Target joins book price war

According to an Associated Press article, major discount store Target has announced plans to lower prices on its website for preorder books. Target, along with Walmart, has taken on Amazon by offering preorder blockbuster books at greatly reduced prices. These will include Stephen King’s Under the Dome, Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue, John Grisham’s Ford County, and others. Target and Walmart will sell these titles at $8.99, just under Amazon’s $9.00 pricing.

AP goes on to say that the three, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon, are almost sure to take a loss on the books. While even chain bookstores, like Barnes and Noble frequently offer anticipated bestsellers at a discount, this is the first time prices have been this low; around 65% below the suggested retail cost. Many continue to fret over the impact to independent booksellers who are unable to compete. The worst case scenario would be that these giant retailers will push independent booksellers out of business altogether. Another worry is that lesser known authors will be overlooked in this battle for customer dollars. For more information, see an earlier article on Examiner.com.