France Discovers What The World Already Knew

They were too busy sitting at sidewalk cafes, sipping wine and nibbling on cheese, to notice what everyone else was saying about Amazon.

Aurelie Filippetti avec un livre

The destroyer of bookshops, the French culture minister has labeled Amazon. The online shopping behemoth is murdering French culture and the rest of the publishing world can only marvel at how long it took Aurelie Filippetti to notice what has long been a concern in publishing circles.

Amazon, it cuts le prix and offers free shipping, which a brick and mortar shop cannot do because they must deal with le overhead and all those taxes that France likes to pile on in an effort to bring le deficit in line with national GDP. Because Ms. Filippetti has figured out what it is that Amazon does that hurts French bookshops, she would like the government to make rules to stop it.

Sure it would make books more expensive in France and wouldn't boost sales because who has a sous to spare these days, but at least the government would be seen doing something. The socialists aren't all that popular these days as it is, so a little publicity would go a long way in boosting the image.

Let them eat cake, err, no, let them charge for shipping. And no more discounts on books. And all those other things that Apple is saying in the U.S. court to defend themselves against charges of fixing prices to counter Amazon's attempt to create a monopoly so Amazon can raise prices after the competition is dead.

In non-socialist countries, the books sellers have been forced to improve customer service, to work harder at providing a more unique experience for the customer. They have done what they can to set themselves apart from Amazon, which can only offer a lower price. You won't have a little electronic voice come on when you're surfing the website, to tell you about that novel that isn't in your hand or to recommend some other book if you're fond of whatever genre you're told the clerk you're looking for.

Part of French culture involves sitting in cafes, sipping wine. But there is that other part that involves strolling along l'avenue where the book sellers display their wares, both used and new, and you have to slow down to take a look and open the cover. Amazon can't replicate that, no matter how deeply their books are discounted.

To preserve this fragment of culture,the new legislation must include clauses to make it illegal for the French to follow human nature and seek the cheaper alternative when making a purchase. That would put Amazon out of business in no time. That's what their whole business model is based on.