Everyone has a favourite bookstore. The one place in particular they are sure to find the necessary book for which they're looking.
So was Dymocks for me at Westfield. (I won't name which Westfield, but it's the one that Dymocks moved out of around 6-8 years ago.) Now you know if you live near me.
Such is our luck for retaining stores of variety.
Westfields has been squeezing businesses, trying to turn more profit, perhaps, and thereby we, the consumers, are missing out on some of our favourite shops. The shops that contain variety, and a little difference to the majority of chain stores that fill these large consumer shopping centres.
Then again, maybe Dymocks decided to move out because they weren't getting enough business. I certainly was one of their most reliable customers when I was in Sydney. (Went to university outside of Sydney, and they moved out while I was away.)
I digress, though.
Why do I miss Dymocks?
It's simple, really: they always had a wide selection of books, and they tended to keep a stock of school textbooks on hand. The ones that were very popular for the 'popular' subjects.
I went looking for a certain textbook to teach about Germany between the World Wars today in the two major bookstores in Westfield (one that was around while Dymocks was there, and one that renamed itself after Dymocks left). Did either of them have textbooks available, apart from the 'Excel' books for study? No, not really. The only one that I saw, I believe, was a Signpost textbook for Maths. Stage 4, Year 7, or something like that. That was in the 'Renamed' store. The other 'Major Book Retailer', as far as I could tell, had no textbooks whatsoever. Just Excel books.
Now, I know I could go and find another store, one that is in the area, that sells textbooks. I just could not, for the life of me, remember it's name or location at that point in time. I'm sure it probably would have been happy to have sold me the book. However, I only thought of that after I put a deposit down on the book I wanted in the 'Renamed' store.
Also, no doubt, if I was in desperate need for this book I could travel into Dymocks Citystore, and get it there. The range of textbooks in that store, for all school subjects, is phenomenal, and I love visiting it. Very sad, I know, but it's a teacher's paradise sometimes. A 'must do' during the January Holidays (if you're in the area during the break). I'm not quite that desperate, though it was something I was considering I'll admit.
What I do wish, above all, is that there were more bookstores willing to sell textbooks - ones that both teachers and students need/want - in the 'Burbs. This would make life a lot easier for all of us.
That is why I miss Dymocks. Where is the variety?
Comments welcomed: Is there a bookstore that you love to visit, but find that it is too far sometimes? Or is there a treasure trove that you've discovered and wish to share with others? Which is your favourite bookstore for getting books that you need/want?
