Borders is closing for good!

[konstargirl]

OMG!!! Borders is going to close down all of it's store by September. >< I'm really going to miss the store, especially my sister.

I hope the online stores will still go on. They are really losing money huh.

Borders Bookstore Chain to Shut Down (Updated) - News - Anime News Network

 

[my4llma]

I heard they were going to close 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[ldg]

But they declared bankruptcy this past February, and they're going to ask the judge to stop the auction - they're closing a deal with liquidators.

 

[cat person]

I guess it is time to buy all the books we want

? I am sorry they are closing cause I really did like that store.

 

[Winchester]

I liked Borders, too. That's a shame.

 

[denice]

I don't think they got into the e-books and that also really hurt them. I saw a segment on one of the news shows about the independent bookstores having a really hard time staying in business because of e-books. Of course it is getting harder and harder for the small independent business person in anything to stay in business.

 

[feralvr]

I have already heard about this. Makes me very sad, as Larry and I loved to go into Border's and stroll around. He knew he could always find me in the animal/pet section. Plan to go to the one near my house this week and check things out.

 

[Draco]

Hopefully Barnes and Nobles will stay open. The Borders by me closed a few months ago. It was sad

 

[calvin&i]

That is so sad. It's such a part of my grad school experience. Their flagship store in Ann Arbor is where I've spend so much time - browsing, reading books by the window, drinking coffee, attending book signing events - this is such a shame. We were unhappy when it was sold to KMart, at the same time when locally owned bookstores were closing around us. And now this.

 

[jcat]

That's really a shame. Apparently it won't affect those with Kobo e-readers, though.
Borders Will Be Liquidated, Kobo To Continue Without Interruption

 

[catsinmypajamaz]

I really don't care. Borders was too expensive for me anyway! I get my books at the library.
My kids will miss the coffee shop, though. We used to go there on Friday afternoons after the oldest got out of school.

 

[catbehaviors]

I can't believe they actually went bankrupt... I guess online stores are just taking over!

 

[catsinmypajamaz]

Originally Posted by catbehaviors

I can't believe they actually went bankrupt... I guess online stores are just taking over!

Don't forget about e-readers! It's becoming an internet world, isn't it?

 

[ldg]

We have a local, small independent book shop in town. 90% of his sales are online.

 

[ducman69]

In a paperless digitized world, physical books are like ice-boxes of past being replaced with refrigerators. Its just a matter of time before they are only kept around for nostalgia.

1) The warehouse online distribution model is far more cost effective. With just a click of a button, customers can quickly find just about anything consolidated into an international single database, unlike local stores with limited stock. Storing in a barcoded warehouse allows for cheap and effective distribution compared to displaying and storing books in a large air-conditioned store, and online sales don't need the cost of registers and the staff moving the product can be kept busy 100% of their shift for effective use of their time.

2) You can fit about ten libraries worth of books onto a featherweight E-Reader, with a battery life of weeks that easy to recharge in the car, by an outlet, or connected to a computer which are everywhere, and read any book you like anywhere on the go. A paper book isn't particularly environmentally friendly, and even carrying one big one around can cause some serious back pain.

3) E-Books are a heck of a lot cheaper than even poor quality paperbacks.

 

[katachtig]

Bookstores are so great for discovering new books. There is an experience that isn't replicated with the e-books or with online ordering that I truly miss. Wandering around the stacks looking at dozens of book spines at the same time, taking a book down and randomly flipping through the pages to see if the book is what I want.

With e-books and Amazon, I can only preview what they want to show me. They steer me towards things I already have discovered. It is difficult to get around that.

 

[ducman69]

But with Amazon, you can quickly narrow down your search to the most popular titles in various genres, which are typically the best of the bunch.

With a click, you can see what hundreds of people think about the book, with the most helpful reviewers upranked, and a general consensus rating. And you can click on a book you know you like, and see what other books people liked that enjoyed that known title.

With another click of a google search, you can check for professional reviews of the book as well, to see what the experts think, and even get a brief summary of what the book is about and a list of other titles by the author and more.

Walk into a book store, and you have no idea if the book you picked up is total garbage with a dumb ending with no real easy way to steer you towards the good stuff, and you may be missing out on titles that aren't even in stock there. And if you do find what you like, how do you know if $5, $10, or $15 is an appropriate price for the book? Not very cost effective to drive to a bunch of different book stores to see what the best price is for that title.

 

[pollyanna]

That is sad!

I loved browsing there, the few times I've been to the US. I could stay in there forever and finding new and new interesting things to browse!

 

[katachtig]

Originally Posted by Ducman69

But with Amazon, you can quickly narrow down your search to the most popular titles in various genres, which are typically the best of the bunch.

With a click, you can see what hundreds of people think about the book, with the most helpful reviewers upranked, and a general consensus rating. And you can click on a book you know you like, and see what other books people liked that enjoyed that known title.

With another click of a google search, you can check for professional reviews of the book as well, to see what the experts think, and even get a brief summary of what the book is about and a list of other titles by the author and more.

Walk into a book store, and you have no idea if the book you picked up is total garbage with a dumb ending with no real easy way to steer you towards the good stuff, and you may be missing out on titles that aren't even in stock there. And if you do find what you like, how do you know if $5, $10, or $15 is an appropriate price for the book? Not very cost effective to drive to a bunch of different book stores to see what the best price is for that title.

But there are times when I want to discover something new to me that isn't on the best seller's list. You want to know what you're getting and there is no real adventure to it. Best seller lists, reviews, etc have led me to the worst books that I have ever read. True I'm limited to what the bookseller has selected, but there is a sense of adventure to pick up a book, peruse through it, and take a chance on it.

Adventure doesn't seem to be something you crave in finding literature.

 

[eternalrx]

no one reads anymore