In Buenos Aires this already seems to be the case. Books have short print runs and are priced relatively high (in comparison with other products in the economy). I always got the impression that it was because publisher knew the people who buy books here are usually from the mid-to-high socio-economic class.

For those on the lower economic scale, there are a large number of discount bookstores as well as many used book dealers. And, the major daily newspapers often offer low-quality editions of classic titles at a very low price.