I find this most dramatic with Barnes & Nobles. The store price is significantly higher than .com price, making it real hard to justify buying something of a shelf when the pricing differential makes it seem B&N is begging me to buy online instead. I'll often banter with the staff a la "this is $60, but you've got it for $40 on your website - I'd really rather buy it here to support the brick-and-mortar store, can't I get some discount like $10 off? No? Really?" and then end up ordering it from Amazon because it's cheaper still, free shipping, extra credit-card rewards points, a cut goes to a favorite charity (http://smile.amazon.com people!), and get some bonus back for opting for delayed delivery.
Physical stores are increasingly just museums to me: a place to spend time looking at interesting things.
Our local Barnes and Noble has turned into a gift store. Flashy, inoffensive, stereotypical, light, current, topical, looks good on coffee table.
If they're in/from a culture that likes books, and you forgot about the birthday party this afternoon, you go to B+N and as a punishment pay list price instead of online Amazon prices. Its just like if you stop at a gas station convenience store in an emergency, don't expect health store quality or discount supermarket prices, but you can expect to walk out the door with at least something more or less usable. If they don't like books, B+N now sells legacy music CDs, dvds, board games, legos, kids toys, chocolate bars, coffee, magazines, pretty much anything in the store can be wrapped up as a gift for someone else in a couple hours. But its all pretty bland inoffensive, send auntie to pick something up for her nephew, kind of shopping destination.
They seem to have almost no competition as one of the very few stores left in the big suburban mall that isn't a womens clothes store or a food court. Its not like I can hang out in the Radio Shack anymore, LOL. Its sort of a more conformist "hot topic" but without the band tee shirts.
Some folks predict the death of B+N because of the decline in book selling, but books are only about half the floor space so they can just shove out the books, public library style, then move in some cell phone accessories, americana home decorating novelties, maybe candy, posters, maybe candles, maybe housewares, and honestly rebrand it as a gift store.
Or in summary B+N is not primarily a book store and has not been one for some time. Its a gift store that is currently, temporarily unusually heavy on physical book stock.
books are only about half the floor space so they can just shove out the books, public library style
3 new libraries have opened near me in recent years. I've been stunned at how few books they have for the floorspace available (and not just that they're planning to fill it, the non-book floorspace isn't usable for books by design). My own personal library seems just one order of magnitude smaller.
Physical stores are increasingly just museums to me: a place to spend time looking at interesting things.