Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, has written an acerbic open letter to Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos about the company’s campaign to encourage shoppers to compare prices in retail stores with those at Amazon. The promotion, which starts tomorrow and lasts 24 hours, gives shoppers 5 percent discounts if they use their smart phones to compare prices and then purchase products through Amazon. Books were not included in the promotion, but since books are still a big part of what Amazon does, indie booksellers apparently saw it as a threat.
“We suppose we should be flattered that an online sales behemoth needs a Main Street retail showroom,” writes Mr. Teicher. “Forgive us if we’re not.”
He continues:
Even though you’ve spent millions on lobbyists, fired affiliates in seven states, and threatened to shut warehouses to avoid collecting sales tax, maybe you really mean it now when you say you support a level playing field.
It’s up to you to show us.
