'Gets me every time': Book lovers share the simple swap that halves the cost of popular reads

Over the past few years, books have made a major resurgence in pop culture.

For a few years from around 2012 to 2014, reading was having a real moment with dystopian series such as The Hunger Games and Divergent becoming cultural phenomenon's, but the craze started to die off after 2015.

Now it's making a comeback, this time thanks to the romance and fantasy genre with popular series such as A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing.

But it seems that this time around people are finding their books in an unlikely place.

Aside from those devoted to their Kindle and the daily deals section (where we hear you can sometimes "get great books for a few dollars") it appears that the beloved bookstore is on it's way out.

We can't deny that there's a certain kind of whimsy about a bookstore that you can't find anywhere else, it's like a little bit of magic sprinkled throughout the brick and mortar.

"I go to the Dymocks in the city purely for the vibes, it's huge and it's been there for almost a century so there's a lot of history but I only ever buy books there on impulse," one of our team members explains when asked where she shops for books.

But it seems that despite the whimsy of a bookstore, there's one aspect that's not so whimsical – and that's the prices.

"But if there's a very popular book out I'll buy it at Kmart or Big W since it's always way cheaper and they have a huge range," she continues.

When we asked our wider team where they pick up their books these days, very few said that they're still heading into Dymocks and QBD.

It seems that people are now turning to a cheaper alternative and heading to department stores such as Kmart and Big W to find their next read.

"I really want to support local independent bookstores but alas the low prices at Big W and Kmart get me every time," explains another team member.

Rebeccas Yaros' popular novel Fourth Wing currently retails for $16 at both Big W and Kmart, but if you head to Dymocks you're looking at a much heftier price tag of $32.99.

That's more than double the price.

"I go to Big W or Kmart – you just can't go past their prices," another member of our team echoes.

But it seems that there is still one reason that shoppers are heading to bookstores, with a team member adding that even though QBD and Dymocks are "last ditch places" they still "have nice special editions".

9honey has a commercial partnership with Kmart.