Bargain books can help Christian retailers "survive and thrive in the midst of competition from the Internet and the big-boxes," said Steve Slack Jr., whose family business runs a regional chain of outlet stores and distributes remainders to other independents.

But in-store positioning is as important as pricing to make the most of the category, said retailers who have been successful.

Since his father opened his first discount bookstore 20 years ago, Slack Jr. has seen the business grow into 10-location Family Book Outlet, with stores in Tennessee and Virginia. The family also founded SAS & Associates to wholesale books to other independent Christian retailers.

The Slacks' inaugural Inspirational Value Book Show in January this year was a success, with 60 booths and more than 100 attendees. Barbour Publishing, B&H Publishing Group, Moody Publishers, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan are among the suppliers signed up for next year's event, Jan. 14-16.

Among those who have seen success with bargain books is Steve Parry, owner of Heaven on Earth Christian Bookstore in Boardman, Ohio. "Something I do here which works well is I have a Book of the Week," he said. "What I do is I sell the book for $3.99 and give a dollar of each sale to whomever sells it. An aggressive employee can raise their dollar-per-hour $2 or $3 per hour. The customer makes out. The store makes out. The employee makes out."

Read the full report in the Oct. 13 issue of Christian Retailing.

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