Conspiracy Theory #358

You know, I'm a pretty logical person. I don't buy in to a lot of the "conspiracy theories" that float around. I like to believe that people are honest and what is put out there for the world to see is the truth.

I'm delusional, right?

Today, however, I became convinced that something rotten is going on. I'm going to say right now, I am expecting some grief from this blog but I'm writing it anyway. As many of you know, I work for a homeschool bookstore. We have been around for five years. My bosses/friends went in to this business with great hopes and dreams of how this little shop would be a blessing, a ministry, and would provide for their family. The homeschool community did not open its arms to the store right away because there was ANOTHER homeschool bookstore located almost 20 miles away that had been in business for many years. Other homeschool families that I know had wanted to open a similar bookstore and when talking to the owners of the more established store, they were TOLD that they should not do it. They were "advised" against it. The reasons given were many and at this point would be like quoting a game of telephone.

What I have noticed in the three years that I have been with the bookstore is that they (this other bookstore) get things that we simply cannot. I find this odd. I mean, in this economy, who turns away business? There is not a big markup on books and I would think that publishers and the like would be THRILLED that someone wants to sell their stuff. Apparently that is not the case. For example, we had a request for a certain spelling curriculum. Our regular distributor does not carry it so we went directly to the publisher. They openly admitted that they allow this other store to carry it, but they don't do wholesale accounts with anyone.

???

How is this possible? And you know what? It's not the first time that this has happened. It's not even the second time that it's happened. I'm thinking conspiracy theory at this point because how could it be that all of these fabulous, new books/curriculum that come out ONLY be sold to one store? I'm no marketing whiz but I do shop around and I see workbooks that we sell in our store, also for sale at places like Barnes and Nobles which is like a kabillion times larger than we are. So where's the logic? Why is there such favoritism for this other store? I think there are darker forces at work here. I think that something is truly rotten here.

I'm not happy about any of it. I do not believe that it is fair in these times to have one store horde all of the new merchandise and therefor force another business to not be able to compete. For crying out loud, if you go to any mall or shopping center, each store carries almost IDENTICAL merchandise! You're telling me that two stores twenty miles apart CANNOT do that? I don't want to accuse anyone unfairly but I am just saying that I find it mighty suspicious that this other store is the ONLY store that major publishing houses allow to sell their books.

Very suspicious indeed.