TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Picking up a physical copy of a book got a lot more popular during the pandemic.
In fact, Mostly Books said it saw a 20 to 25 percent increase in sales.
“We were prepared for devastation. We were prepared for, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen?’ and that didn’t happen," said Tricia Clapp, owner.
She's owned the store for over thirty years and said they never really closed their doors. Instead, she and her team transitioned to curbside orders.
“We sold a ton of this— where it’s a book lover’s surprise. So, somebody would say, ‘I need a bag of mystery and so we would ask them how much they wanted to spend and I would fill it all up with mystery books,” said Clapp.
Avid reader Teri Davis said she even noticed herself picking up her books more than usual when the pandemic hit.
“There wasn’t that much else to do. I was stuck at home. I’d rather read than watch Youtube videos, which is not to say I didn’t watch my fair share of Youtube videos but I’d rather read,” she said.
With the demand comes a challenge— supply. Clapp explained several books have been delayed due to supply chain issues.
“Usually if we do an order with one of the big publishers, it’s two to four days that we get the books. So if we order whatever is coming out on Tuesday. Tuesday is new release day—our favorite day of the week— and it normally gets here on Monday. Now we’re lucky sometimes if it gets here by Friday,” she explained.
Clapp’s advice to shoppers — if you see it get it now.
“Because if you don’t, you may not be able to get it. It’s like one of those crazy toys where all a sudden the shelves are empty," said Clapp.
Clapp expects the delays to last through the rest of the year.
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