Why I Recommend Powell’s over Amazon, B&N, etc.

Here are several of the reasons why I recommend Powell’s (some are more altruistic or relevant than others):

1)    They are the only large bookseller online with a unionized workforce.
2)    Though Powell’s has been tremendously successful in its hometown of Portland, Oregon, the store has refused to spread out of the Portland metro area.
3)    They offer me a better affiliate referral rate than Amazon.
4)    An emphasis on used books.
5)    Powell’s flagship store in downtown Portland is a Mecca for booklovers.
6)    The large chains control such a large portion of the new books market that they have in some ways become de facto gatekeepers.  If an editor has a book they really like, but the publisher doesn't think Barnes and Nobles or Borders will carry it, its dead on arrival in many cases.  Supporting other bookstores mitigates this influence.