By STACEY BODGER
A bitter pricing frenzy surrounding the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire passed right over the heads of Rebecca and Janelle Phillips yesterday.
The 9-year-old Glen Eden twins were content to just secure a copy of the book so their mother could begin reading them a chapter each night.
But in the adult world, Harry Potter hysteria was overshadowed by a price war in which most stores sold the book at a loss, squeezing smaller booksellers out of the market.
Around 800,000 copies of the book, the latest in J.K. Rowling's successful series about a teenage wizard, were sold in Britain and the United States.
New Zealand bookstores had taken orders for around 8000 advance copies, at a recommended retail price of $45, since March.
Yesterday, nearly 50,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire were snapped up as fast as booksellers could unpack them.
Retail chain The Warehouse had advertised the book at $29.95, but Whitcoulls stole the show with a bargain basement price of $19.95.
Whitcoulls spokeswoman Doris Mousdale said the low price was to compete with internet booksellers, which were offering the book at around $23.
Doris Mousdale said Whitcoulls also felt $45 was "just too outrageous" for a children's novel.
She would not say how much Whitcoulls was losing on each book.
"We're definitely not making anything, but this isn't just about competition - the price is simply a reflection of what children can afford."
The Warehouse and Paper Plus matched Whitcoulls' price, although the national marketing manager at Paper Plus, Mike Lowery, said the company was losing about $2.80 a copy.
Mr Lowery said Paper Plus was bitterly disappointed at Whitcoulls' price. "We had hoped they would be realistic, but instead they've seen fit to abuse their position in the marketplace."
Jabberwocky Children's Bookshop in Balmoral was forced to cut its price to $30. "This is just another example of the bigger retailers pricing us out of the market," said the store's manager, Julie Harper.
A spokeswoman for Archetype/Allen and Unwin, which distributes the book here, said it had been surprised at the low price and had fielded complaints from many smaller stores.
John McIntyre, owner of Wellington's Children's Bookshop, said that while he was disappointed with Whitcoulls, his store had its best-ever day's trading.
"We could only drop to $34.95," Mr McIntyre said, "but people have travelled up to 25km to support us."
In Britain, J.K. Rowling has spent $15 million on a home in the plush London suburb of Kensington because it is said she hates staying in hotels.
To buy Harry Potter books online:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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