I'm from Germany and here we have this law called "Buchpreisbindung" = "fixed book price", which means a book (only the ones in german though) must be sold for the same price everywhere, be it bookshop, super market or online, unless it is damaged. So when the store has books that don't sell so well they will damage the book slightly (usually some cuts on the spine or backcover) so that the Buchpreisbindung doesn't apply anymore.
When I first realized they damaged the books on purpose when I was a teen I was somewhat heartbroken. I am now wondering if that is a thing anywhere ekse around the globe, or if it's a typically german thing.
by apple_porridge