Borders to file for bankruptcy

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Soccer Mom

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Dammit. My Borders is closing. That means it's either Amazon or an hour and a half to B&N if I want something in print.
 

blacbird

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Even though I frequented the Borders store in my town (which is on the death list), it was never as pleasant as the B&N four miles or so away. It was just closer to my house. In my observation, they were as interested in selling coffee cups and chocolates and calendars and other doodads as they were in selling books. Maybe more so. Plus an entire floor devoted to music cd's, which I'm pretty sure turned into a financial disaster. And that was a decision made at "corporate", over which the local managers had no say whatever.

B&N has its own problems, but their music department is about the size of my garage, and the other doodads, while there, take up much less floor space.

Whatever the corporate business strategy has been for Borders, it just plain sucks and is at the epicenter of why they've gone into bankruptcy.
 

Scribhneoir

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The problem with this list, judging from those "independent alternatives" in my area that I'm familiar with, is that the alternatives are almost all used book stores. I love and adore used book stores, but they aren't sellers of new books and thus not truly a replacement for a closed Borders.

ETA: just got an e-mail from Borders inviting me to the liquidation sale at the closest closing Borders to me. Everything 20-40% off starting tomorrow -- all sales final -- no checks. Very sad.
 
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Sirion

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A poorly run company goes under and people immediately start shouting "it's the death of brick and mortar bookstores!"

Keep repeating it all you want, it will never happen.

It is unfortunate, but Borders made a hole for itself, and now it's got to sleep in it. Badly run businesses SHOULD fail.
 
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Soccer Mom

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Odd list. How did Half Price Books become an "independent" bookstore? The Book Rack is also a chain. Both are stores where you trade in used books and buy more used books. Sadly, those are the two "Indie" stores it lists as possible alternatives. One all the way across FW from me and the other across Arlington. :(
 

Torgo

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A poorly run company goes under and people immediately start shouting "it's the death of brick and mortar bookstores!"

Keep repeating it all you want, it will never happen.

It is unfortunate, but Borders made a hole for itself, and now it's got to sleep in it. Badly run businesses SHOULD fail.

That sounds like a wager to me!

Shall we discuss the terms of a long bet?
 

euclid

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Barnes & Noble results were published today. Sales are up, but profits are down. The next dividend will be witheld. Shares were down on the news.

They also note that their sales of ebooks exceeded sales of paper books for the first time. I think the writing is on the wall, the fat lady has cleared her throat, and the train has left the station.
 
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