Read on Twitter
Please don't ask your independent bookshop (or any independent business) to price match Amazon. A thread (which I have thought long and hard about writing).
It's tough right now, I know that and people need to shop where their budget allows. I know, I've been there. And having access to books is important (please support your local library!).
But unfortunately, indie bookshops just can't price match Amazon. I wish we could. Some books, we are the same. But on many releases, we just can't. We're not greedy. We just can't
We don't get the same discount off the RRP as Amazon can get. They have greater purchasing power due to the sheer bulk of books they order.
Some of their books are even sold at a loss as they know that they are a hook for the customer making additional purchases.
It is simply impossible for us to compete on the latest hardback releases, which is why some of us choose not to stock and order on request instead. One example is The World's Worst Children by David Walliams. Amazon sell to the public cheaper than I can get it for.
Same with Charlie Mackesy's stunning The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. A beautiful work by a great individual, sold for cheaper than we can get.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is out paperback today and they are selling an ÂŁ8.99 RRP for ÂŁ3.50. I wish I could compete, but I can't.
But what indies can offer you though is an amazing bookshop experience. We'll make recommendations which aren't based on an algorithm. We'll work with schools, we'll donate raffle prizes. We'll try to bring you cool events and unique ways to ensure everyone has access to books.
We LOVE seeing you and having conversations with you. We love talking books. We want to see pictures of your puppy. We're thrilled when you bring the grandkids in to say hello. We love the days you phone for a chat. 
I so wish we could compete. But instead we try to offer you the best experience we can. We celebrate the authors who create such fantastic works. We really understand if you need to go elsewhere, we honestly do. But please don't ask us to price match. We can't. #choosebookshops
Just to add to this, I'm not trying to tell you where to shop. I'm just trying to explain why we can't price match. Thank you for your replies
