Putting stickers on books impact those who consume the media, as well as the retailers who sell the books. Consumers who buy books to look nice are often exasperated by stickers stuck to the front cover of the book. Though the sticker is “removable” it often doesn’t completely come off, leaves a residue, and can damage the cover or dust jacket. This leads consumers away from buying books at retail stores that put stickers on the front cover of books. 

The information conveyed on the sticker could just as easily be conveyed via a sign, an insert inside the book, or just an advertisement. This means consumers do not have to risk damaging brand-new books to remove stickers that are unnecessary to the product itself and are only a marketing tactic. No other object purchased for aesthetic purposes has an advertisement on it that risks damaging the product itself. For the consumer, the product itself is at stake. For the seller, the retainment of the consumer and their return is at stake. 

Now more than ever more people are reading. Accessible access to purchasing books means that books are of the same retail value at all stores, especially when big-name retailers such as Target are in competition with exclusive booksellers such as Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million. Not to mention the ease of Amazon. Readers in communities without access to other booksellers should be able to buy books at target and have them not be damaged by stickers that are of no value to the consumer.