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36-522: The Oxford Bookstore , formerly known as Oxford Bookstore and Stationery Company , is an Indian book store chain established in 1919. It has no connection with Oxford University Press . Its outlets, on prime locations in the high streets of most of the major cities of the Raj such as Delhi , Mumbai , Meerut , Chennai (2006) and Calcutta , are well known even today. Still known as the Oxford Bookstores,

72-448: A business has to make for elements such as rent of a store and monthly payments for services such as a security alarm . Fixed costs stay the same for a business even if it ramps up its operations or winds down its operations during a slow period. In contrast, variable costs change as a business ramps its operations up or down. Variable costs include wages (for employees paid by the hour) and electricity for operating machinery used by

108-443: A few types of each product. Online shops are able to have a huge amount of stock in numerous large warehouses (e.g., Amazon.com has warehouses in numerous locations from which it ships its products) which it can quickly ship out. An online store may be able to order up products from a large number of geographically dispersed warehouses, even warehouses owned and operated by third parties (e.g., smaller companies), which are connected to

144-459: A part in the city's life. In the 1970s, during the Naxalite rising, it was used as a message drop-off point by activists, who would slip notes into particular books for other members of their group to find. Book store People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers , bookdealers , bookpeople , bookmen , or bookwomen . The founding of libraries in c.  300 BC stimulated

180-503: A physical presence (e.g., a retail shop in a building) and offer face-to-face customer experiences. This term is usually used to contrast with a transitory business or an Internet -only presence, such as fully online shops , which have no physical presence for shoppers to visit, talk with staff in person, touch and handle products, or buy from the firm in person. However, such online businesses normally have non-public physical facilities from which they either run business operations (e.g.,

216-406: A physical presence only, they may also have an online presence such as Tesco , who offer an online grocery service as well as a brick-and-mortar retail presence. The presence of brick-and-mortar establishments may bring many benefits to businesses; The brick-and-mortar approach also has various drawbacks. Fixed costs are a serious challenge for B&M businesses. Fixed costs are payments that

252-582: A physical rental store to rent a DVD, and then return to the store to give the DVD back. "The rapid rise of online film streaming offered by the likes of Lovefilm and Netflix made Blockbuster's video and DVD [rental] business model practically obsolete.' There has been an increase in online retailers in the 2000s, as people are using e-commerce (online sales) to fulfill basic needs ranging from grocery shopping to book purchases. Sales through mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones have also risen in

288-414: A pre-Internet era, when contrasting businesses with physical retail presence with those that operated strictly in an order-by-mail capacity pre- Internet . The history of brick-and-mortar businesses cannot be dated precisely, but it existed in the earliest vendor stalls in the first towns (as early as 7500 BC), where merchants brought their agricultural produce, clay pots and handmade clothing to sell in

324-608: A range of government departments and agencies, ranging from departments of motor vehicles (online car registration), police (paying speeding tickets online), city services (paying parking tickets online or requesting that a pothole be filled) and social services (registering for social assistance or unemployment insurance ) and tax departments (paying a tax bill or submitting a tax return online). Many governments use e-services to provide online information to citizens (e.g., "help" guides, Frequently Asked Question lists, manuals for government program applicants, etc.), thus saving on

360-518: A service center or repair facility where customers can bring their products, has played a crucial role in providing goods and services to consumers throughout history. All large retailers in the 19th and the early to mid-20th century started off with a smaller brick-and-mortar presence, which increased as the businesses grew. A prime example of this is McDonald's , a company that started with one small restaurant and now has nearly 36,000 restaurants in over 120 countries and plans to grow further; this shows

396-403: A village market . Bricks and mortar businesses remain important in the 2010s, though many shops and services, ranging from consumer electronics shops to clothing shops and even grocery shops have begun offering online shopping. This physical presence, either of a retail shop, a customer service location with staff, where clients can go in person to ask questions about a product or service, or

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432-458: Is a metonym derived from the traditional building materials associated with physical buildings: bricks and mortar , however, it is applicable to all stores with a physical storefront, not just those built out of bricks and mortar. The term brick-and-mortar businesses is also a retronym , in that most shops had a physical presence before the advent of the Internet . The term is also applicable in

468-406: Is an organization or business with a physical presence in a building or other structure. The term brick-and-mortar business is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases retail shops , factory production facilities , or warehouses for its operations. More specifically, in the jargon of e-commerce businesses in the 2000s, brick-and-mortar businesses are companies that have

504-899: The Commonwealth , apart from Canada ) may be either part of a chain , or local independent bookstores . Stores can range in size, offering several hundred to several hundred thousand titles. They may be brick and mortar stores, internet-only stores, or a combination of both. Sizes for the larger bookstores exceed half a million titles. Bookstores often sell other printed matter besides books, such as newspapers , magazines , and maps ; additional product lines may vary enormously, particularly among independent bookstores. Colleges and universities often have bookstores on campus that focus on providing course textbooks and scholarly books and also sell other supplies and logo merchandise. Many on-campus bookstores are owned or operated by large commercial chains such as WHSmith , Blackwell's or Waterstone's in

540-459: The 2000s: "While total online sales rose 18% year-on-year in December to £11.1 [B], according to the latest figures [January 2014] from e-tail industry body IMRG and advisory firm Capgemini, sales via mobile devices doubled to £3 [B].' The increase in households where both adults work outside the home, combined with the convenience of shopping for and buying products and services online, has decreased

576-669: The United Kingdom, or Barnes & Noble College Booksellers in the United States. Another common type of bookstore is the used bookstore or second-hand bookshop which buys and sells used and out-of-print books in a variety of conditions . A range of titles are available in used bookstores, including in print and out-of-print books. Book collectors tend to frequent used bookstores. Large online bookstores offer used books for sale, too. Individuals wishing to sell their used books using online bookstores agree to terms outlined by

612-536: The activities of the University of Oxford, Tennessee, without too much trouble, but marmalade, sausages and shoes could all call themselves ‘Oxford’ with impunity. Milford encouraged Oxford Bookstores because he felt their ‘enterprise’ deserved it, and since they were not publishers their operations actually helped OUP, and the confusion over who owned the Oxford Bookstores may have acted in OUP's advantage. The Oxford Bookstore

648-672: The bookstore(s): paying the online bookstore(s) a predetermined commission once the books have sold. In Paris , the Bouquinistes are antiquarian and used booksellers who have had outdoor stalls and boxes along both sides of the Seine for hundreds of years, regulated by law since the 1850s and contributing to the scenic ambiance of the city. Unit sales of print books in the United States were down 2.6 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, but print sales in 2023 were up 10 percent compared to 2019. Brick and mortar Brick and mortar (or B&M )

684-456: The business during its operating hours. If a business increases its hours of operation, its hourly wages and electricity bill will rise, but its rent and security alarm costs will stay the same (assuming that the business does not add additional locations). Start-up companies and other small businesses typically find it hard to pay all of the fixed costs that are part of their venture. Research shows that 70% of new start up businesses fail within

720-439: The citizens using online services are generally doing all of the administrative tasks (e.g., downloading a form, filling in a form, looking up guidance in an online "help" manual, paying fees) themselves using their home computer. E-government services also improve service for citizens who have access to a computer, Internet and an online payment method (e.g., a credit card or PayPal ), because these citizens are not limited by

756-487: The company headquarters and back office facilities), and/or warehouses for storing and distributing products. Concerns such as foot traffic, storefront visibility, and appealing interior design apply to brick-and-mortar businesses rather than online ones. An online-only business needs to have an attractive, well-designed website , a reliable e-commerce system for payment, a good delivery or shipping service, and effective online marketing tactics to drive web traffic to

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792-493: The customer experience, they add to the costs of operating a B&M establishment. On the other hand, an online virtual store in which customers select their own purchases in a virtual "shopping cart" and pay for them using e-commerce approaches may be able to serve thousands of customers at the same time. Beginning in the 1990s and early 2000s, many governments in industrialised countries began to offer e-government services to citizens. Online government services are offered by

828-541: The energies of the Athenian booksellers. In Rome , toward the end of the republic , it became the fashion to have a library, and Roman booksellers carried on a flourishing trade. The spread of Christianity naturally created a great demand for copies of the Gospels , other sacred books, and later on for missals and other devotional volumes for both church and private use. The modern system of bookselling dates from soon after

864-533: The firm, giving them special terms for OUP and Clarendon Press titles. ‘An enterprising firm, certainly good at display,’ Humphrey Sumner Milford , Publisher to the University, commented to Sir Maurice Gwyer . OUP had taken legal advice and been told that the geographical identifier ‘Oxford’ carried no protection unless teamed with ‘University’ or ‘Press’; and if any two words of the name were used they could ‘jump in with both feet’, as Milford said, and prosecute for trademark violation. The Press had been able to stifle

900-543: The first 10 years. People have busier lifestyles in the 2010s, with more families having both adults working, and therefore they find it harder to find the time to physically go and shop at stores and services. As well, in many cities traffic jams and congestion on roads have made it more stressful and time-consuming to drive to physical locations to shop. Online shopping and online services, which consumers can access from an Internet -connected laptop or smartphone are more convenient for these people. B&M increases

936-489: The fixed cost for any business, therefore the products sold in physical shops tend to be more expensive compared to online shops. For stores selling expensive products or services in a B&M format, customers expect beautiful window displays, fine decorating in the establishment and well-dressed salespeople who earn high commission on their sales. Some high-end hair salons and luxury car stores even offer conveniences such as free espresso and bottled water, all of which add to

972-474: The hours and location(s) of their bricks and mortar stores. Netflix , an online movie streaming website founded in 1997, is an example of how an online business has affected a B&M businesses such as video rental stores . After Netflix and similar companies became popular, traditional DVD rental stores such as Blockbuster LLC went out of business. Customers preferred to be able to instantly watch movies and TV shows using "streaming", without having to go to

1008-405: The importance of having a physical presence. For many small businesses , their business model is mostly limited to a bricks and mortar model, such as a diner restaurant or a dry cleaning service. Nevertheless, even service-based businesses can use websites and "apps" to reach new customers or improve their services. For example, a dry cleaning service could use a website to let customers know of

1044-609: The introduction of printing . During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Low Countries, for a time, became the chief centre of the bookselling world. Modern book selling has changed dramatically with the advent of the Internet. Major websites such as Amazon , eBay , and other big book distributors offer affiliate programs and dominate book sales. Bookstores (called bookshops in the United Kingdom , Ireland , Australia and most of

1080-511: The large company via the Internet. Queues ( lineups and waiting rooms ) are part and parcel of B&M retail businesses, due to physical constraints and the limitations on how many staff the business can afford to hire. A physical store may only have a few salespeople to serve customers, so many customers may have to wait in line during the busiest hours. To lessen the stress of waiting, some B&M stores provide big-screen TVs with cable TV, free coffee and newspapers; while these niceties improve

1116-640: The need for call centers where citizens can call to ask questions or physical service locations where citizens can come in person to ask about government forms or services. These online government services aim at two goals: reducing costs to governments and improving client service. By offering these services and information online, governments save money, because they do not have to offer as many bricks and mortar client service centers where citizens can come and fill in these forms and pay government bills. Governments offering e-services can also operate with less civil servants and thus less salary and benefits costs, as

Oxford Bookstore - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-520: The number of customers going to retail outlets, as consumers can access the same information about products and services without paying for gas, parking and other costs, thus saving them time and money. "Today’s consumers lead busy lives and [Bricks and Mortar] shopping takes time. Often it is a [challenging] task. Consumers find researching and shopping on the Web far more convenient than brick-and-mortar visits." Brick and mortar businesses are not limited to having

1188-532: The outlets are now managed by the Apeejay Surrendra Group , a Calcutta -based conglomerate, while the book wholesaling business has been merged with India Book House to become Oxford and IBH. Oxford University Press came to India in 1912, and learned of the existence of the Oxford Bookstores shortly after they were set up in 1919. They had a brief legal tussle over the use of the telegraphic address 'Oxonian', but in general tolerated and even encouraged

1224-646: The overhead of selling these products and services. Online shops, even those for luxury goods, do not have to pay for high-end retail stores and salespeople. Nevertheless, high-end online stores typically incur higher costs for their online presence, because they need to have leading edge Web 2.0 functions on their website, a professionally designed site, and in some cases, staff available to respond to phone calls, e-mails and online "chat" questions. Products may be out stock in relatively small brick-and-mortar retail stores and due to limited space in small business retail stores, these establishments may only be able to carry

1260-413: The site. Governments are also adopting e-government approaches, which is the use of online services for citizens to enable them to fill out government forms, pay tax bills, and register for government programs online; these services aim to cut bricks-and-mortar costs (building leasing/purchase and staff costs) and improve services to citizens (by offering 24/7 access to information and services). The name

1296-459: Was a landmark in Calcutta during the days of the Raj, along with Whiteaway Laidlaw's famous departmental store. Like most bookshops of the time, the store also stocked fancy leather goods, toys, perfume, albums, photo frames, indoor games, playing cards and silver and electroplated goods. It features in the memoirs of many eminent British and Indian figures of the twentieth century, and has always played

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