[Acrylic-bob]

While the net book agreement was in effect there was a level playing field when it came to selling books and everyone got a share of the profit from bestsellers. That profit went to support the shelves and shelves of books that were not such hot sellers but were necessary and desireable and which went to make browsing the shelves such a pleasurable way to spend time.

With the ending of the agreement ASDA, Tesco and the others decided that they would discount the bestsellers, pile em high and reap all of the profit, though you would never get them to admit as much at the time. To hear them talk they were engaged in opening up the book market and making more books more widley available to more people. Have a look at the shelves in ASDA or Tesco; do you see more choice? Do you see even so much as a hundredth of the books that Wardleworth used to stock? No, of course you don't, because as far as they are concerned it is better to make a penny on a million books than it is to make a pound on a thousand. Sod Choice! Sod passion for literature or specialist knowlege. Books now rank in the same category as baked beans; to be used as "Loss leaders" when it suits the supermarkets. And they have used the same tactic in every area of retailing.