Price war puts bookshops under pressure

A price war between online booksellers means bargains for readers. But owners of traditional bookshops say they could be driven out of business.

Taking a leaf from its original book, the world's biggest supermarket, Wal-Mart, has launched a full-fledged price war with the online retailer Amazon, lowering book prices on its own online site.

Some observers say that these book discounts, the latest in a series of aggressive online moves by Wal-Mart, could position the company to do to the online marketplace what Wal-mart has done to local shops in past years.

In the old days, if you wanted to buy a book, you went to a bookshop. These days, you're probably more likely to go to your local supermarket - or to the internet.

All of which leaves traditional bookshops wondering whether they still have a place in the world.

Chris Doeblin from the independent Book Culture shop in New York City accepts that supermarkets will bring the price of books down - as they have with food prices - but at a cost to many of us.

First broadcast on World Business News