Buying books online or in bookstore?

For the truth, I'll admit, I am not a bookaholic (they are pretty cool, aren't they?). During my teenage years, I had preferred comics rather than novels. Despite the fact that how lazy I was that day, my passion for books was triggered by my elder cousin who spent most of his free time to read. His little brother started to mimic him by going through some pages everyday, accomplishing one or two books every month. Eventually buying books has became an indispensable part of my monthly activities.

Last weekend, I found some good stories of a Japanese author, Yashushi Kitagawa, at Nha Nam bookstore near my apartment. The store's brand is among the most favorite booksellers in Hanoi where we can find various kinds of books for all ages. Last month, instead of going to a store, I ordered some paperbacks online via a sale promotion program on tiki's Website. Today I am going to make some comparisions between online shopping and traditional shopping based on my experience, especially on purchasing books.

Japanese modern stories are awesome

Nowadays, with the development of E-commerce technology, online retailers such as tiki allows me to easily purchase and receive books within one or two days at a minimum cost. They are not only building friendly Websites along with excellence ordering and shipping services, but also offering good deals every week. How could they establish such an outstanding business?
Online retailers do not have costs associated with operating stores, they are able to sell books for less. The less expensive price is, the more I will buy. The more I will buy, the more profit they make. Besides, unlike a real bookshop which only has limited spaces, online Websites are nearly unlimited which demonstrate all the related info about each items. When I need a specific novel, I can search the title on Web and get to know whether it is still available. At a real store, a popular or rare book is usually quickly sold out then I waste my time looking for nothing. Moreover, the sale pages often present the reviews from previous readers as well as a preview of a few pages which helps me decide whether to buy or not. Combination of those advantages, it is easy to understand why consumer's habit has gradually changed due to the expansion of online purchasing.

A Tiki's typical book package. Seemed well-secured.

Despite above facts, I am still leaning toward traditional shopping. I am not a fan of price comparison so a little bit more expensive is acceptable to me. When I visit a physical bookstore, I can pick up any books, select any pages I'd like to read, and then start reading if I got a feeling for it. An emotional connection is hard to replicate. Nothing can replace the true felling that my thumbs through the pages. Or it might be just smell of the books. Reaching a 'brick and mortar' store is like waving into a little diverse community where I see innocent children giggling while reading comics, couples happily falling in love stories, and elders calmly meditating novels. I hope some days I would be able to join in a book-signing event of my favorite writers.

Everything has pros and cons, even in this vibrant book-reading culture. The combination of both shopping online and visiting a store seems convenient to me. How about you? Which do you prefer? (^.^


Reference:
http://www.bookmasters.com/blog/shopping-books-bookstores-online

Highlight:
mimic, replicate, thumb through pages, price comparision, the more ... the more..., vibrant book-reading culture
Structure: the + comparative adjective + clause + the + comparative adjective + clause
E.g. The more adventurous it is, the more I like it. (NOT The more it is adventurous, the more I like it.)