Borders going out of business! — Page 2

The Strand and other places that sell used won't go as long as they maintain their selection.

The loss of Borders isn't about Amazon, eReaders, or iPads. It's about the greed and shortsightedness of Wall Street bean counters and the damage they do in the marketplace.

When Borders was owned by its founders it was a brick and mortar Amazon. The brothers' philosophy was to maximize the titles they had on the shelves. You could walk in and find anything.

When the brothers sold the company to the world of Wall Street bottom line and parameters like inventory churn began to rule the day - no more was that obscure title that sold only one copy a year welcome in the store and, like a cancer moving cell to cell, Wall Streetism eventually killed that upon which it fed.

I'm definitely going to miss the one next to Madison Square Garden. Can't tell you how many times I've stopped in there for a last minute gift when arriving in the city or a book for the ride home from the city.

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I have to admit, I never cared for Borders. I like B&N, but I think they are waaaay overpriced.

I've been doing most of my reading through ebooks and on a kindle for over 2 years now. Both my kids have kindles and we love them. They read more now then they did without them.

To the poster that asked about long term effects of reading on screens: both the kindle and SOME of the B&N Nook use something called e-ink...there is no back lighting (which is what causes eye strain) on them. It is just like reading paper. (The sony reader might use this as well....I think.)

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"I saw a sign on a Borders store "Out of Business- go use Amazon's bathroom"

LOL

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Funny ... and sad.

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They closed the Border's in my home town 3 or 4 years ago. I spent so much money there in their last month. Some good deals, some ok deals, and some, well, I saw books sitting lonely on the shelf and had to give them a home (I'm like an animal hoarder but with books). There is another one about 20 minutes away, I may have to take a drive up there now.

I am a fan of B&N but only go there for brand new releases I MUST have or in a bind need a book moments. Otherwise I buy a lot of used books through ebay or libraries. I like giving the books a second life.

The MSG Borders will hurt me. I've spent so many hours there while waiting for trains or killing time in NYC.

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I think PJ was being sarcastic with that. :)

I would spend hours in Borders years ago,just browsing and picking up whatever looked interesting. But over the last few years, I found that when I wanted something specific that was a little obscure, they never had it and would take weeks to special order. That's really the only time I would turn to Amazon (particularly cast recordings of smaller shows). I really don't enjoy shopping online unless it's the most efficient way of getting something specific.

That being said, I will never buy a theatre-related book at any place other than Drama Book Shop, regardless of the price.

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But, you can't autograph my first edition copy with an eBook.

"But, you can't autograph my first edition copy with an eBook."

So true! And I will gladly oblige.


EDIT: And JG2---people check out library books all the time and authors and publishers aren't compensated for it. They also buy used books. I realize piracy is an issue with eBooks, but from a "profit" point of view, it's not much different than a single library book sale (usually at a discount) that's checked out multiple times "for free."

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Updated On: 7/19/11 at 12:31 PM

Actually, I think used bookstores will be the last to go, and may take years.

They'll need a savvy business model, though. Not a creaky old overpriced store with smelly, damaged goods.

Of all the music/record stores left, Amoeba is doing really well in L.A. and S.F. Thriving, actually. They have a new section (required by California law for all who sell used merchandise, by the way), but the mostly sell used stuff, and the selection is huge. Sometimes they have good deals (really good), and sometimes they're overpriced. So you have to be a smart shopper. But they also have live bands, and the people who work there really know their stuff.

I would say a used bookstore could achieve the same level of success, if they modeled themselves after Amoeba. They could/should have high-profile readings & signings, book clubs, etc. And yes, they will be competing with libraries. But bookstores have always been for people who want to own books, not just read them.

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"Borders reaps what they sew."

Did Borders sell needles and thread? Or maybe Borders reaped what they sowed?

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I was not being sarcastic. Ebooks devices are owned by people who used to say they love printed books, not by people who used to hate books and were only waiting for a better way to read them. (Those people don't exist.)

You may think you are the lone holdout, but everyone who reads ebooks used to think that too: "I will never switch to reading on a screen!" Never!"

To think that the people who profess allegiance to the touch and feel of a book will somehow stem the tide of a cultural shift is naive and laughable. Those people have proven to be fickle. They change their minds--180 degrees!--within moments of touching their new Kindle or iPad. The fall in love with their devices--with the same passion they used to say "I love the touch and feel of a book." Now they say "I LOVE my Kindle!"

Bookstores, including used bookstores will go out of business when people stop purchasing books in them. Printers and binderies will go out of business when publishers send fewer and fewer books to them. Publishers will publish fewer books as "p-books" and more books only as "e-books."

The only thing we know is that writers will continue to write and readers will continue to read them. How and in what form is anybody's guess.

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Updated On: 7/19/11 at 04:28 PM