The trouble with many booksellers is that they just sell books. And if that sounds like a statement or the obvious, it's perhaps because it is. In a world where the great majority of retailers all try to go the extra mile, whatever that is, booksellers seem, in many instances to be rooted in the 19th century.
Consider how nice it might be to have a bookshop where you could listen to music...of your choice...while browsing or just sitting and reading prior to considering a purchase. And for those who are a little older than the UK average, think how good it would be to have a pair of reading glasses on hand to take the place of the ones that you left beside the bed at home.
Dussmann, aka Das KulturKaufaus, aka the culture department store in Berlin, does all of this. Visitors can, for a small returnable deposit, walk away with a CD player, music and a pair of glasses. The aim is to keep shoppers in the store and with books accounting for 60% of sales in this city centre landmark, you can see why this might be important.
The only real question is why other retailers haven't done something similar.
And when you look at the pictures that go with this - look at the "Service Center" bit that's written in red.
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