Dear Friends of Readings,

In 51 years of business Readings has really only closed its doors on Christmas day (apart from the time when Carlton’s sewer burst – that was unpleasant). We pride ourselves on supplying books, music and film to the public of Melbourne and Australia.

We have remained open during the current crisis, partly because our job is selling books, but also because we know that our authors, publishers and customers need support in these times.

Although the State and Federal Government, at the time of writing, has not told us we need to close, we think it is time to do so for the safety of both our staff and our customers.

Our doors will shut at close of business today (30 March) and reopen when things return to some sort of normal.

Apart from our profit distributions to staff and our donations to the Readings Foundation, we have kept most of our profits in the business. This means we are able meet all our leave obligations to our staff, as well as extending an extra two weeks paid leave to them all.

We are definitely coming back!

I would like to thank my wonderful colleagues, who have been amazingly understanding and supportive during these strange times.

While health authorities permit we will continue to take and fulfil online orders. Our booksellers will also be available to take orders over the phone and answer queries via our Carlton number, 03 9347 6633.

Please be aware that supply of overseas items has mostly stopped, and we can only supply items that are available in our shops or in stock with local publishers. We will remove all unavailable items from your order and you will only be charged for what we send. We are fortunate to have been inundated with orders and are doing our best to fulfil them in a timely manner – please be patient.

As I mentioned in an earlier email, I’m going to tackle Middlemarch and we’d love to hear about your reading experience during these trying times that we can share. Please send them to [email protected].

Please stay safe and be in good spirits.

Warm wishes,Mark Rubbo

A note to our customers…

We have been overwhelmed by the support Readings customers have shown us during this unprecedented crisis, and we are so grateful to be able to continue delivering books and music (and puzzles!) to our readers.

Our staff are working as hard as they can to fulfil your online orders quickly. However, due to our stretched resources, delays from our suppliers, and delays at Australia Post, your items may regretfully take longer than usual to reach you. Click