????有沒有可能亞馬遜（Amazon）今日股票下跌的部分原因、甚至大部分原因是因為一個關注電子閱讀器的博客上一則未經證實的報道？這則報道稱，該公司計劃在西雅圖開設一家試點零售商店。

????事實上，這篇報道說的可能就是實情，當然我們還無法確定這一點。不少大牌媒體轉載了博客Good e-Reader上的這則報道。編輯麥克爾?克茲羅斯基在文中援引“熟悉情況的線人”透露的消息。亞馬遜未對請求置評的消息做出回應。

????克茲羅斯基寫道，具線人爆料（此處“線人”用了單數形式），亞馬遜將“走精品店路線，只經營高利率的高端產品。”

????幾年來，這類傳言一直定期出現。去年12月，博客寫手賈森?卡拉坎尼斯就轉發了他從“一位極為可靠的線人”那里聽來的“一條小道消息”，盡管當時這位線人稱亞馬遜計劃開的是“像Costco那樣的大型商店”。2009年，亞馬遜曾經被迫發表聲明，否認類似傳言。

????特別是考慮到這類傳言并不新鮮，亞馬遜這次卻三緘其口，大氣不出，這樣的反應似乎有些不妥。我們不過是在討論亞馬遜可能嘗試開設自己品牌的商店。這種戰略或許會像蘋果（Apple）的商店一樣取得成功，或許不會。假如失敗的話，損失不會太大。而假如成功，亞馬遜也不可能因此就開始在郊區大舉買地，在巴諾（Barnes & Noble）、沃爾瑪（Wal-Mart）以及Costco的地盤上與它們展開角逐。

????譯者：項航

????Is it possible that Amazon's stock sank today partly -- or even mostly -- because of an unconfirmed report on a blog devoted to e-readers that the company plans to open a pilot retail store in Seattle?

????It is, in fact, possible, though of course we can't know for sure. A bunch of big media outlets picked up the report from the blog Good e-Reader. In it, editor Michael Kozlowski cited "sources close to the situation." Amazon (AMZN) hasn't responded to messages seeking comment.

????Kozlowski wrote that Amazon will "be going the boutique route and stocking the shelves with only high margin and high-end items," according to his "source," (singular this time.)

????Such rumors have floated periodically for a few years now. In December, blogger Jason Calacanis relayed a "piece of gossip" he heard from "a very credible source" along similar lines, though his rumor has it that the plan was for "big, Costco-like stores." In 2009, Amazon was forced to issue denials of similar rumors.

????Especially given that such rumors are far from new, the breathless reaction to the latest one seems misplaced. All we're talking about here is Amazon possibly testing the concept of an Amazon-branded store. It might work -- similar to how Apple's (AAPL) stores have worked -- or it might not. If not, it won't be a great loss. If so, it seems unlikely that Amazon will take it as a cue to go after Barnes & Noble (BKS), Wal-Mart (WMT), and Costco (COST) and start buying huge swaths of suburban real estate to compete with them on their own literal turf.