Cash tills ring to the tune of Harry Potter
LONDON (Reuters) - Cash tills around the world rang to the tune of Harry Potter over the weekend and the seventh and final book in the boy wizard series looked on course to become the fastest selling book ever.
The Asda supermarket chain has been selling the hardback at a heavy loss, charging five pounds ($10) for the 608-page volume, a fraction of the recommended retail price of 17.99 pounds.
The heavy discount paid off in terms of volume, with the store selling 97 percent of its 500,000 copies within about 36 hours of the book's release. More copies have been ordered.
Source: ABC News
And a bit more on that...
Asda sparks Harry Potter price war
Press Association
Thursday July 19, 2007 6:43 PM
Asda has sparked a Harry Potter price war by charging just £5 per copy for JK Rowling's final tale.
The supermarket had earlier put a maximum £8.87 retail price on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - the same as rival chains Tesco and Sainsbury's.
But Asda's allocation of 500,000 copies will be priced at £5 per book when it launches on Friday night, the chain said.
Asda stores will limit sales of the £5 books to just two per person to prevent bulk-buying.
Customers who have already placed pre-orders with the chain will be charged the same price.
Spokesman Ed Watson said: "Kids trust Asda as the place to get a copy of the Deathly Hallows at a great price and that's exactly what we'll be giving them.
"Harry Potter has reignited children's passion for reading and our colleagues and customers are gearing up for the biggest book launch we've ever seen."
Asda's announcement will prompt other retailers to slash their prices.
The supermarket was forced to apologise to Bloomsbury earlier this week after it criticised the publisher's recommended retail price of £17.99 for the seventh and final Harry Potter instalment.
Waterstone's and Woolworths have set their prices at £8.99 per copy while WH Smith will charge £10.99.
© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2007, All Rights Reserved.
Source:Guardian Unlimited
As you can read here, different supermarkets offer such different prices in the UK.And it's not just about the price war, or the profit.Asda actually made a heavy lost selling it at 5 Pounds.. It was about providing the book at the most affordable price people(in this case, children) could get.I believe that the price or market is not a problem.. It's about availability and affordability..If the supermarkets in Malaysia did not sell the book, obviously, there would be less books on the shelves(but because the bookstores didn't sell, I guess it didn't change that much in the end)..and less privileged people(ex:children who save their pocket money just to buy the book) won't have the chance to buy the book at a lower price than the retail price at major bookstores which are available for bookings(the richer ppl can buy from there..=D)..The major bookstores have to come out of their shells..It's not just about the profit anymore!
Oh,btw,Amazon Books is selling it at $17.99 half the retail price of $34.99.
Day 9 of abstinence
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