Borders going out of business!- Page 2

[Yawper]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 6:54am

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.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 7:48am

I have been reading a lot as of late because I have made frequent trips between DC and NYC. I prefer reading on the train as opposed to listening to my iPod. I'll miss the Borders in the Time-Warner building. I literally went in there during my last visit and randomly purchased 3 books. Knew nothing about the authors, but took a chance, and thoroughly enjoyed the stories I read.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 10:01am

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.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 10:09am

In the Albany area, we lost the "showcase" store a few years back, a two-floor Saratoga store earlier this year and now the other two (Crossgates and Clifton Park) will be history.

I've always preferred them to Barnes and Noble...not sure why since the prices are equally iffy without coupons...so I will miss it. Will miss the Manhattan stores as well. Always a staple of my trips.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 10:21am

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.)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 10:58am

Browsing in a bookstore is great- is it worth a 30-40% premium? A bookstore CAN NOT survive hiring a large knowledgeable staff, staying open late and renting a huge storefront while giving the books away- which at 3-40% off, they are. The "decline" you spoke of came about because investors demanded a better return and so cuts had to be made- lower payroll, fewer staff, higher staff turnover- service suffers.

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

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:01am

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

LOL

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:07am

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:09am

Funny ... and sad.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:16am

There will always be bookshops though.

Only if people continue to shop at them

And to those who say "There will always be people like me who prefer the touch and feel and smell of books":

Don't you realize that's exactly what every owner of an ebook device USED to say?

Who do you think is reading on those things? People who used to HATE books?

If you want bookstores to exist, shop in them.

If you want printed books to exist, buy them.

Otherwise, they will go the ways of record stores and CDs.

Updated On: 7/19/11 at 11:16 AM

[MotorTink]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:19am

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.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:20am

"And to those who say "There will always be people like me who prefer the touch and feel and smell of books":

Don't you realize that's exactly what every owner of an ebook device USED to say?

Who do you think is reading on those things? People who used to HATE books?"



I'm not following this ... so the people who used to prefer the touch and feel of a book are now the ones reading eBooks, but they are also the people who used to HATE books? So they just felt them up a little but hated them?

LOL

Updated On: 7/19/11 at 11:20 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:21am

I think PJ was being sarcastic with that. :)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 11:51am

No- PJ makes a valid point- I love to hold a book. But is it worth 40% more to have a book book as opposed to an e-book? Is it worth twice as much? E books can be published for almost nothing- no paper, no ink, no binding, no shipping. Right now a hardcover goes for $13-16 whereas e-books are $9.99. Is the feel of paper worth it? Will it be worth it when they stop discounting hardcovers?

[Kad]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 12:05pm

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.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 12:15pm

As an author, I can tell you that the profit margins are higher on eBooks. Even though it costs much less for the consumer, I make about the same amount of money on a unit sale. That's because there's no overhead involved in printing and shipping the book for the publisher.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 12:19pm

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

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 12:26pm

But eBooks brought piracy. Any book with a little bit of publicity around its release can be found on the web within an hour of its eBook release. And those pirated books can be added to any Kindle, Stanza or ereader app.

Updated On: 7/19/11 at 12:26 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 12:31pm

"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."

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

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 2:07pm

And what about used books? I assume that will go out the window as well. No more fifty cent paperbacks that might be a fun cheap read. That same book will now be $10.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 2:16pm

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.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 2:17pm

"I remember being 3 or 4 years old and spending hours in the children's section with my dad, looking through the shelves and picking out ones to read."

I remember doing that with my family every time there was one near a restaurant. When we finished our dinner, we would go to the Borders and spend lots of time reading our favorite books.

I wonder if all major book stores go out of business there will be families watching the film "You've Got Mail" on television and the children will ask their parents if there really used to be big book stores.

Updated On: 7/19/11 at 02:17 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 2:35pm

"Borders reaps what they sew."

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

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 2:46pm

Uh Oh. Told off by an idiot!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/19/11 at 4:28pm

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.

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