Borders files for bankruptcy

[Danny Boy]

Borders Books filed for bankruptcy today and the store in my town is closing. I'll be sad to see them go as it's the only bookstore in town and the only place to buy new-release CDs other than Target.

Just another sign that brick-and-mortar stores for a lot of goods are on the way out, I'm afraid.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

so it was sad when mom and pop stores closed down in favor of superstores, but now it's sad that superstores are going out of business?


i don't now if this is an FYM topic... but i imagine that major chain bookstores are seeing the same issues that major chain music stores saw.

the last three books i've bought/read were on my android kindle app i see no reason in buying a hard copy book any longer, unless absolutely necessary.

as for CDs? never heard of 'em.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Building a bunch of brick and mortar bookstores, letting people sit around in a cafe and read stuff for hours on end before not buying anything....

Wowie zowie, what a business model.

Bookselling is one type of traditional brick and mortar business that is perfectly suited for the internet. You don't need retail outlets for new books because it's not like you need to try them on, like retail clothing.

I can see the rationalization of used bookstores still having their charm, but do I really need to leave the apartment to pick up the latest piece of garbage Dan Brown or Steven King churns out?

 

[Danny Boy]

I agree that the whole world is eventually going digital and that book stores and record stores will eventually be entities of the nostalgic past. I read books on Kindle and buy music from iTunes, so I'm sure I've contributed to their demise as much as anyone.

All the same, this store was right across from my kids' school, so it was a nice place to take the kids and hang out for awhile. We did buy stuff there, too, especially children's books. I reserve the right to feel loss.

 

[Danny Boy]

Also, they had hot coeds working in the coffee shop.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

now i'm pissed

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Borders went completely out of business here in the UK about this time last year, and a (smaller average store size, but same idea) competitor (Waterstones) has had the wobbles - not life threatening though. I've also seen a few reports here that some smaller, more specialist independent stores or niche chains who picked their locations well, who were able to survive the superstore onslaught, have been having a bit of an upswing lately.

So you can sort of see where its heading. And it is to a degree much like music and film. There will always be a market for physical copies. People do like having physical copies of albums from bands they love, or a physical, browsable film 'library', and I think with books especially, for many there's a bit of a relationship with the physical thing - a lot of people who love books, love books too.

So in the short term, Amazon kills the need for megastores - that should have been obvious pretty quickly. If you're main selling point is your big range and lower price, then you'll easily get trumped by someone who's selling point is abso-fucking-lutely everything available at an even lesser price.

In the longer-term, e-readers like the Kindle will eventually kill off a huge chunk of the physical market. As all things digital are everywhere.

But there'll always be a place for physical books, and there'll always be a place for small, smart, well placed, well stocked, intelligently staffed and run book stores.

And everyone is different.

I haven’t bought a CD in years. Don’t care.

DVD’s – similar. I don’t care for the physical, but I work in the film industry and get pretty much whatever I want on DVD for free, so I’ve got thousands of the fucking things.

But I can’t see myself trading physical books for a Kindle any time soon. Can’t really explain that, but I like… books. Definitely would if I was extensively traveling or something, but not day to day.

 

[canedge]

That is sad that Borders is going under. Not only are they a great store but a great environment to meet like minded people and talk books.

Sadly book stores seem to be the cost of the Internet revolution. the world is less richer.

 

[Jive Turkey]

i see no reason in buying a hard copy book any longer, unless absolutely necessary.

as for CDs? never heard of 'em.

Couldn't disagree more. Soft cover books? Sure, they're cheap and unsightly, but a nice collection of hardcover books beats digital copies any day. Even more so when you're talking about books with any sort of illustrations. I regularly buy hardcover photography books to add to the collection.

I agree about CDs though. Havent bought one in years, but instead buy vinyl. Again, it's about having a nice, aesthetically pleasing collection for me

Canadiens1131 makes a great point though. I almost always order online. It's cheaper, books are almost always in stock, and you dont have to worry about dust jackets being damaged from people flipping though them.
But there is one store in Toronto that is awesome to buy books at. It's called BMV. They buy books in bulk (by the pound, i believe) from the bigger stores and sell them at a huge discount. In the past month, I've picked up 3 or 4 books for around $20-$30 each that usually retail for $80-$100. Selection can be limited, but when you find something good, it's like hitting the jackpot

 

[mama cass]

i love real books, and real cds too! although i have to order everything online these days as i don't live in the UK any more... i do miss wandering around bookshops though...

although, saying that, last time i was in a bookshop in the UK, i wandered for ages and ages, having a blissful time, amassed an armful of books i wanted, then after i'd finished wandering and flicking thru the pages, i added up the books i'd picked up, and then thought "fuck that, i can get them sooooo much cheaper off amazon/play dot com", and put them all back on the shelves! felt like i'd had a proper shop though, a sort of mad lady shopping experience lol

i have to have real books though... i love my bookshelves... and i do love a good bookshop even if it's mostly for looking... not the point though i guess...

 

[financeguy]

I love real books and real CDs also but even I have cut back on purchasing. I stoppped buying CDs almost entirely around a year ago when I realised that had wasted money on CDs that I hardly ever listen to.

 

[yolland]

I like to browse through a book thoroughly before I buy it, and seldom have a specific title in mind when looking for a book on some particular topic, so physical bookstores are important to me.

Borders made lots of serious business mistakes; this isn't just about the growth of e-books.

 

[Pearl]

Here's the list of all the Borders stores closing:

Borders Stores Closing - The Wall Street Journal Online - Interactive Graphics

Three locations in Manhattan alone, including my favorite 100 Broadway.

Sigh. Hey, at least there will be major discounts on the books! Better dash over there!

 

[Outsider]

I hate the ebook revolution and I'll hold out as long as possible. Books aren't supposed to "break" or run out of batteries. Damn kids...

I actually prefer Borders over B&N for some reason. I love the store brand reprints of classic novels. Borders is my second favorite spot to relax...one of my two favorite locations is closing down.another area being affected is the library, which unfortunately is only open 5days with a weird alternating schedule every other day instead of all seven days.

 

[Pearl]

Whenever I have time to kill in Manhattan, I always go to a bookstore. Where would I go if they become obsolete?

I also despise Ebooks. I don't care if they are part of the future, save trees, or more fun. There's nothing like holding a book, having it decorate your shelves (which are called bookshelves).

You know, with CDs being a thing of the past and books heading that way, how would your bedroom or home reflect you? Sure, artwork and wallpaper may, but your CDs and books say so much about you.

 

[Canadiens1131]

You know, with CDs being a thing of the past and books heading that way, how would your bedroom or home reflect you? Sure, artwork and wallpaper may, but your CDs and books say so much about you.

I kind of feel like this and feel nostalgic, then I remember I'm 23 and seem to move apartments every 1.5 years and would have to box it all up. Fuck. That.

That's why I kind of like a limited vinyl collection (maybe one crate at most, of cherished albums. You can put em up on the wall and listen to them once in a while, but you don't horde them.

Books aren't going anywhere folks, and you'll still be able to order them online.

In fact, you may be printing or ordering your own personalized copy of a book you want in the near future.

I also despise Ebooks. I don't care if they are part of the future, save trees, or more fun. There's nothing like holding a book

I hate the ebook revolution and I'll hold out as long as possible. Books aren't supposed to "break" or run out of batteries. Damn kids...

Information (including that in books) is like water in nature. It tends to end up taking the easiest path to you, the person consuming it. I wouldn't blame you for scoffing at electronic books at the moment, the Kindle et al are still the infancy of electronic reading.

Eventually we will be doing all sorts of reading, on devices we haven't yet imagined, and it will be as effortless or even more effortless than a musty old P.O.S. trade paperback.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Whenever I have time to kill in Manhattan, I always go to a bookstore. Where would I go if they become obsolete?

I also despise Ebooks. I don't care if they are part of the future, save trees, or more fun. There's nothing like holding a book, having it decorate your shelves (which are called bookshelves).

You know, with CDs being a thing of the past and books heading that way, how would your bedroom or home reflect you? Sure, artwork and wallpaper may, but your CDs and books say so much about you.

I dont think they'll go obsolete. Probably just a monopolization of the industry. Whereas music has gone almost fully digital, a fair share of people still prefer hard copy (mainly a preference thing).

I'm sure Barnes & Noble will probably step up on top now.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Whenever I have time to kill in Manhattan, I always go to a bookstore.

Have you ever been to Strand?
I was there for the first time when I visited my Brother in December

 

[Pearl]

I love Strand. Too bad so does everyone else. Every time I go there, its so crowded.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

There will always be a market for physical copies. People do like having physical copies of albums from bands they love, or a physical, browsable film 'library', and I think with books especially, for many there's a bit of a relationship with the physical thing - a lot of people who love books, love books too.

Exactly. I'd be one of those people you're referring to there. I've got a Sansa thing, but haven't used it in ages, and I've never tried a Kindle and don't really have an interest in doing so.

So in the short term, Amazon kills the need for megastores - that should have been obvious pretty quickly. If you're main selling point is your big range and lower price, then you'll easily get trumped by someone who's selling point is abso-fucking-lutely everything available at an even lesser price.

This is true. I have no problem buying things online, I have done it before and will continue to do so, because it is cheaper (and because most of the stuff I like isn't easy to find in the places I've lived-the downside of not being in a big city that has more options available to you in the city itself). But I still will gladly go to a CD store, or a bookstore, when possible, because I love being in them and seeing what's available and buying stuff right then and there instead of having to use a card and wait for it to ship out and then wait for weeks for it to get here and all that sort of thing.

Not to mention, I work in a bookstore, so I'm kinda HOPING they wouldn't ever totally disappear. I've never been to a Borders, but sad news about another shopping option closing down.

Angela

 

[Liesje]

We don't have Borders here, but we have Schuler's which is a local bookstore (that bought through Borders but saw the writing on the wall months ago and have already switched to other suppliers) and Barnes & Noble. I used to be a regular at the used book tables but our new B&N doesn't have one. I don't have an e-book reader but I'm addicted to audio books. I've always loved being read to and like that I can listen/read while folding laundry, in darkness, etc.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i'm glad the borders in memphis isn't on that list. it's the only borders in town, and there's already been a couple other bookstores that have closed lately. there used to be a brentano's in one mall which closed a couple years ago, and the waldenbooks at another mall is closing now. if at some point the borders does close, all we'll have left is...barnes and noble. i don't have anything against them but i guess it's because i grew up going to waldenbooks as they always seem to be inside a mall, plus i like going to borders (which i know owns waldenbooks now) too, it was just a different vibe there versus barnes and noble.

shortly after writing this, i got an email from borders addressing all this.

 

[Kieran McConville]

Can't comment on Borders but the e-book format, as it stands, is a terrible idea. You don't 'own' it, it can be taken out from under you at any time. You won't 'have' that book in ten years time. Assuming that is important to you.

Public libraries for me, I'm afraid.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Can't comment on Borders but the e-book format, as it stands, is a terrible idea. You don't 'own' it, it can be taken out from under you at any time. You won't 'have' that book in ten years time. Assuming that is important to you.

Public libraries for me, I'm afraid.

I'm personally a fan of books in print.

And I hate reading off of a digital screen (for novels, specifically). For so many reasons.

 

[Canadiens1131]

The "ownership" problem with eBooks is DRM, or Digital Rights Management. Companies like Amazon use it to keep you from abusing your copy of War and Peace and making the literary equivilant of mixtapes for your friends. It's a pain in the ass, but the music industry has slowly come around and figured out that consumers don't like DRM. The film and ebook industries still haven't relented yet.

The iPad is an example of a digital screen, but the Kindle and other e-readers use eInk, which is getting better and is getting very close to looking like ink on regular paper.

The future is bright.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I know, I've seen the Kindle before. It still bothers me, subconciously knowing it's digital. And that I'm not actually flipping pages. It's better than reading off an iPad.

Either way, I still prefer print. I'm OCD about that kinda stuff. I know a Kindle's battery lasts like 30 days or whatever, but even knowing it's running on a battery will prompt me to think about that while I'm reading, stuff like that.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Couldn't care less about borders, myself. I only browse in one and it is spectacularly expensive.. massively inflated prices. I never understood how it stayed in business or why it even came to Australia. It's a shitty chain. What has pissed me off though is the the closures of the sister company angus & robertson. THEY do great prices, great range of titles, and no shitty coffee area filled with pretentious snots. Now we've only got dymocks who rate fairly high on the suck scale, though they're no borders class of suck. Yet. And I don't like amazon, though I use it from time to time. I like shelves of physical books that I can wander around and pick up one and put it back, then maybe look at again. God damn these people ruining my preferred way of doing things.

 

[Saracene]

Bah humbug to digital revolution, I love books and book stores and have zero interest in e-books. I also have trouble reading large amounts of onscreen text, not sure why but I just get an uncomfortable feeling even from reading really long posts or articles on the net.

I order books online as well, but only when I'm after specific ones, otherwise I buy lots of books on a whim when I'm browsing in a store. And I like to check out the font and the printing quality - sometimes they set the text in a type too small or too large for my liking, or the quality isn't great and the fonts look smudgy.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I found that Borders in Australia initially were great, in that the range they had was when new really spectacular compared to what we were used to getting from A&R/Dymocks etc, and the way they kind of sold themselves, what they sold and how they sold it, was far superior. Of course Amazon then trumped it, and I don't know if it was directly related to that, or just that Borders in Australia changed hands (which it did), but it seemed to revert to becoming more of just a megastore - loads of stock, but pushing a comparably limited range to before, and pushing it in a tacky megastore-ish way.

Have you ever been to Kinokuniya in Galleries Victoria, on George St? Huge store, but incredible range and it still has a good vibe.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

i've only been to one borders here in nz and honestly, the only reason i go is because it's the closest gloria jean's in town. their iced and hot chocolates are the best i've ever had, way better than starbucks.

and the whole megastore thing earnie mentioned is true, every borders i've been in is huge. it's a bit daunting, certainly if you're just wanting to browse. i tried looking for a book once (meaning just looking for nothing in particular, just something new) and it was impossible. it's like going into wal-mart looking for a soda, but no flavour in particular. too many choices.