# Target to stop selling Amazon's Kindle devices



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993142/target-stop-carrying-amazon-kindle-conflict-of-interest

If this article is to be believed, Target is pulling Amazon products from the shelves. Not the end of the world, but it means one less handy vendor when you need something at once.

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## KindleKandy (Apr 9, 2012)

Digital bookworld just announced it, too: http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/target-at-odds-with-amazon-over-kindle-conflict-of-interest/


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Yes, but will they start selling Nooks? (Or something else?)


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

They already sell Sonyss and I thought Nooks


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## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Boo!   

Though, to be honest, whenever I've gone to my local Target, their collection of accessories has been sorely lacking and they're usually out of stock of the actual Kindles themselves.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

ProfCrash said:


> They already sell Sonyss and I thought Nooks


The ones around me have Kindles, Nooks and I think Kobo (or maybe Pandigital--some other odd one). No Sony readers any more.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I think this is about Amazon also selling stuff like women's dresses.  Target wants to sells lots of dresses and if customers buy from Amazon that's less to buy from Target.  Ergo, Target says, let's not help Amazon cut into our sales.


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## Hadou (Jun 1, 2011)

Well, that kinda bites.  But, I guess it makes sense for Target to try to keep purchases in house.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Now there are articles saying it is official. Apparently the Target press release highlights the Nook. Sounds like a developing rebel alliance against the Amazon Death Star! 

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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Last time I was in Target -- maybe a week ago -- there were basically no Kindles featured in the ereader display.  There were some available, just not featured. . .all in boxes underneath.  That wasn't really different than previous times.  They have, the last few times, featured other readers more prominently.  Don't know who's idea it was to end the agreement -- but Target certainly hasn't been "promoting" the Kindle.

Hmmm. . . .wonder if that means the covers they still have might go on sale?


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## Mel Odious (Feb 29, 2012)

Not a terrible loss by itself, IMO.  It's easy to buy a Kindle ... with one click ... and I for one greatly prefer the Kindle smartphone app.  

Maybe this is more alignment against KDP or just Amazon in general, but I don't have any worries unless the big publishing houses join the fray by pulling titles ... in which case we're looking at Netflix-level diminishment.


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## MGalloway (Jun 21, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Now there are articles saying it is official. Apparently the Target press release highlights the Nook. Sounds like a developing rebel alliance against the Amazon Death Star!


I wonder if there is any correlation between this news and the recent developments between Microsoft and B&N (specifically related to the Nook).

Or maybe it has something to do with Apple displays...


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

William G. Jones said:


> Boo!
> 
> Though, to be honest, whenever I've gone to my local Target, their collection of accessories has been sorely lacking and they're usually out of stock of the actual Kindles themselves.


This ^^^

Their accessory selection has always been wanting .... and to be honest, I bought a kindle for a family member a couple days ago and it didn't even occur to me to go to a Brick and Mortar to pick one up.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Interesting, because Amazon and Target once had a pretty good alliance going - you could, if I remember correctly, buy from Target online & pay with your Amazon account, and Target used Amazon for their web services for 10 years. http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/ff_bezos/all/1

And Target was the first physical store to put Kindles on their shelves.


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## RedGolum (Nov 2, 2011)

Geemont said:


> I think this is about Amazon also selling stuff like women's dresses. Target wants to sells lots of dresses and if customers buy from Amazon that's less to buy from Target. Ergo, Target says, let's not help Amazon cut into our sales.


B&N also has links to sellers of dresses and other goods.

What this means is Amazon is, or is percieved to be, cutting into their sales. A lot of brick box stores are blaming Amazon for declining sales. But there are a lot of other places to buy goods than Amazon.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I can only speak for myself, but since getting Prime a few years ago I definitely buy a lot of things from Amazon that I'd have bought locally before because it's so convenient and often cheaper.

Everything from CDs/Movies/Video Games to clothing and kitchen and bath stuff etc.


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## Okkoto86 (Oct 29, 2010)

I don't think it matters, Target didn't really carry them before, they where never in stock anyway.  I remember when I was getting my K3, it was a couple months after launch and Amazon was shipping within 24hrs, the rush was over.  I wanted one right away so I called every target around me, like 5 Targets, not a single one had them in stock in any form.  Had to order on amazon and wait, lesson learned, now I have Prime and hardly ever go to Target these days.

IMO, there's simply no excuse for a store to be out of stock of an item anymore, excluding things like iPhone launches of course.  The ONLY reason to buy something at a B&M store is so you can have it now, people aren't gonna wait or play the call and check game anymore, they don't have to they can just go home and order it.  Just one of the many reason the giant chains are going down.


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## jonathanmoeller (Apr 19, 2011)

Heh. I just got my Kindle Touch at Target.


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## KindleKandy (Apr 9, 2012)

The techy nerds at my meeting last night say it's the mini-apple stores going in.


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## MegSilver (Feb 26, 2012)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-05-02/amazon-kindle-target/54709566/1


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## 39179 (Mar 16, 2011)

MegSilver said:


> http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-05-02/amazon-kindle-target/54709566/1


"The move coincides with the discounter's plan to create mini shops of Apple products in 25 of its stores this year."

Business as usual.


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## ellesu (Feb 19, 2009)

KindleKandy said:


> The techy nerds at my meeting last night say it's the mini-apple stores going in.


That's what I've been told also.


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## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Interesting. 

First we see Microsoft and B&N aren't cowed by the alleged Amazon monopoly.

Now we see Target and Apple have failed to fall before the mighty Amazon Select juggernaut.

Isn't Amazon supposed to be stomping all over these guys?

Ain't this a great country?


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

I purchased my daughters Fire at Target in March.  If something goes wrong with it, can I get the same service from Amazon like I have in the past with my other Kindles bought directly from Amazon?


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

laurie_lu said:


> I purchased my daughters Fire at Target in March. If something goes wrong with it, can I get the same service from Amazon like I have in the past with my other Kindles bought directly from Amazon?


Yes, you can


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

This is actually worrisome to me

This is another attack on literacy- the simple act of reading

The iPad, which is mostly a razzle dazzle distraction, does not really promote reading. Sure, you can get an APP TO read on the iPad... but how many people DO?

Seems to me that its mostly an easy and convenient way to play games and watch films and videos. But not reading.

And when it first came out I thought that the iPad would be the next generation extension of the laptop. And yet, ( correct me if I am wrong) you still cannot connect it to a printer or put a flash drive into it to save documents. 

At the end of the day: It's still 'just' a toy. A very well marketed toy.

So despite Amazon's claim that they continue to sell millions of kindle's to new customers every year, I personally have yet to see a marked increase in actual USE of Kindle readers ( or Nook's for that mater) in public

I still mostly see kids walking around with their noses in the phones texting broken english messages to each other

Of course I am speaking about this based on observations in Northeast Ohio so if anyone wants to chime in and give a visual report on the last time they saw a handful of adults or teens reading off a kindle or nook now is the time to speak up and prove me wrong

We, as writers, have to take a more active role in promoting reading in general
Pushing our individual books, while a good thing, is not enough. We have to each take the attack to the masses and promote reading for entertainment

And no, I have no ready solutions for this at hand
But the powers that be STILL push the distractions of videos and gaming to our kids just as they are getting out of school as the 'in' thing to do. Reading in public is still not considered a cool thing to do

The powers that be are STILL afraid of large amounts of people sticking with the act of reading as an entertainment option.

This should make many of us afraid for the future of our kids.
And of course this is just my cynical opinion but I dare think I'm not alone in this thought pattern


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

Mom133     Yes, while its true people can get customer service from Amazon for recently purchased Kindles- it would have been more convenient for the avg consumer to visit a local Target store

But now once the kindles are phased out it doesn't matter anyway

But......

Another problem I see in this switch from kindles to iPads in target stores is the fact that you take a chance in many brick and mortar stores for nearly any kind of interaction with a clerk

Many times (depending on the department-specifically the big-box retail stores) you are hard pressed to find a Knowledgeable if not, enthusiastic  clerk if you have a question- or worse- if you need actual assistance ( and again- it depends on which department you are shopping in)

And no, not EVERY time you shop, but enough times to make you simply 'settle' for figuring out a problem yourself or looking it up at home before shopping or asking a friend ( pre-shopping)

Customer service, while talked up by each big box corporation as a priority, seems to be just as much a fading art as reading for entertainment is

As always- I stand here on the boards ready to be corrected


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

FrankZubek said:


> The iPad, which is mostly a razzle dazzle distraction, does not really promote reading. Sure, you can get an APP TO read on the iPad... but how many people DO?


Actually, everyone I know that has an iPad (and I know several) reads a lot on it. Not necessarily novels, but lots of newspapers, news blogs, magazines etc. One of the big benefits of a tablet is that it's much better for reading those kind of things than a laptop or desktop. And also than an e-reader IMO as the small screen of a Kindle or Nook isn't ideal for newspapers and magazines IMO.

I'm not so sure that e-readers really promote increased literacy anyway. Being that they do nothing but display e-books, someone that doesn't have a strong interest in reading isn't going to be interested in purchasing one in the first place. They may read more after getting one like I and others on here experienced, but something like the Kindle isn't going to get very many non-readers reading. Where as someone who's not that into reading may get a tablet and some of those may get into reading more due to all the e-book apps available.

Anyway, just my two cents as a person with an iPad and a Kindle. Both can promote reading, but I think dedicated readers can do no more in most cases than get casual readers reading more. Multifunction devices have a better chance of getting non-readers reading since they'd never buy a dedicated e-reader, though I do agree that most aren't going to become bookworms. And I'm not sure that's a bad thing as I think it's important to be well rounded in consuming arts and entertainment (and everything in life in general). People are much more interesting if they're into books, music, movies, games etc. rather than just obsessed with any one of those and spending all their hobby time on one thing.


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## FictionalWriter (Aug 4, 2010)

I thought this was an interesting bit of news.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/target-stop-selling-amazons-kindle-150901142.html


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Interesting too that they said Kindles were their biggest seller for ereaders. I think they are not happy with Amazon selling more clothing.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

As I commented in more detail on Google+, I think this is a bad decision that just hurts consumers and Target. It's not like somebody who wants to buy a Kindle is going to be stymied by not being able to buy one at Target. It'll just push a potential buyer to Amazon's site where they can also buy other things that Target sells.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

Yup, I use my IPad to check my email and favorite boards in the morning. Once I have it paid off, I will buy a subscription to the Economist and read that on a regular basis. I can read most of my newspapers and the like at work as part of work so I do tend to take advantage of that on the computer at work but there are the occassional exception that I read on the IPad. 

I have used it to read a book already. It was easy enough and it is nice to be able to read and not have to turn a light on when the Hubby is sleeping. Mainly I use it to play strategy based board games like Settlers of Catan, Tikal, Puerto Rico, and Ticket to Ride. So not reading but games that require a good amount of thought and attention.


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## Guest (May 3, 2012)

Crenel said:


> As I commented in more detail on Google+, I think this is a bad decision that just hurts consumers and Target.


You have to have an understanding of retail to read between the lines here. Retail is often about volume. You make pennies per item sold, but if you sell a lot of items you make money. The Kindle, like many ereaders, does not have a huge mark-up. You don't make a lot of money selling a Kindle device in a store. You stock the item, however, for the same reason you would stock any low-profit margin item: to get traffic in the door to spend more money. If I go to Target to buy a Kindle, and walk out with an additional $100 in clothes, Target makes money. It becomes an issue of what is called "total cart value."

So does the Kindle increase or decrease "total cart value?" I think this decision gives us the answer. Retailers don't drop products that increase cart value. If Kindle buyers were coming into the store in droves and walking out with Kindles and full shopping carts, they would continue to stock the device. But if the item is NOT generating a strong total cart value, then you drop it because you are losing money.

The Kindle is a device that not only doesn't increase total cart value, but gives your customers a big push to shop with your competition instead of you. Amazon is moving into Target's domain with its push of its clothing and toy departments. I can understand Target's position if you have an item that promotes your competition in your own store and doesn't actually increase your own revenue.

At this point, we watch and see how WalMart responses.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

***several threads on the same topic merged. . .sorry for any confusion. . . .***


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## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Geemont said:


> I think this is about Amazon also selling stuff like women's dresses. Target wants to sells lots of dresses and if customers buy from Amazon that's less to buy from Target. Ergo, Target says, let's not help Amazon cut into our sales.


is it the fact they sell apparel, or the fact they have an app where you can price check-in store and order what you want for after you've tried in on and put it back on Target's rack?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Well. . . in terms of clothing. . . .if they sell it at Target, it's very possible you won't find the exact thing anywhere else.  They have a lot of proprietary brands and/or styles that aren't available other places.

I think it's the "shops" they have coming.


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## Sophrosyne (Mar 27, 2011)

Target's no longer selling Kindles, they're getting in bed with Apple instead.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/02/target-amazon-kindle_n_1472095.html


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi, Christiana, 

We already have at least one thread on this.  I'm going to merge it.  Thanks for understanding.

Betsy


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## William G. Jones (Sep 6, 2011)

Wait, by "shops" do you mean they're going to turn their stores into a miniature mall?

Is Target the chain that's gone and found all these little boutiques to open up inside the main store?


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## AppleBlossom (Jul 9, 2009)

Geemont said:


> I think this is about Amazon also selling stuff like women's dresses. Target wants to sells lots of dresses and if customers buy from Amazon that's less to buy from Target. Ergo, Target says, let's not help Amazon cut into our sales.


This is pretty similar to what I heard being stated on the news this morning - Target was tired of being a "showroom" for Amazon where people went Target to "feel" the Kindle and then went to Amazon to buy it.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

William G. Jones said:


> Wait, by "shops" do you mean they're going to turn their stores into a miniature mall?
> 
> Is Target the chain that's gone and found all these little boutiques to open up inside the main store?


That's my understanding. . . but I've not seen it yet at my local store. They actually just finished a major renovation where they added a whole grocery section. . . . . .


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> That's my understanding. . . but I've not seen it yet at my local store. They actually just finished a major renovation where they added a whole grocery section. . . . . .


For the past year or two, I often walk into a Target store and walk out without purchasing anything.
I think it's time to shake things up.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

NightGoat said:


> For the past year or two, I often walk into a Target store and walk out without purchasing anything.
> I think it's time to shake things up.


They have inexpensive jeans and t-shirts which my husband goes through on the job like crazy.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

If people can't buy the Kindle at Target, they will just order it online. It doesn't seem like a wise thing for a brick and mortar store to give people more motivation to shop online - they might just do other shopping online instead of at your store. Even without the Kindle, I wouldn't have purchased books at Target, the selection of books is pretty paltry, barely a step up from what is offered at the grocery store.


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## TheGapBetweenMerlons (Jun 2, 2011)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> If Kindle buyers were coming into the store in droves and walking out with Kindles and full shopping carts, they would continue to stock the device. But if the item is NOT generating a strong total cart value, then you drop it because you are losing money.
> 
> The Kindle is a device that not only doesn't increase total cart value, but gives your customers a big push to shop with your competition instead of you.


Good points; however, I would say that for products other than books the Kindle itself doesn't push customers to shop with the competition (Amazon) unless -- and I'll admit I'm ignorant on this point -- _Kindle owners use their Kindle_ frequently to buy non-book items. (Is it even possible? I don't get much time with my wife's Kindle but haven't seen any ability on it to place regular Amazon orders.) Given how limited their selection is, I doubt competition for book buyers is significant to Target.

Also, another factor to consider in conjunction with generating strong or weak cart value is the cost of carrying the item. I understand that shelf space and the use thereof is both art and science in the retail world, but unless they're giving up higher-value placement for low-value items (which is fixable without dropping anything), their cost to carry Kindles shouldn't be all that high and could be covered by less-than-full-cart additional purchases. Obviously this is just man-on-the-street opinion, but I think the choice to abandon the Kindle entirely has more to do with "retail politics" than an accurate cost/benefit analysis of carrying the Kindle. The e-reader display will actually shrink when they remove the Kindle models; and, given that average consumers may pay little attention to "the e-reader wars" it would be reasonable for them to come to the conclusion that "Target doesn't have a good selection of products I'm interested in" if they're looking for a Kindle and can't find it.

I'm somewhat tempted to visit Target stores from time to time and ask for a Kindle. It would be interesting to get feedback from the floor-employee level about their lack of Kindles. What might make sense in boardrooms might look very different from the perspective of somebody dealing with real, live customers on a daily basis.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I was in a Target recently and went down to their electronics area where they used to have the Kindles.  I noticed that they no longer had the displays up for any of the ereaders and wondered about that.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Recently at my Target the readers have been adjacent to the paper book section.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

mooshie78 said:


> I can only speak for myself, but since getting Prime a few years ago I definitely buy a lot of things from Amazon that I'd have bought locally before because it's so convenient and often cheaper.


Same here. I have mobility problems and have a hard time getting around now, so Amazon has been very handy.


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## TouchedByaKindle (May 4, 2012)

Target has a huge demographic. Amazon suffered a huge blow from Apple.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

TouchedByaKindle said:


> Target has a huge demographic. Amazon suffered a huge blow from Apple.


I don't think I'd characterize it that way.

I think (though I admit to no insider knowledge of the mind of Jeff Bezos and company) that one of the reasons Amazon started selling Kindles in physical stores was so that people could take a look at them before buying. They were selling well on line, but with B&N having the nook in its stores, it made sense to have them available for folks who want to 'try before they buy'. But the things are pretty ubiquitous now -- I was driving to the dentist today and glanced out my window while waiting at a stoplight and a lady was reading on one at a sidewalk eatery -- so that's not as necessary.

And I'm pretty sure that if Amazon had felt it necessary to keep them in Target they would have made it happen. I expect they figured they didn't need that any more so if Target didn't want them, that was fine. And since they weren't sold for more at the physical stores, Amazon probably wasn't making as much on each sale, anyway -- if they weren't selling that many, there's no good reason to force the issue. I don't expect they'll pull them from everywhere else, but don't expect any new outlets and won't be surprised if they quietly fade from some others they're currently in.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

FrankZubek said:


> Mom133 Yes, while its true people can get customer service from Amazon for recently purchased Kindles- it would have been more convenient for the avg consumer to visit a local Target store
> 
> But now once the kindles are phased out it doesn't matter anyway
> 
> ...


Target has never "serviced" Kindles. The only reason anyone would take a Kindle back to Target (or Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Sam's Club, or any other physical store) would be to return it for a refund, unless maybe they'd lucked into dealing with someone who was very knowledgeable about Kindles and they took it back to ask that person a question. But as you say, even at a store like Best Buy, where you'd expect to find employees fairly knowledgeable about electronics, you hear a lot of misinformation being spewed.

As to your other point about iPads vs Kindles for reading, my husband read a lot on his Kindle until he got the iPad - now he reads on his iPad. He doesn't read novels quite as much as he did before, but even those he reads on his iPad. I use my iPad for reading as much as anything else I do on it (I don't play a lot of games, don't watch a lot of videos on it), but most of that reading is magazines, online articles, etc. The only book I've read on it was a non-fiction that had quite a few photographs in it and those were much easier to see on the iPad, and one PDF from a publisher that wouldn't convert to a readable form for my Kindle. I still prefer my K4 or my Fire for reading books - the iPad is a bit too much text "in my face" for me.

And I've gone from being the only person I knew (besides my husband and daughters) who had a Kindle (or any reader) back in 2008 to having at least a dozen friends who have some type of reader (Kindle, Nook, Nook Tablet or Fire, even a Sony or two). No, I don't see tons of them out & about, but I do see them more & more.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Almost every week, we have some type of class going on here at work. Sizes ranges from 12-300. But in every class, I see at least 1 person with some type of reader.


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## Mel Odious (Feb 29, 2012)

Meemo said:


> ... And I've gone from being the only person I knew (besides my husband and daughters) who had a Kindle (or any reader) back in 2008 to having at least a dozen friends who have some type of reader (Kindle, Nook, Nook Tablet or Fire, even a Sony or two). No, I don't see tons of them out & about, but I do see them more & more.


I rarely see Kindles in public, but our son reports that many kids use them during lunch at his middle school (and not as a food tray).


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I see e-readers around fairly often--usually Kindles and some Nooks.

But I see tablets a lot more.  Mainly iPads, but occasionally a Fire or Playbook or Xoom.  Especially on plains, lots of people with tablets and e-readers.  Also see a good bit of both at Starbucks and other coffee shops.


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## NightGoat (Feb 2, 2011)

I sometimes see Kindles, don't recall ever seeing iPads, but mostly I see laptops w/ the glowing Apple symbol.
I have an iPad 2, I never take it anywhere because it doesn't really seem to do anything.


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## MamaProfCrash (Dec 16, 2008)

I see e-readers and IPads all over the place. They are on the busses, subways, and waiting rooms. When I fly there are a ton in use on the plane.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Yeah, it's just relative to where you live, how much you travel or use public transit etc.

I don't see e-readers or tablets hardly at all if I'm visiting my parents who live in a rural area with just some small towns around.  But I live in a major city and travel a lot so I see them all over the place usually.  

Also, working at a university ups that since lots of students and fellow faculty members have tablets and e-readers.


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## JS12 (May 8, 2012)

Any Aussies on here?
I'm trying to find out whereabouts Kindle's are stocked...
I know Target sells (or used to!) in the US, but do any chains/departments stock them over here?
Thanks!


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## rainforest (Oct 26, 2011)

Yes, you can buy kindles from Dick Smith in Australia.


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## webhill (Feb 12, 2009)

ProfCrash said:


> I see e-readers and IPads all over the place. They are on the busses, subways, and waiting rooms. When I fly there are a ton in use on the plane.


Yesterday I had my son at the allergist's office. It's required to wait 30 minutes after getting allergy shots, so we were sitting in the waiting room for some time. While we sat there, I noticed the lady sitting next to me was using the Kindle app on her iPad. Her child was reading on a kindle. I was reading on a kindle. My son was reading on his Fire. The two teens on the other side of my son were both using Nooks. There were also a couple of people using smartphones of some type (don't know if they were reading on them though) and a couple more with iPads (don't know what they were doing). In the middle, a sad and lonely magazine rack sat untouched, full of spotless, mint-condition magazines


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