No, not that Amazon. More like Amazon.com. What was once a small online store has since exploded as one of the internet's main shopping hubs. Amazon is the most visited online store and is ever expanding. The company recently launched a series of tablets and e-readers under the name "Kindle." Users can download books and apps directly to their device. This has had a negative effect on the brick and mortar stores that sell hard copies. The Amazon Effect Some book stores however are fighting back. Barnes and Noble, developed their own tablet e-reader. The Nook functions the same was as the Kindle, but purchases can help the company's bottom line. They will still have the same amount of business. In an article in the New York Times by Julie Bosman she talks about "The Bookstores Last Stand."
As measured by numbers, bookstores are in inevitable decline, says Michael Cader, founder of Publishers Lunch, a digital newsletter. At the same time, he says, some "modestly sized, locally connected independent stores have found a successful formula" for surviving in today's market.
Bookstores will eventually be phased out, the only question is when.