MovieChat Forums > You've Got Mail (1998) Discussion > Am I the only one that thought that Fox ...

Am I the only one that thought that Fox books was better.


Throughout the whole movie, I kept thinking to myself that fox books was the better business. They kept demeaning it because it had discount books, so what!!! That's what made it better!!!! "The shop around the corner" books were super expensive if no anyone noticed. When joe fox bought a bag of maybe 6 or 7 books the cashier rang him up 73 dollars! Those are some seriously expensive books. Basically I think that Fox books was the better store.

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The movie was mostly shown from the perspective of the small shop owner, so it started out with a lot of negativity towards Fox Books. Toward the end of the movie, however, Kathleen goes to the store to check it out, and the scene spends a lot of time on sweeping views of the store, with all of it's beautiful content, many floors, happy customers and well-stocked, comfortable children's book section - and she sits down - I thought it was a balanced look at two different types of businesses.

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Don't forget the clerk working in the Children's section who obviously knew nothing about childrens books - presumably because all the staff are considered interchangeable, are not expected to actually know anything about books, and are paid so little that they move on as soon as they are qualified for a "better" job (meaning a job that pays more).

In that sense, Fox books was only "better" if you needed no human assistance.

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Fox Books was the better place to buy cheap books, for sure. However, Kathleen's store had a more personal touch to it, with the workers getting to know the customers, etc. She also had times set up where kids could come in and hear a story. Unfortunately, the benefits of Kathleen's store weren't enough to keep her in business.

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💕 JimHutton (1934-79) and ElleryQueen 👍

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It depends on what you like. If you like cheaper products then Fox is the better store for you. I tend to prefer small mom and pop stores, and am sad when they're pushed out of business. I have known book stores a lot like Kathleen's, and loved to spend time in them. Most of them are gone now, and with them a way of life I loved.

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I am the same way, I don't care for impersonal business even if you get a discount. Kathleen's shop was around for ages and created a lot of valuable memories for its clientele.

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Well, 6 books would bean 10 bucks each ok us NYC sales tax. I don't see that as expensive.

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That's a good price considering they're new as well.

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The Shop Around the Corned really wasn't that expensive. If they bought 7 books and it came out to 73 dollars, that means each book was only about 10 dollars. That's pretty good, especially for new books.

Once upon a time there was a magical place where it never rained. The end.

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I prefer the neat little shops anyway... and with the big bookstores, it's not really a discount.

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[deleted]

I liked both the same. They each had their strong points. One was tiny and quaint the other was big and had a coffee shop just like a Barnes and Noble or something comparable. I didn't like one over the other. Both were nice.

Was ist der Sinn des Lebens?

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