"Why should I have the bookstore order something for me? I pay more than Amazon and they add no value ..."
They add value by allowing you to physically browse through books to see what they're like.
I buy some books based on author or recommendation, but otherwise I'd prefer to be able to flip through a book (a, no, "Look Inside!" isn't the same) to get a feel for it.
There's also the serendipity factor you get just from wandering around a book store, picking stuff up because the cover caught your eye or whatever.
The problem for the bookstore is all of that is available to people whether they make a purchase or not, so they end up being the display room for Amazon.
They add value by allowing you to physically browse through books to see what they're like.
I buy some books based on author or recommendation, but otherwise I'd prefer to be able to flip through a book (a, no, "Look Inside!" isn't the same) to get a feel for it.
There's also the serendipity factor you get just from wandering around a book store, picking stuff up because the cover caught your eye or whatever.
The problem for the bookstore is all of that is available to people whether they make a purchase or not, so they end up being the display room for Amazon.