My local shop is still there, but I'm probably the reason it's barely hanging on. I walk in every Wednesday for my pull list, buy exactly those books, and then leave without browsing. I haven't bought a back issue or a statue in years. They must see me coming and think, "Great, here comes the guy who pays our electric bill for ten minutes." It's a miracle any store makes it when customers like me treat it like a library with a cash register.
Yeah, treating it like a library with a cash register is so real, lisa_henderson33... I bet the shops survive on those few people who still impulse buy a t-shirt or something.
That's exactly how I feel at my shop too, lisa_henderson33. I grab my pulls and get out, almost like a drive-by. They probably make their real money from people who actually hang around and look at stuff.