Trouble was, too much browsing, not enough buying.
A Barnes & Noble superstore was near me in the 1990s and 2000s. Many of the "new" magazines on its newsstand were dog-eared and wrinkled from the constant browsing. Even some of the "new" books were wrinkled, dog-eared, and coffee stained by the browsers.
The store (which had three stories) was normally packed with people, sitting on all the benches, and windowsills, and even the floor, reading. But no lines to the cash registers. Maybe a single buyer every now and then.
My daughter used to manage the children’s department at a Barnes and Noble. Talk about poorly managed.
One year the regular book division had a 6% loss in sales. Her department was flat which in my book is a huge success.
She was so well regarded that parents would bring their kids in because they wanted to see my daughter and buy books instead of going to the park.
So what do the moron managers do? Whenever someone didn’t show up, my daughter ended up at the cash register up front or the coffee shop instead of being an actual bookseller.
She quit. Years later some of those moms still ask her for book recommendations.