This enables them to discount all books, and not just bestsellers.

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Kinokuniya America, a bookstore chain whose stores gets weekly shipments from Japan, last month announced a 15% discount on all Japanese books sold in its seven U.S. locations, in cities including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.

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Books sales are flat, discount super-centers like Wal-Mart have gobbled up half the best sellers and no one touches Amazon online.

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Or was it the fact that this discount would apply, perhaps, to the kind of less popular books that aren't perhaps typically featured on Amazon?

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It is a major competitor in the e-commerce industry as well, sharing the market with eBay and discount retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart for its electronic products, books and apparel.

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