one FRICKING shelf

[Therin of Andor]

Therin, i specifically told them that i came there for that book..he wanted to ship it to me for an additional 4 dollars..i told him no thank you ill get it local or on amazon. he said oh and i walked away

Ok, so that sounds like you live nowhere near the shop, and he thought he was helping you? Did you expect free postage? Did it have to be shipped? They couldn't ring you when it came in? In any case, wouldn't it cost you about four dollars in travel expenses to go back to the store anyway?

I make a point of travelling into my city's CBD every Thursday night to "do the rounds" of the larger toy, DVD, book and comic shops. It costs me $10 train fare now that I live an hour out of town, but it's been a habit since 1977. I very rarely miss anything, the shopkeepers know both me and my buying habits.

 

[DimesDan]

And more great news!! In addition to having 2 shelves instead of 1/2 one in the normal T section, they also have 3 or 4 shelves under a huge ST11 poster in another section!!!!! I missed it last time... but that's where they put the tons of Warpath!! So maybe other stores have ST promo sections now, or will soon. I've never seen so many in years!

Oh ye of little faith...

One store (or just a few stores) does not make a marketing blitzkrieg.

On my lunch break I went to my local Waterstones and asked a few questions including if they're going to be doing anything for Star Trek, which I was told they won't be, but compared to Waterstones in bigger towns/cities it's only ickle in size so I wasn't that surprised.

 

[Marie1]

And more great news!! In addition to having 2 shelves instead of 1/2 one in the normal T section, they also have 3 or 4 shelves under a huge ST11 poster in another section!!!!! I missed it last time... but that's where they put the tons of Warpath!! So maybe other stores have ST promo sections now, or will soon. I've never seen so many in years!

Oh ye of little faith...

Oh come on!! It's about time!

I hope they all sell so writers will go and write me some more books with Jem'Hadar...

But I honestly have never seen so many Trek books outside one 3 story used book store... And most don't look like the staff let their dogs chew them before putting them on the shelves! Astonishing...

 

[BolianAuthor]

All bookstores and shops near me have maybe one or two Trek books, and that's it. Star Wars hogs up all the shelf space, followed by a recent surge in HALO novels and Twilight.

The reason is because Trek is stale... in both B&N and Borders, I see ONE copy of the ST Encyclopedia that has been collecting dust on the shelf in the same spot, since they first put it there. Nobody is buying Trek books, like they are SW books.

As for May making things better... I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Therin of Andor]

One store (or just a few stores) does not make a marketing blitzkrieg.

But it's a start, and people were saying there'd be no difference anywhere.

On my lunch break I went to my local Waterstones and asked a few questions including if they're going to be doing anything for Star Trek, which I was told they won't be, but compared to Waterstones in bigger towns/cities it's only ickle in size so I wasn't that surprised.

Ok, but if the film's a huge hit and they suddenly get lots of enquiries from the general public wanting "more Star Trek", will they continue their "no Star Trek" policy and ignore such customer interest, or will they perhaps order in some stuff and rearrange some shelf space?

As others have mentioned before, very often a dedication to science fiction and media tie-ins in a particular general bookstore depends on the interests of that store manager. They will push areas with which they are more familiar. A store with a SF savvy manager will be more open to promoting SF and ST.

 

[William Leisner]

One store (or just a few stores) does not make a marketing blitzkrieg.

But it's a start, and people were saying there'd be no difference anywhere.

And you were saying the difference would be seen everywhere.

 

[Marie1]

^ It will now.
You see, I have noticed. And all women are connected via telepathy (also telekinesis, but shhhh!!) so now the revolution begins!!!

Now that I think of it, it looks like a lot of SW have disappeared... to make room for ST!!!

 

[JD]

Man, I don't know where all you guys are, but in northern New Jersey and New York, the Borders stores have the typical half a shelf/three or four book situation that's become all too common. I despair of ever finding New Frontier: Treason in a B&M store - as Marie1 mentioned, I haven't even seen Mere Anarchy in a store yet.

I'm in pretty much the same situation here in Arizona. I went to Borders yesterday to pick up the current issue of ST Magazine, and when I checked for Treason they didn't have it or Mere Anarchy.

 

[Therin of Andor]

And you were saying the difference would be seen everywhere.

Early days yet.

And, if it's not being seen everywhere, then Star Trek publishing is in real trouble, or... an awful lot of books are being sold online these days.

A friend said his son works in a USA Kmart and reported with certainty that that chain had no intention of carrying the new Playmates toys and figures, and yet Kmarts all over the USA are reportedly stocking them after all.

 

[JD]

The Wal-Mart I work at has also started getting in some of the Trek stuff, so far we've gotten the Kellog cereals, Cheezits, Eggos, the Kirk, Uhura, and Spock barbies, and one of the posters (which I bought). I asked the Toy Department manager if we were getting anymore toys but she hadn't heard anything about them.
As for K-Mart they're not doing well at all (the few times I've been to the one near me, the store was pretty much deserted except for maybe a dozen people at the most) so I'd be glad if they got anything for the movie.

 

[RobertScorpio]

The Wal-Mart I work at has also started getting in some of the Trek stuff, so far we've gotten the Kellog cereals, Cheezits, Eggos, the Kirk, Uhura, and Spock barbies, and one of the posters (which I bought). I asked the Toy Department manager if we were getting anymore toys but she hadn't heard anything about them.
As for K-Mart they're not doing well at all (the few times I've been to the one near me, the store was pretty much deserted except for maybe a dozen people at the most) so I'd be glad if they got anything for the movie.

Our local TOYS R US has new TMP dolls and phasers. I hadn't seen them before. I didn't buy them because my son is more into INFINITE CRISIS DC sets...but they were there.

Rob

 

[JD]

TMP? I wonder if maybe that was some of the Toys-R-Us exclusive stuff that Trekmovie has been talking about, because I haven't heard anything about TMP stuff.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

And you were saying the difference would be seen everywhere.

Early days yet.

Ian, it is not early days. This is the eleventh hour.

If bookstores don't have Star Trek books on the shelves on May 8th, they missed the boat. Either have it now (or in the next two weeks), ready for when people, pumped from seeing the film, come running in, cash in hand, or don't have it at all.

Clearly, you've never worked retail.

 

[Marie1]

And you were saying the difference would be seen everywhere.

Early days yet.

Ian, it is not early days. This is the eleventh hour.

If bookstores don't have Star Trek books on the shelves on May 8th, they missed the boat. Either have it now (or in the next two weeks), ready for when people, pumped from seeing the film, come running in, cash in hand, or don't have it at all.

Clearly, you've never worked retail.

Or the orders are on their way... I'd almost wonder if some stuff is a bit behind given the ordering surge? And since Mere Anarchy isn't on all our shelves yet... (Booo!)

3 weeks is plenty of time...

I wish TSK could come out... now. *impatient!!*

At the book end of things, I'd imagine the buying will be more pronounced after the film than before, as a result of it, the more buying the better the movie is?

 

[Wally]

For Star Trek books, I've pretty much given up on bookstores. They never have anything, really. It's all online purchases for me.

 

[Marie1]

OOOO!! You should go see if your local bookstore has a huge pile now too cuz of the movie!! I wanted to buy them all...


I've lost my mind...

 

[Jbarney]

And you were saying the difference would be seen everywhere.

Early days yet.

Ian, it is not early days. This is the eleventh hour.

I have to agree. I'm sure the film will do fine on its own, but just the idea that the books are missing this huge chance for free advertising is nutz. This just seems like such a lost opportunity.

 

[Rabid Trekkie]

Haven't been to my bookstores for the last month, but here in Houston it depends on what Barnes and Noble you go to for Trek. The closest one to my house keeps about the 5 newest releases and a Trek Encyclopedia. It's got a good collection of the Trek comic collections though. If I go to the one not to far from my workplace though, there's about two shelves of Trek books.

One good thing I've noticed about Trek books though, retail wise, the grocery store I work at and several others are starting to carry Trek books when they never did before. My job has Singular Destiny and Over a Torrent Sea, and another store has Full Circle. Neither of these stores has carried a Trek book in the last three years.

 

[JAG]

There is a big Borders in a mall that I am going to tomorrow. I want to see what they have there.

 

[Lieut. Arex]

Therin, i specifically told them that i came there for that book..he wanted to ship it to me for an additional 4 dollars..i told him no thank you ill get it local or on amazon. he said oh and i walked away

You can order it and have it shipped to the store for pick up without paying any mailing fee. The bookseller should have mentioned that option to you.