Huh.
Never had that problem. Reserved books a couple of times at Barnes and Noble...
Is that the only problem you had with Barnes and Noble, it felt like you had more...
Well, maybe when those Borders employees can get hired at Barnes and Noble.
Borders Bankruptcy Coming Next Week
- Thread starter Snaploud
- Start date
Huh.
Never had that problem. Reserved books a couple of times at Barnes and Noble...
Is that the only problem you had with Barnes and Noble, it felt like you had more...
Well, maybe when those Borders employees can get hired at Barnes and Noble.
Yes indeed. The store was pretty cleaned out by the time I got there, though, being the last day of sales. It's probably for the best--saves me from spending money I don't have on books I won't have time to read!
It would be nice to reply to this news with the hope that it might allow some independent bookstores to thrive again, but (insert rant about e-books replacing real books, taken as a given).
Still, it could be worse. At least this is one of those new-school bankruptcies where the company is technically bankrupt yet is still open for business (albeit with fewer stores). Not quite the same as it was 5-10 years ago when it used to be that a business went bankrupt and was shuttered immediately. Maybe they need another term for this "non-bankruptcy bankruptcy", because when you say "bankrupt" I automatically assume the company no longer exists, but that's not the case here.
Alex
Still, it could be worse. At least this is one of those new-school bankruptcies where the company is technically bankrupt yet is still open for business (albeit with fewer stores). Not quite the same as it was 5-10 years ago when it used to be that a business went bankrupt and was shuttered immediately. Maybe they need another term for this "non-bankruptcy bankruptcy", because when you say "bankrupt" I automatically assume the company no longer exists, but that's not the case here.
Alex
I'm having dinner in a couple of weeks with the former GM of the Westwood store. I'll tell him y'all enjoyed the fire sale.....
I've lived in both Anchorage and Metro Atlanta.
And yeah, I've never had any trouble with Borders. I hope the one near me doesn't close down. I prefer it to the local B&N. I try to go down to the used book store instead whenever possible but it's a drive.
Not surprised, really. While Borders used to be an outstanding bookstore, it's been sliding the last copule years or so, IMO. Fewer and fewer titles on the shelves. New titles taking longer and longer to appear on the shelves, causing me go to their competitor who is more timely in stocking the shelves.
They seem to have decided awhile back to concentrate on their web-site to the detriment of their stores which seem to be manned more and more by surly college-age punks who don't really seem to care whether you want to purchase anything or not.
*shrug* If the local Borders goes under, I'll just be spending more time at Barnes and Noble.
They seem to have decided awhile back to concentrate on their web-site to the detriment of their stores which seem to be manned more and more by surly college-age punks who don't really seem to care whether you want to purchase anything or not.
*shrug* If the local Borders goes under, I'll just be spending more time at Barnes and Noble.
Wow...
I guess i have one of the few not like that. They say hi when I walk by, ask if I need anything (I'm usually going to get a drink, it has the only water fountain in the mall), and are usually really friendly and helpful.
My only personal complaint with Borders and B and N is the price of their music selection... However, since I've started downloading a lot, my physical CD needs have decreased.
That said, a good friend of mine was their district manager for New Mexico and she was unceremoniously dumped/laid off last year along with a handful of other higher-paid employees.. They were really treated poorly in the process.. As a result, my trips to Borders have decreased.
That said, a good friend of mine was their district manager for New Mexico and she was unceremoniously dumped/laid off last year along with a handful of other higher-paid employees.. They were really treated poorly in the process.. As a result, my trips to Borders have decreased.
That cleaning out... me. Sorry.
Actually, when I was there with the wife, MAN, so many people... so many people.... It was a little creepy....
I hate to say it this way: the only thing I like more than a bookstore, is a bookstore going out of business.
I'm an awful human being.
It's a bit silly to write off B&N because you used them once and had a bad experience. You just got statistically unlucky. I've never had issues with B&N.
If you used them a lot and got screwed a good portion of the time, then I could see how you'd not want to use them!
of the few Borders stores I have been in, I got the feeling the person who laid them out had some odd form of high-functioning autism, the shelves were laid out in broken patterns and odd angles, and subjects sometimes were seperated physically by a good distance (the manga section on Coors in Albu/Rio Rancho starts on a shelf against a wall, then is continued by a "square" in the middle of the store and ends on the opposite wall) which is bad enough for me because I have to scan the contents of a shelf numerous times to "take in" it's contents, but when I have to trek all over the building to take the whole selection in...
Borders recently one-upped them on that - free shipping for online purchases, but the 10% discount applied in-store and online both. And it was still $5 cheaper/year.
Took'em long enough....
So they missed out on some money. So what? I saved more money from their weekly+ coupons instead of the flat 10% B&N offers.
So they missed out on some money. So what? I saved more money from their weekly+ coupons instead of the flat 10% B&N offers.
I was a member of Borders, I saved more from Barnes and Noble.... with the discounts, the coupons, and the free shipping.
This conversation would have more of a point if one weren't bankrupt.
5? That's being overly optimistic. I've been tracking the news on Borders through Publishers Weekly (in print and online) and their predictions narrow the time frame on their disappearance almost daily. Borders has been mismanaged for years and with the rise in eBooks coupled with the lack of a proprietary eBook reader (such as B&N's Nook), in addition to the economy being down the toilet for the last two years has all resulted in Borders preparing to shut up shop.
It doesn't help that none of the offers to help them remain solvent appear to be being accepted. Most of the publishers are refusing to ship to Borders unless they provide a solid financial turnaround plan which the mismanaging managers seem incapable of doing in a timely fashion.
Based on the stock in my closest stores and what I see online, they'll be gone inside six months. The NYSE told them that unless their stock climbs above the $1 within six months they'll be delisted under current NYSE regulations which will most definitely sound the death knell for them. Shareholders will bail and customers are already fleeing to competitors.
As I say, my bet is Chapter 11 (reorganization) within three months, most likely less. If that fails, Chapter 7 (true bankruptcy) in six months.
