After 30 years of service, the Book Outlet retail store is closing – but there is still hope for the book lovers of St. Catharines.
Many Brock students know of the Book Outlet retail store on Welland Avenue. Once a warehouse, it is a massive bookstore that offers retail-worthy books of every genre imaginable at a fraction of their list price. For students who love reading and owning books but can’t necessarily afford the steep prices at streamline bookstores, the Book Outlet was perfect. Although the exact date is not yet known, this location will soon be shutting its doors for good.
But book lovers need not weep. Although the physical space of the Book Outlet is closing, the company will still be operating online. They offer free shipping for orders over $45, and the selection of books is even more vast than the already massive selection that was available at the retail store.
The Book Outlet was once an exclusively online store until one winter more than twenty years ago, as Luke Edwards of NiagaraThisWeek explains:
“Its retail roots came one Christmas when it decided to open up to retail shoppers for the holidays… The success opened some eyes, and it continued as a retail shop when Book Depot moved to its new Thorold headquarters in 2002.”
Edward describes how before the Welland Avenue retail space was conceived, it acted as a warehouse for inventory. However, in this digital age, the retail store only accounts for about 1.5% of the company’s revenue, and they’ve found themselves in dire need of more inventory space. As the company states on its Instagram page, “We’ve witnessed a growing demand online, with the ability to offer a much larger assortment of books that are currently not available in-store.” Therefore, the Book Outlet retail store will return to its original role as a warehouse for the company.
With the store closing, everything is currently on sale for 50% off. Additionally, students can save 5% on their online orders by signing up with Student Beans, though this does not apply to the blowout sale.
For updates about the closing of the Book Outlet’s retail store, students can visit their Instagram and Facebook pages.
