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Borders closing its doors

#41
I go to B&N once a week, often times more. I'll buy a coffee, maybe a scone, and read some magazines. Most of the time I'll but something that has caught my attention. I also seem to buy a ton of software and IA-related books. My recreation reading is done (mostly) on my Nook these days.

One of the biggest advantages to B&N vs. Borders is the Nook Study app. As a grad student, it has proven to be an invaluable asset; both on my Nook and on my laptop.

I don't like to see a company go down the toilet. especially one that provided a certain level of competition to a store I do frequent. B&N can't complete with Amazon's pricing and availability. I don't see them really fighting it out head-to-head. However, now that Borders has gone the way of the Dodo, will we see an increase in pricing at B&N? A lack of competition also breeds complacency.
 
#42
echoSE7EN said:
I go to B&N once a week, often times more. I'll buy a coffee, maybe a scone, and read some magazines. Most of the time I'll but something that has caught my attention. I also seem to buy a ton of software and IA-related books. My recreation reading is done (mostly) on my Nook these days.

One of the biggest advantages to B&N vs. Borders is the Nook Study app. As a grad student, it has proven to be an invaluable asset; both on my Nook and on my laptop.

I don't like to see a company go down the toilet. especially one that provided a certain level of competition to a store I do frequent. B&N can't complete with Amazon's pricing and availability. I don't see them really fighting it out head-to-head. However, now that Borders has gone the way of the Dodo, will we see an increase in pricing at B&N? A lack of competition also breeds complacency.
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They'll still compete with Amazon in the e-reader category. Since the Nook started using eInk it's been blowing the Kindle out of the water.
 
#47
Considering the music they carry, Borders had a crap selection. The Barnes and Noble near me gets all kinds of interesting stuff from a wide variety of genres. Borders to me was just a glorified coffee shop. Yea B&N has coffee too but it doesn't feel like their coffee shop is as big as the book section of their store.

I still get books often, mostly because I hate reading on electronic devices.
 
#49
OldDog52 said:
We have both B&N and Borders here. Borders usually had a better selection of technical books in stock on computing, software etc. For some reason the B&N has really cut back on those kinds of books.
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So much of it is going online and as free to view that it wouldn't make sense nowadays to stock them. Why should I pay $20 for a book on Python when I can find online instructional guides for free?
 
#50
I thought Borders was okay at best. I liked that they carried a lot of Musician oriented magazines, and special interest books you couldn't get at other places. They were over priced on new CDs and DVDs when those formats were in their prime in comparison to their competition. I also hated the fact that their Borders Club card was about useless for anything other than them tracking your buying habits. One store in Omaha would give it's card members any special discounts that applied to those getting Borders e-mails offering deals, while another store in Omaha would only give discounts to those customers who printed off their own coupons at home. Talk about corporate wide consistency. I also had a couple of incidents of one store trying to charge a higher price than the printers suggested retail price for a given book. It's sad to see them go in some ways, but thankfully my home town still has some independent books stores that are thriving, selling new and used books, and we still have the presence of Barnes and Noble for as long as that chain can remain solvent.
 
#51
I find online technical documentation awkward to work with sometimes. I know that's where it's all going but once in a while I prefer a good old-school printed manual. Example: I bought a new Sony pocket camera last week. It came with a quick-start booklet, but the detailed info is on CD. Now if I'm on a trip and need to refresh my memory on how to, say, change the way the camera uses zoned focusing, I'd much rather have a printed manual to refer to.

Well I guess my example doesn't really apply to the "book store" issue. Never mind. ;)
 
#54
Absentia said:
+1 when I can get the same book off amazon, in better condition, and almost always 60% of the store price, your business model needs updating.
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My wife received a $35 Amazon gift card from a student as a wedding gift. I was able to 7 used books, all in Good to Very Good condition, with about $3 and change left over. At a retail books store I'd maybe have gotten 2 new books.

People don't read anymore anyhow.
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A lot of people don't, maybe even most people don't, but some still do. So says the bookshelf in my living room.
 
#57
We still have two Borders near our house. I don't like them because they never have the book I'm looking for and if I do find it, I can get it cheaper from Amazon. Also, the books get beat-up in the store. I found an amazing book that I HAD to have and it had scratches all over the cover. I do like to browse their bargain sections, but that's about it! So I can see why they're going out of business...
 
#59
I always felt the Borders was overpriced too. I think they are dying out as a result of being not just a book store but a CD and DVD store as well (at least around these parts). To be honest,...I haven't been inside a Borders in about 6 years,...so I don't know if they downsized as CD and DVD sales started to go down.

Independent book stores seems to be doing fine around here.

Auntie's Bookstore | Independent Since 1978

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Invalid Link Removed (<--good selection of books,....Picked up my first printing of Rant from there. My cousin by marriage runs the joint)

Let's also not forget Powell's in Portland Oregon (although that place is so huge it's hard to navigate).

I don't know if they are "thriving" but at least Aunties is an institution in Spokane and they seem to be doing just fine.

While I see how MP3s and portable hard drive/flash drive technology are pretty much killing of CD's (fine with me CD's are too clunky and fragile anyway) I don't think people are going to give up their books so easily.
 
#60

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