Tech

What it's like inside Amazon's first brick-and-mortar bookstore

Melia Robinson

2016-02-02T22:25:59Z

amazon brick and mortar bookstore — There's one thing that sets Amazon Books apart from regular bookstores. Elaine Thompson/AP

Amazon is possibly the biggest threat facing bookstores across America today. But it looks like that isn't stopping the online retail-giant from opening hundreds of its own brick-and-mortar bookstores.

On February 2, mall executive Sandeep Mathrani, CEO of General Growth Properties, let slip in an earnings call that Amazon planned to open 300 to 400 bookstores. Amazon declined to comment on Mathrani's statement.

The company opened its first physical store in Seattle, Washington, back in November. Amazon Books contains upwards of 5,000 books, including best-sellers, Amazon.com customer favorites, and titles hand-picked by employees, including Bezos himself.

These photos from Amazon Books on opening day have us hoping the rumor is true.

Amazon Books marks the entrance to University Village, a luxury outdoor shopping mall in Seattle, Washington.

At first glance, Amazon Books seems like any ordinary bookstore.

But upon closer inspection, some things are off. The books face outwards, rather than being stacked so just the spine peeps out.

. 還沒放假就在想去哪玩. #amazonbooks #travel #uvillage #Seattle

A photo posted by Rachel Liew (@racheliewx) on Nov 4, 2015 at 4:51pm PSTNov 4, 2015 at 4:51pm PST

This layout may be designed to mimic how books appear on Amazon.com.

Source: New Republic

Jennifer Cast, vice president of Amazon Books, said the company wanted to better showcase authors' work. "We realized that we felt sorry for the books that were spine out," Cast told The Seattle Times.

Meet Echo in person for the 1st time ☄

A photo posted by Joy (@joyiqian) on Jan 30, 2016 at 3:33pm PSTJan 30, 2016 at 3:33pm PST

Source: The Seattle Times

Small placards give a book's average star rating along with short reviews, credited to Amazon account screen names.

Even Jeff Bezos gets in on the action. "A page-turner written by an award-winning novelist, who happens to be my wife," he says of "Traps" by MacKenzie Bezos.

Customers can use the Amazon Shopping app on their phones to scan the placard's bar code, revealing price and other information about the book.

Prices in store match prices online. According to New Republic, the books sell for up to 30% cheaper than what competing bookstores can offer.

Source: New Republic

Amazon digs through its treasure trove of data in order to figure out what titles are most likely to fly off shelves in Seattle.

Categories of books include highest rated and "most wished-for" by Amazon.com customers.

#RSNEWS #Amazon ya cuenta con una tienda fisica de #libros llamada #AmazonBooks. #REDEXSUPREMO

A photo posted by _REDEXSUPREMO (@_redexsupremo) on Nov 3, 2015 at 6:25pm PSTNov 3, 2015 at 6:25pm PST

Source: The Seattle Times

"It's data with heart," Cast told The Seattle Times. "We're taking the data we have and we're creating physical places with it."

I'm surprised how thorough the store was. They choose their books based on reviews, interests, & what's trending. #Amazon #Bookstore #kylesseattletrip #Seattle #bibliophile #AmazonBooks

A photo posted by yellowglasses (@yellowglasses) on Nov 3, 2015 at 2:15pm PSTNov 3, 2015 at 2:15pm PST

Source: The Seattle Times

Still, it's clear Amazon Books has strong ties to digital.

Employees are on hand to demo Amazon's Fire tablet. There are outlets galore.

If you don't have the mobile app, you have to carry books to a price-checking station or an Amazon employee with a scanner in hand in order to find out the cost.

Oh hey, #amazonbooks! @amazon

A photo posted by Jaime (@jaimel425) on Nov 3, 2015 at 8:05pm PSTNov 3, 2015 at 8:05pm PST

Some customers complain about the extra steps to find out a book's price. It's as if Amazon is forcing you to embrace tech.

Source: Quartz

Of course, customers also check out using a tablet, though it's unclear from photos whether it's an Amazon Fire.

Cast hinted back in November there may be more Amazon Books stores in the future, saying, "We hope this is not our only one."

Source: The Seattle Times

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