Indigo
      vs.
      UPEI
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Indigo
      recently
      opened
      its
     
     
      doors
      in
      Charlottetown
      to
      the
      usual
     
     
      fanfare
      that
      greets
      new
      megastores
      on
     
     
      PEI.
      There
      has
      been
      much
      specula-
     
     
      tion
      as
      to
      what
      Indigo’s
      impact
      will
     
     
      be
      on
      the
      retailing
      landscape
      of
     
     
      Charlottetown.
      Fears
      that
      a
      book
     
     
      superstore
      will
      put
      independent
      book-
     
     
      sellers
      like
      The
      Bookmark
      and
      The
     
     
      Reading
      Well
      out
      of
      business
      have
     
     
      been
      lingering
      since
      the
      original
     
     
      announcement
      of
      a
      Chapters
      outlet.
     
    

    
     
      But
      what
      will
      Indigo
      mean
      to
     
     
      the
      university
      community?
      One
     
     
      would
      think
      that
      the
      close
      proximity
     
     
      of
      Indigo
      to
      the
      university
      would
      sug-
     
     
      gest
      they’re
      trying
      to
      tap
      into
      the
     
     
      campus
      economy,
      and
      that
      it’s
      possi-
     
     
      ble
      that
      the
      UPEI
      Bookstore
      would
     
     
      have
      something
      to
      fear
      from
      the
     
     
      arrival
      of
      Indigo.
      Eric
      Gallant,
      man-
     
     
      ager
      of
      the
      Bookstore,
      says
      Indigo
     
     
      and
      the
      Bookstore
      are
      really
      apples
     
     
      and
      oranges:
     
    

    
     
      “TIndigo]
      does
      not
      pose
      a
      big
     
     
      threat
      to
      me
      or
      university
      book-
     
     
      stores,”
      Gallant
      said.
      “In
      fact,
      I
      wish
     
     
      them
      luck.”
     
    

    
     
      There
      is
      not
      much
      overlap
      in
     
     
      the
      books
      that
      the
      UPEI
      Bookstore
     
     
      and
      Indigo
      sell.
      Students
      aren’t
      like-
     
     
      ly
      to
      find
      their
      textbooks
      in
      the
      Indigo
     
     
      store,
      and
      they
      aren’t
      likely
      to
      in
      the
     
     
      future.
     
    

    
     
      “Textbooks
      are
      not
      a
      gold-
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mine,”
      Gallant
      says.
      The
      industry
     
     
      standard
      on
      markup
      for
      textbooks
      is
     
     
      20
      percent,
      and
      since
      many
      texts
      are
      |
      |
     
     
      heavy,
      much
      of
      that
      is
      taken
      up
      by
      |
     
     
      shipping
      charges.
     
    

    
     
      This
      may
      explain
      why
      you
     
     
      can
      find
      many
      of
      your
      textbooks
      on
      |
     
     
      Indigo’s
      website,
      for
      order
      from
      their
      |
     
     
      central
      warehouse,
      instead
      of
      in
      the
     
     
      store.
      This
      may
      be
      of
      little
      use
      to
      stu-
      |
     
     
      dents,
      as
      the
      10
      percent
      discount
      one
     
     
      receives
      by
      ordering
      one’s
      textbook
     
     
      this
      way
      will
      more
      than
      be
      eaten
      up
     
     
      by
      shipping
      charges.
      Also,
      there
      is
      a
     
     
      three
      to
      five
      week
      shipping
      period
      for
     
     
      most
      of
      these
      textbooks.
     
    

    
     
      Gallant
      concedes
      that
      he
      may
     
     
      lose
      some
      of
      the
      trade
      book
      sales
      to
     
     
      Indigo,
      classics
      like
      Dickens
      or
     
     
      Shakespeare,
      but
      as
      trade
      books
      make
     
     
      up
      such
      a
      minuscule
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      Bookstore’s
      inventory,
      he
      doubts
      he
     
     
      will
      feel
      the
      loss.
     
    

    
     
      Gallant
      says
      that
      university
     
     
      bookstores
      are
      pretty
      safe
      for
      the
     
     
      foreseeable
      future.
      He
      sees
      the
      next
     
     
      real
      threat
      to
      university
      bookstores
     
     
      coming
      not
      from
      book
      mega-stores
      or
     
     
      their
      online
      counterparts,
      but
      from
      e-
      _
     
     
      texts,
      that
      is,
      the
      delivery
      of
      entire
      |
     
     
      textbooks
      on
      your
      computer
      screen
     
     
      for
      a
      fraction
      of
      the
      price
      of
      a
      hard-
     
     
      copy,
      but
      he
      believes
      it
      will
      be
      at
      least
     
     
      a
      few
      years
      before
      e-texts
      begin
      to
     
     
      catch
      on.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      up
      space
      het
      could
      better
      be
     
     
      |
      for
      regular
      shelf
      space.
     
     
      _.
      sections
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      should
      be
      giving
      us
      money
      for
      this
      kind
      of
      product
      placement.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the.cadre
      ,