Friday, December 19, 2008
Books "...what happens, once Borders is gone?"
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Dec 19, 2008 at 1:03 PM
(The saddest place on Earth.)
Lit Soup has a great post up about Borders:
...Borders is now trading at 51 cents a share for stock, at the time of the writing of this post. It has been common knowledge in the publishing industry that Borders is going under. It's expected to be gone, as we know it, by February. The real question, however, is will Borders be gone right after Christmas? They are desperate; they are discounting massive amounts of books, CDS, DVDs, etc.
She then addresses a number of scenarios about what will happen when Borders goes under. Most of them are bad news for publisher's midlist books, and some of them (the "Doomsday Scenario," involving Barnes & Noble going under, too) are downright scary. One of her scenarios involves Amazon sweeping in and buying Borders. That's not going to happen: Bezos has said again and again that he's not interested in brick and mortar.
While I have my problems with Borders it's a shame that so many people might be put out of work and Seattle might lose its best atheism/agnosticism section.
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1
I'm fairly certain that's the Borders from my hometown (Gig Harbor). It really is the saddest place on Earth, since scores of high-schoolers go there every day after school, plunk their asses down in young adult, sit on the floor and read Twilight or some variation thereof (or gossip and yammer), then leave hours later without purchasing anything. That is why Borders is going under.
2
Everything I can buy at Borders, I can get from Amazon for less money. And Amazon has 1000x the selection. Buh bye.
3
Bad news for mall owners and adjacent storekeepers. When your anchor is heavier than your boat is buoyant it's to the bottom ye go.
4
Oh, that sucks. Anyone who thinks Borders and B&N are bad should cast their minds back to the days of Waldenbooks and B. Dalton. For most of America, those were the only choices, and the advent of the superstores was a huge improvement. If they go, there are no longer many independents to fill the gap, so most of America is just going to have to go without bookstores. Amazon is great, but I don't want to live in a world that's only online.
Before you get too complacent, think about how Third Place, Elliot Bay, and U Bookstore are doing right now.
Before you get too complacent, think about how Third Place, Elliot Bay, and U Bookstore are doing right now.
5
Borders is headquartered in my old stomping grounds, Ann Arbor. Pfizer just pulled a huge research facility out of Ann Arbor a couple years ago. And there are now issues with the auto industry.
It sucks to live in Ann Arbor these days. For reals.
It sucks to live in Ann Arbor these days. For reals.
6
I had a really long, stupid post just typed about the sad day when the John Danz theater became a Borders, until I realized that never happened. I think it was a Good Guys, Borders was next door.
Anyhow, the rest of them will be turned into bowling alleys, because it's about to be the 1970s again.
Anyhow, the rest of them will be turned into bowling alleys, because it's about to be the 1970s again.
7
I always liked the downtown Borders. Haven't been there in a while, but it had a great comics section. And technical books too. I even saw some good bands play upstairs.
I have nothing good to say about B&N.
I have nothing good to say about B&N.
9
There's a B&N closing near my place and we managed to buy a few of their framed posters of authors for cheap, since they were liquidating everything. So, ah, maybe you should see if there's anything you would want in your local Borders if it does happen...
10
I looove the Downtown Borders. Growing up in a small towns before the interents created a life-long love of the larger bookstore where I could find EVERYthing I ever wanted and then some.
Independent bookstores are great and I do love them, but they are pricey. This is understandable, but not doable on my budget. Now I will just not buy books at all.
I do not dance the Amazon game. I enjoy tactile shopping.
Independent bookstores are great and I do love them, but they are pricey. This is understandable, but not doable on my budget. Now I will just not buy books at all.
I do not dance the Amazon game. I enjoy tactile shopping.
13
B and N is much better and better for picking up hot guys in the History section at Pacific Place.
14
B&N sucks...Borders always seemed to have better selection, a savvier staff and much better prices than B&N.
Yes, the Superstores suck, but the fact of the matter is, without them, many areas will have NO bookstores.
Of course, maybe this means the small, indie bookstore can make a comeback in some places.
Yes, the Superstores suck, but the fact of the matter is, without them, many areas will have NO bookstores.
Of course, maybe this means the small, indie bookstore can make a comeback in some places.
16
It is sad to lose a walk-in bookstore anywhere. Not everyone has internet capabilities to order from Amazon or other online providers, and not everyone wants to wait for and pay for home delivery.
17
Growing up outside Ann Arbor the original Borders was heaven on earth. You could wander for hours finding all sorts of obscure and cool books -- very much like Elliott Bay. It will be very sad to see the store go under, but at the same time I'll probably stop by to pick up some bargains.
18
Some time back I heard a story on CBC about how one of Canada's oldest indy bookstores, a 130-something year old place in Halifax, went under. They knew the end was near when a package from Amazon ordered by the business next door (which turned out to contain a book that the bookstore had in stock) was delivered to them by mistake.
19
I haven't set foot in a Borders in years. They just don't have as thorough a selection or as welcoming a store space as a typical Barnes & Noble does.
Barnes & Noble stores sure seem packed when I go into them, and even given the growing quantity of squatters who spend their weekends there, I still see a large volume of sales at the registers, even during these recession-plagued times.
I find it hard to believe that their chain could go under as well. If anything, wouldn't Borders going under help them expand it? It's not like the auto industry, where suppliers rely on all competitors to stay alive, and losing one could put the whole assembly in danger. As other commenters indicate, many get their books from Amazon, and so book publishers still can do great business. And clearly, the rise of Amazon hasn't exactly killed business at Barnes & Noble.
Losing Borders probably wouldn't ruin anyone other than Borders themselves. They certainly haven't helped themselves over the last 5 years in terms of marketing or presentation.
Barnes & Noble stores sure seem packed when I go into them, and even given the growing quantity of squatters who spend their weekends there, I still see a large volume of sales at the registers, even during these recession-plagued times.
I find it hard to believe that their chain could go under as well. If anything, wouldn't Borders going under help them expand it? It's not like the auto industry, where suppliers rely on all competitors to stay alive, and losing one could put the whole assembly in danger. As other commenters indicate, many get their books from Amazon, and so book publishers still can do great business. And clearly, the rise of Amazon hasn't exactly killed business at Barnes & Noble.
Losing Borders probably wouldn't ruin anyone other than Borders themselves. They certainly haven't helped themselves over the last 5 years in terms of marketing or presentation.
20
online only does not have the feel or pleasure of a real bookstore, now whether or not these big box stores completely fulfill that role is up for discussion but they're better than nothing at all
21
As a Borders employee, I hope that the disparaging comments are about the company as a whole, and not about the staff at a given location. Most Borders locations employ (for the most part) extremely intelligent, well-read/listened/viewed people...people who have to deal with poor home office choices, which reflect badly on an individual store. Most booksellers are either in college or have college degrees and could easily make better business decisions than the home office. We all could be out of a job in just a few weeks, and it's irritating to read verbal shrugs to the idea of the company folding.
22
I grew up with the original Borders as my stomping ground, long before it became a national chain. @1: teens reading for hours was always welcome at Borders, indeed I bet it encourages more long-term readers, and eventual buyers, than shooing them out does.
As a book-buying adult, I still preferred Borders to B&N. Amazon may have more total selection, but Borders always had more selection that you could put your hands on than B&N. No matter what I'm looking for, I usually end up leaving B&N empty handed. Further, Borders understands that their customers know how to use a library, allowing them to look up books on the inventory computer (online even!), whereas B&N always made me stand in a long line before I had to leave empty handed.
If Borders truly does go away, I will sorely miss it.
As a book-buying adult, I still preferred Borders to B&N. Amazon may have more total selection, but Borders always had more selection that you could put your hands on than B&N. No matter what I'm looking for, I usually end up leaving B&N empty handed. Further, Borders understands that their customers know how to use a library, allowing them to look up books on the inventory computer (online even!), whereas B&N always made me stand in a long line before I had to leave empty handed.
If Borders truly does go away, I will sorely miss it.
24
@4 Back in the days when there was Waldenbooks and B Daltons there were also thousands of independent bookstores everywhere. You only had to shop at Waldenbooks and B Daltons if you wanted to, or if the only place you shopped was in a mall.
Once Borders and B&N arrived, in one fell swoop their business practices eliminated both two thirds of independent booksellers AND tons of marginal authors who no longer could find stores willing to buy and stock their books, because Borders and B&N only stock titles with a certain profit ratio.
So now that Borders may go under, America will be left bookless. Imagine what would happen if Wal-Mart went under, leaving thousands of cities without any supplier of basic household goods, clothing, and hardware, since Wal-Mart stores eliminate all the small stores within 100 mile radius in many places.
The Borders threat is no different from the Financial collapse: once there are only a couple brand names in any business arena they become "too big to be allowed to fail."
Will congress give Borders a bailout package?
When will Americans learn that shopping at deeply discounted mega-chain stores enslaves them and limits their choices?
When the government bookstore bailout comes the amount of taxes given away to private businesses will easily overshadow all the short term savings people got from discounted prices.
Oh, what's that? Oh right, there'll be no government bookstore bailout because reading is not a high priority in America . . .
Once Borders and B&N arrived, in one fell swoop their business practices eliminated both two thirds of independent booksellers AND tons of marginal authors who no longer could find stores willing to buy and stock their books, because Borders and B&N only stock titles with a certain profit ratio.
So now that Borders may go under, America will be left bookless. Imagine what would happen if Wal-Mart went under, leaving thousands of cities without any supplier of basic household goods, clothing, and hardware, since Wal-Mart stores eliminate all the small stores within 100 mile radius in many places.
The Borders threat is no different from the Financial collapse: once there are only a couple brand names in any business arena they become "too big to be allowed to fail."
Will congress give Borders a bailout package?
When will Americans learn that shopping at deeply discounted mega-chain stores enslaves them and limits their choices?
When the government bookstore bailout comes the amount of taxes given away to private businesses will easily overshadow all the short term savings people got from discounted prices.
Oh, what's that? Oh right, there'll be no government bookstore bailout because reading is not a high priority in America . . .
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