Borders in trouble - B&N not much better

Is there not something incredibly scary about physical media disappearing?

What happens when the powers-that-be decide that they don't like a certain item of history or culture or art or news or opinion?

Maybe I'm just paranoid.

 

I see you are in the Detroit area. It seems that none of the Borders or Barnes & Noble stores around here stock vinyl these days.The Borders on Liberty Ave. in Ann Arbor, near the Michigan campus, used to stock vinyl. I haven't seen vinyl there in two years.

 

Everything is instantly copied and archived now. In the digital age it's nearly imposable for things to truly disappear.

An example I use; the missing footage from Metropolis edited out and lost for nearly a century. Within 24 hours of the newly restored version being broadcast on TV me and a hundreds of other people had multiple copies of it.

The Wikileaks thing is another perfect example. Once you digitize something you pretty much loose control of it.

 

Borders has been in trouble for a long time. Can you say "Bad Management"?

 

Also it's often the best way to have any certainty of actual condition, as opposed to investing time and money to find out if a mail order seller you'll never meet somewhere appraises condition the same way you would (if they actually evaluate the product at all).

The most cursory view of human nature and history more than justifies a skepticism of that sort as healthy IMH.

In this digital age. It's changing. Many forecasts seem to imply moving toward "cloud" and "streaming" models which also happen to be a move away from your having any data in your possession. ebook material being deleted from your access (even on your own device) after your acquisition is more than theoretical, and we've hardly begun down this road.

Oh well. Another reason I would like to see a sustained coexistence of digital and physical media. Borders and B&N can go, I'm just hoping others more dedicated will carry on the trade.

 

I'm glad it is the new business model, because it fills a need. I work long hours and don't have the time to go shopping, so Amazon really is great for buying books, movies, music, etc.

Also, there are a lot of elderly or disabled people who utilize Amazon (or other sites) and view it as a blessing.

 

When I think about it, I really use B&N and Borders as the brick versions of Amazon. I browse both of these on a regular basis and if I find something I want I make a mental note of it and then go to amazon.com when I am back home to order which almost always is at least a few dollars cheaper. Since I know their catalog and inventory is so small I don't expect to find any of the deep catalog stuff I may want at B&N/Borders and just go straight online for that.

 

In case anyone is still wondering why bookstores are going out of existence...

I'm not criticizing, btw. I used to do the same thing until the B&N around the corner from my house closed down.

 

I think this is true, or will be true, of many businesses in the near future. I read an article recently about people walking into stores with their iPhones, scanning merchandise to comparison, then purchasing the items on their phone, and there is nothing the B&Ms can do about it.

I love going into bookstores, always have. I would probably miss them as much, or more so, than record stores. However, if I can find a better deal online, I will always bite. The only thing keeping me in the Borders these days is the 33/40/50% coupons I receive (almost daily it seems.) Nothing will replace walking through the aisles and finding a really cool book that you didn't know existed though. I will miss that the most.

 

Well, which is it, "better deal" or "really cool book..."?

 

I didn't say I would buy the "really cool book" in the store. I'm saying that if I'm limited to buying online only, I won't be able to walk through aisles and discover new products in the same fashion. I will always buy online if it's a better deal.

 

And for that reason, buying online has replaced the potential finding really cool books while browsing; we can't have both, at least not for much longer. And I'm not criticizing. I do the same thing. But by doing it, I've helped eliminate the possibility of browsing and its myriad benefits.

I actually would buy a few things at B&N, the store, before it closed down. But 95% I bought the same way you did/do.

 

from your link:

It's Wal-Mart's fault we're in this mess but it's not Sam Walton's fault.
All the textile manufacturing in Tennessee and N. Georgia went to China after Sam died.

People do this phone thing in my record store, they look at the vinyl and search for a digital version online. Whether they buy it or steal it is for you and me to speculate.

 

Not necessarily: It's different and not a replacement, but there's always the "Customers Also Bought" type of listings.

 

Borders closed their store near AT&T Park in San Francisco about two months ago. Though the original SF store on Union Square which has been around since the mid 90's still seems to be going strong.

 

It appears in my area, that the Half Price Books which sell new and used books....as well as CD and DVDs is doing better business than both B&N and Borders.

 

Same here. Half-Price Books has some really great deals and an ever-changing selection.

 

I've found just as many really cool books browsing online. And I can name a few authors that I love that I never would have found without Amazon recommendations.

 

I do that occassionally, but it's to find out if the record is a collectable. If something is completely obscure, but has the look of psychedelia or early 70s hard rock, the fact that there is some collector interest tends to make me think it's more likely to have some musical merit and be worth picking up.

Of course, I'm also trying to get Collectorz working on my phone, which means I may just be checking to see if I already have the darn thing!

 

I understand your reasons, and used to do it too sometimes.

As the current owner of a bookstore though, I find it remarkably rude when someone does that in front of me in my store ("Can I borrow a pen?"). The difference is, my bookstore is the only bookstore in a 1-hour radius (a small mountain town) so I would think people understand that they are paying a higher price from me for the convenience of there actually being a bookstore for you (in a small mountain town) while you're away on vacation. Sometimes people act like I should have the same price as Amazon, and have no clue about reality.

 

My condolences. If I was on vacation - it's been years - and I went into a local bookstore, which I used to do, I would almost always buy something I saw that interested me that I hadn't been aware of. Part of the fun of the vacation.

 

How is this a potential problem? We used to just have USPS snail mail. Imho, we are experiencing free market capitolism at its best. Look to Italy and to some other Euro nations for examples of real problems. The Canadian govt. postal service isn't far behind. Many sellers refuse to ship goods Intl. to Italy.

I recently heard a radio program revealing the USPS has lost so much carrier business due to email, online banking, bill paying, direct deposits, competitors, etc. and was so far behind in technology and customer service issues that we should seriously consider closing them down and allow the carrier service to be privatized (to FedX, UPS or sim.). The problem is, there such a huge legacy of USPS union pension & benefits, etc. they can't afford to close it down as they already have borrowed ~$8 Billion from the Fedl Govt. just to make current payroll/pension/benefit payments and keep the doors open to today.

Sorry, tangent over...

At this point in my life, time is a real premium. I happily pay $3 to $10 shipping costs to not spend 2 hours in traffic, looking for parking, paying for parking, dealing with inept retail "sales associates" and searching for products a store or mall may or may not have in stock.

Kenreau

 

With E-readers now getting more popular the writing is on the wall....