big spend up there this week too. Couldn’t live without this shop.
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By: TravellinPenguin on October 9, 2021
at 9:30 am
Attagirl!!
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By: Lisa Hill on October 9, 2021
at 9:34 am
I’m thinking of doing a post today too — and certainly have some orders planned. Interestingly CBR bookshops aren’t doing as much this lockdown as they did last. One independent closed completely and is only reopening when our lockdown ends next Friday, where last year they did click-and-collect and delivery. NLA Bookshop is not doing any orders until we open up (next Friday for them too I presume). Paperchain is doing click-and-collect I think but haven’t responded to my email of a few days ago. Consequently, my orders during lockdown have been Booktopia and Readings!
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By: whisperinggums on October 9, 2021
at 9:54 am
Hmmm… that sounds ominously as if they have learned from the last lockdown that it’s not profitable to operate under those restrictions?
I wonder if it’s relevant that two of my three bookshops are family-owned, operated and staffed? Readings is too, but they have so many branches they must have to hire staff to run them. OTOH they are well-established as a big presence in book retailing, selling all over the country and beyond. (Some of my overseas readers use Readings when they want Australian books). Plus, Readings have stepped up with digital book events as a substitute for launches, that’s one of the reasons people love Readings, their brand loyalty is unique in Australia, I suspect.
The other thing that happened here is that the long lockdown meant that it was a trigger for shops of all kinds to get their online presence working properly. Readings Online has been brilliant for years, but last year’s Lockdown was the catalyst for Benn’s and Ulysses to have a functional — and enticing — online store.
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By: Lisa Hill on October 9, 2021
at 10:17 am
Yes, I thought it was interesting that they chose to close. I wonder if no JobKeeper had a role in that decision this time too?
But, you might be right about the small family owned, operated and staffed bookshops. They can probably tighten their belts a bit more, particularly if rents can be met.
AVID Bookstore in Queensland also took on major online activities – bookselling and events.
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By: whisperinggums on October 9, 2021
at 10:54 am
I don’t know the rules for Jobkeeper except big corporations could get it even if their profits went up!
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By: Lisa Hill on October 9, 2021
at 1:36 pm
Yes there was that but it kept many small businesses going last year and enabled them to keep staff on. This year the government paid workers whose income had stopped but didn’t link that to their employer I understand. Could be a case of throwing out the baby with the bathwater? But I don’t really know!
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By: whisperinggums on October 9, 2021
at 2:09 pm
Nor do I!
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By: Lisa Hill on October 9, 2021
at 4:34 pm
Well, I can’t get to my local indie today, but I have placed an order with bookshop.org… ;D
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By: kaggsysbookishramblings on October 9, 2021
at 10:46 pm
Yesssss!
BTW I have just started Coming Through Slaughter for the 1976 Club:)
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By: Lisa Hill on October 10, 2021
at 9:48 am
Excellent!!!
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By: kaggsysbookishramblings on October 10, 2021
at 11:11 pm