Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein has been busy fighting off angry French people over its first brick-and-mortar location in Paris, but the company still had enough time on its hands to launch a new books division. Yes, Shein will apparently offer more than 100,000 titles via a partnership with used-books retailer Alibris. In other words, you can now buy a gently used Bible with your $4 UGG dupes.
Per a Shein press release, the average Shein customer reads between one and three books a month, and this new vertical was inspired by a growing demand from Gen-Z shoppers obsessed with all things analog. “This isn’t a trend, it’s a lifestyle,” said George Chang, general manager and head of Shein Marketplace U.S. “We’re excited to support our customers’ love of reading and learning by teaming up with Alibris to offer a wide variety of books to our shoppers for the very first time.”
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After navigating through six pop-up windows, you, too, can browse the new Shein books section, where you can (reminder: “can,” not “should”) buy a used copy of The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, for $10, The Let Them Theory, by Mel Robbins, for $22, and Snoop Dogg’s cookbook From Crook to Cook for $10. Rounding out the array of titles are Twilight, 1984, Colleen Hoover’s Verity, and various editions of the Bible.
I am heartened to hear that literature is booming in the U.S., but for the newly biblio-curious, I’d personally recommend shopping for books at a store with fewer labor-law violations. I understand that a $5.63 copy of Where’s Bluey is tempting, but maybe try Bookshop first?
