How low can they go? Wal-Mart and Amazon.com trade price cuts on books

    NEW YORK (AP) - Christmas is coming early to book lovers.
    Wal-Mart and Amazon.com are locked in a price war over hardback releases. As a result, Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” is now going for $9 on the retailers’ Web sites. Wal-Mart is also offering free shipping.
    The tussle over prices started yesterday, when Wal-Mart started offering upcoming hardcover releases for $10, a cut of 60 percent or more off the regular cost. Amazon.com matched the price, prompting Wal-Mart to go even lower to $9.
    By this morning, Amazon.com had matched the $9 price tag.
    The reductions may benefit consumers in the short-term, but they hurt independent sellers, who can’t afford to slash prices that much. Borders and Barnes & Noble are also feeling the discounting squeeze.

    (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)