Borders in trouble - B&N not much better

I have yet to see vinyl in either of them in our area.

 

You're right about one thing - the kind of attitude/thinking you describe above is what's killing the book retail business model.

Oh well, people <well, the masses, more like it> usually end up getting what they want in the end, and drag the rest of us that don't want to change kicking and screaming along with them.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want to read a book on a machine. It's just another way to get you to spend $ on something new <e-reader, etc.> that we can't "live without" and have to charge up all the time like our cellphones.

 

The local Borders near us got rid of all CD's a month ago and replaced the section with gadgety merchandise. I guess this reflects the fact that they were not competitive on price. I still buy some books there although I own a kindle. Coffee table books and magazines are something i want to read 'in the flesh" even if I have the apps on my mac devices.

 

Borders etc are fine for the casual buyer but not for the enthusiast. The other day I had a 50% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket but I still couldn't find anything worth buying, that's sad.
Regards, Trevor.

 

Who said anything about reading books on a machine?

 

I totally agree. I hate shopping, hate the people blocking the aisles, hate worrying who's gonna break into my car or ding the doors while I'm inside. Brick mortar and glass can't go away fast enough as far as I'm concerned. Let UPS deal with the drunk drivers and crazed teens and uninsured methheads on the road. let them find a parking space. I'll pay the shipping to avoid all of that. I'd have my groceries shipped to my house if they had that option.

 

I spent a lot of money in Border's in the 1990's. A huge portion of my MFSL &
DCC collection came from there. In recent years their selection gets worse every
time I go in. Therefore I go less and less.

Barnes & Noble never had a great selection of music in the store but their web
page is pretty good.

I like to have a store to go in and browse, but the writing really is on the wall.

 

E-reader, kindle, etc. Read the post again.

 

Spoken like a true shut-in!

Don't forget, that's also a lot of people's jobs and livelihoods we're so casually dismissing out of hand here, too. Step easy.

 

hahahaha! You're right and I apologize for my rant.
I do get out, I'm just cranky because I haven't done my Christmas shopping. I recognize the value and importance of brick and mortar and glass and the jobs they create. I was once in East Berlin, and believe me, we don't want to live in a grey, concrete, windswept city devoid of retail businesses. I just wish parking was easier at Christmas time.

 

I know I'm in a minority, and I'm a 56 year-old book lover, but the Kindle is the greatest thing I've come across since I was diagnosed with macular degeneration. On a Kindle,I can bump up the font to 20 pts. I can also carry lots and lots of books with me wherever I go. I will always miss the feel and smell and vibe of a real book, but the Kindle is a Blessing from God ( and Amazon).

 

I do a lot of my shopping online, and as a college student they give you Amazon Prime for free!

 

The B&N nearby our home does very well year around. In addition to having a huge selection, they also have a great childrens reading section and a story telling hour once a week to boot.

 

I'd hate for B&M stores to disappear totally. It would suck as far as I'm concerned. Now if these large stores that kill all the mom and pop shops get a good kicking I'm for it as it'll give the mom and pops a chance at survival.

I buy a lot online but going into shops I like going into like music stores and book stores if fun. I'd hate to give that up totally.

Besides you can't buy everything online. I did that groceries online thing. Great for canned goods but they don't pick the best veggies and fruits for you.

Anyway as far as B&N and Borders go I would like to see their detailed financial info. I wonder how much of their money is spent on financing charges and the like.

They had stores everywhere. You can't even blame it on the kindle because ebooks only have about 3% of the market. Also, they were in trouble even before the kindle took off. The Borders UK operation went belly up. I think they expanded too fast. Patience would have helped them.

Eddie

 

The two chains recklessly overexpanded in the past two decades, each hoping to saturate the bookstore market as a "category killer." That business fad was enthusiastically promoted among analysts as the only way to survive in the 90's before the Internet came along to destroy that type of business model. Most of the chains went along and picked up massive debt along the way, hampering them from making nimble moves in a changing marketplace.

 

Originally Posted by ringosshed
The Barnes and Noble by me is always busy.


The one less than a mile from me is ALWAYS busy. They're in an area that has an Applebees on the same property. Maybe Applebees is eating some of the parking, but........it is rare to see that lot nothing less than stuffed with cars.

*If* that store was to close, another prime piece of real estate would be available. BUT....since Katrina and especially the last few years, that is happening more and more. Back in the day, prime spots would be snatched FAST after someone went under. Welcome to the "wonderful" economy..

 

I agree with this completely. There are no fewer than four Borders stores within 20 minutes drive time from where I live. When the first one opened, it was a fantastic store: deep catalog in books, music and VHS titles. But as more stores opened, the selection became more shallow and, even worse, more homogenized amongst the stores. And of course all the independents were killed off. B&N had a smaller presence in the area. The major store - under the name Book Star - didn't last long.

Unfortunately, these chains failed to realize that the initial attraction to their stores was depth of catalog. Stores with genuine depth were worth a trip. Many years ago, Tower Records only Southern California outlets were Hollywood and Anaheim. Both stores attracted customers that would drive many miles for the available selection. Even people that favored smaller, local stores with better prices.

Maybe it's only us older folks that like to browse titles, page through books, examine covers, look at printing quality, and compare editions directly before buying. Obviously, things are cheaper now from vendors like Amazon. But this won't last. When the last B&N and Borders close their doors, will prices stay so low?

Remember, both Borders & B&N discounted everything until they killed off the independents.

 

Along with all the Borders stores, there were also even Borders Outlet stores for a few years......at least around here there were. Bought more than a few cheap, good books and CDs in those old Outlet locations.

 

is it gross if they're wearing socks? how is that grosser than people wearing sandals or flip flops with their diseased looking toes sticking out?

i buy all my books online or from local indie (usually used) bokstores. those are the places with all the cool stuff anyway. b&n rarely has anything i want and when they do it's way overpriced.

 

Let's see, we no longer make stuff in this country, and now, thanks to the internet, we no longer need people to sell stuff in this country. Did anyone question where people are going to get the money to buy stuff when they developed this business model?

 

It's not.

 

Myth.

 

The saddest thing to me about not shopping in a real bookstore nowadays is that you can't browse. There was a time when I went to the bookstore at least twice a month, and a newsstand every week. Once in awhile, I'd stumble upon some book or magazine I had never heard of, and I'd go, "wow! I gotta get this!"

This doesn't happen very often with Amazon. Sure, they're constantly offering suggestions, but it's rare that it's something I want (or don't already have), plus it's very similar to stuff I've bought before -- not something out of the blue.

It's a sad trend: the death of record stores, the end of Blockbuster video rental, no more book stores, on and on and on. Armageddon, I tells ya!

You been in a Walmart lately? True, the U.S. is the world's biggest manufacturing nation, but not for consumer products. China killed us there long ago, especially for household goods and clothing.

 

We can all get a job with UPS. Since people are now either too lazy or too afraid of coming into contact with another living human being to go out and buy things, soon the roads will be filled with nothing but brown UPS vans delivering everything from food to Josie & the Pussycats IN MONO boxsets to us.

That's the new business model.

 

The real unemployment rate is around 17%, and a very large % of what we produce is military hardware for ourselves and various potentates the world round.