I have great sympathy for book price fixing for a number of reasons.

First of all, in my previous life I managed an independent bookstore in a city full of bookstores (in Canada) which, after the arrivals of general discounting online and in newly arrived superstores and other outlets, saw the demise of most of the independents and the diminishment of those who survived. The discount skimming of the bestsellers, and the forced give away of Harry Potters, virtually eliminated the quick money that supported the selling of lower profile products. I saw professional salaried positions of respect turn into jobs that barely paid the rent. Discounting was simply a means to move money from the pockets of the worker into the pockets of the consumer.

It is symptomatic of the consumer culture as a whole which undermines any sort of value for community. One last issue I have with it is that it is environmentally unfriendly. The more we transport ourselves to take advantage of discounts, or have things shipped instead of our local store, or outsource the production so that we can discount even more, the more fossil fuels are being used, and the more traffic infrastructure required.

Bit of a rant I know but I really miss my little old bookstores all over town.