GOOD. RIDDANCE.

Meh... No big loss.

@Your friends can call you HoJu!: Well, except to their employees. Thats unfortunate.

But wait . . . isn't Borders a frequent "value" stock pick in magazines such as Kiplinger's? Does this mean the "experts" at Kiplinger's are as clueless as the rest of us when it comes to picking stocks and profitable companies?

Oh no! Now how will I find out which books I might like if I liked Twilight!?!?

Maybe no big loss to you, but my city only has 2 bookstores left-- Borders and Barnes & Noble. Before anyone says it, yes, I know I can order anything I want from Amazon, but sometimes a person just wants to browse in a physical space, rather than sit in their house and order stuff.

If this crap keeps up it's going to be really easy to save money, because there simply won't be anywhere left to go to spend it.

*sigh* i always liked their javanilla shake

@redskull: We have a Borders. The next closest book store is about 60 miles away. :|

Too bad. Since nobody ever shopped there, Border's DVD section was a good spot to get the odd release that had been out of print for awhile or recalled. I was able to grab a couple of those MST3K sets with Godzilla vs. Megalon at least a couple months after they were pulled.

@MonkeyMonk: Yes. No one can see the future.

I stopped shopping at Borders or Barnes and Noble when I discovered Amazon years ago. No surprise as the prices at these chains are always inflated. This is just "the market adjusting itself."

Another shame is their Border Rewards program is actually pretty good. Free to sign up and you get anywhere from 20-40% off. Granted, 40% is pretty rare, but still. Compare that to paying for B&N's 10%.

I still like to go to the book store to browse, but I ultimately order from Amazon. I just wish Amazon always offered previews for all books and their previews were bigger (some previews I've seen had 1 page of actual content). 5% of the content of the book is a great indicator as to whether or not the full content is worth it. If they did that I'm sure my book purchases would skyrocket.

I really hope they stick around a little longer. If it takes sacrificing their CD/DVD section, than so be it. It's still nice to be able to glance around a brick-and-mortar book store, even if just to laugh at weird books. Unlike Circuit City, Borders is really the only major book store locally for me.

Grr. I just got a $50 Borders gift card as a reward for a thing I did at work. I've never liked them best but they're the one across the street from the office. And that $2 book sale they had a month ago was great.

So. If they're going out of business, they had damn well better hold off until after I receive and have the chance to spend my gift card! One more month, guys!

@iam118: Your statement makes it seem you had a personal beef with them. Care to clarify?

I've had good experiences at Borders, and they have good sales and coupons every now and then (even though their normal prices are inflated, with a 40% coupon, even inflated prices become decent deals).

@redskull:

I agree. I like being able to walk into a bookstore and browse. That way, I may see something else that'll catch my eye that I might not have even noticed if I was on Amazon.

Also, I sometimes just like the smell of books.

i really hope they dont go out - they are much cheaper than B&N with their coupons...and i love actually going into a store to be able to read a chapter or something of a book....or just to browse...

I think Borders is doing the responsible thing doing away with music & DVDs. I think speculation of them going under is premature. If the big BOOK publishers were putting them on hold (and I think some of the small ones are) it would be telling, but for now I think they are keeping their heads above water.

Remember, they already did BIG personnel cuts and reduced inventories, the stores look better in my opinion.

GIFT CARDS: Use 'em quick

I work at a B&N in a town where there is also a Borders, and I've been hearing various grumblings from customers recently, from Borders not being able to special order certain items, or requiring that all special orders be paid for ahead of time. These weren't always small-press books either, some of them were from major publishers. Word was that it was because their suppliers were not getting paid and were severely limiting what they could get. The above story seems to support that.

Their major problem is that they never jumped on the online bandwagon the way Barnes & Noble did...that kills businesses these days.

In DC, this is going to be a problem. We have Borders all over the place, and Barnes and Noble.

@CubeRat: Yes. This. And I say this as someone who lives in a town with neither Borders nor Barnes and Noble. We have another bookstore, though, and while it's not fabulous, it keeps me from going insane. Sometimes I just need to walk around a bookstore and clear my head.

@redskull: I'm with you. We have one Borders, one Books-A-Million, and one Barnes & Noble. I've never had a problem with either store. They keep their stores well-stocked, their associates are friendly, and their prices are fair considering I'd go there if I either want to touch the book before buying or I need it right then.

I'll never buy a thing from BAMM. They have nothing worth looking at.

Oddly enough, our Barnes & Noble is in a mall whose main tenants are leaving by droves because the property owner is essentially insolvent and the required anchor stores have closed, so that one might just end up in the past, too.

@redskull: Maybe no big loss to you, but my city only has 2 big box corporate bookstores left-- Borders and Barnes & Noble.

FTFY.

I'd be somewhat surprised if there wasn't an independent bookstore SOMEWHERE nearby you. True, indies don't generally discount NYT/etc., but what they lack in deep-discount prices, they generally more than make up for in willingness to help you find/acquire what you're looking for, and are usually immensely grateful just for your business. Plus, if you spend more than a dollar in an indie shop by the end of March, Stephen King's kid might give you stuff and you're supporting your local economy with your dollars.

You'll be happy you did.

@billsquared: Wrong. You'll never find an indie book store (outside of the top 10 metros) that sells anything worth mentioning in recent/technical nonfiction.

@morganlh85: That's probably because for a while, there was a partnership between Borders and Amazon (i.e. you'd type in www.borders.com and you'd end up being redirected to Amazon). Why that partnership dissolved, I don't know, but it seems strange that Borders never picked up the slack when it ended. Maybe there was a non-compete clause that they (still) might be waiting out which is partly to blame for this?

@redskull: Yeah, and there's something about the instant gratification of being able to find a book, buy it, take a book home and start reading it on a boring weekend afternoon that you just can't get from ordering things from Amazon.

At least there will still be a Barnes & Noble in town if Borders goes away. The only other choice we have is a horrible used bookstore that in terms of organization is just barely a step above having a room with several bins of books tossed randomly in them and usually has checkout lines that are reminiscent of the Soviet Union bread lines.

I'm probably in the minority, but I've had $40 worth of gift cards to Borders since (no exaggeration!) 2003. I've gone into different Borders throughout the years, looking for something to pique my interest enough to spend money on. There was nothing worth buying.

It seems that Borders specializes in books that need to look good rather than be good. Everything was shiny, glossy, on high-quality paper, expensive, and lacking in content. To me, that shows a lack of respect for the customer.

Good riddance.

I agree about the Borders Rewards program. It's a good way to get occasional good discounts. And, I like going to the bookstore to browse and have a cup of Mocha on Sunday evenings, when everything else in town is shut down.

Unfortunately, over the last year I've cut my book purchases to almost zero, and have been trying to use the library instead.

It's hard to feel bad about Borders (maybe) going under, since these big-box megabookstores were responsible for the current sad condition of independent booksellers. Those of you who are saying that there are no bookstores in your town except for Borders and B&N...sadly, Borders and B&N are themselves the cause of that. I guess it's possible that small bookstores could come back in the wake of megabookstores dying off, but now with Amazon and online selling...kinda doubt it.

Oh this is a bit sad. My father worked at the very first Borders in Ann Arbor when he was young and has always said that is where he got his love of reading (which he passed down to us kids). I've since moved to Florida, and the Borders down here always remind me of home, even though they're not nearly as cool as that original store.

It's silly and nostalgic, but I hope still hope it isn't true, because I know it would bum my dad out.

@redskull: Before Border's came to my home town the closest book store or music store was 22 miles or so away. I live in the city now, but going to Border's is quite literally one of the only things to do when I'm home visiting my family.

@MargaretPowell:

Problem for me, too. Nearest big box stores are in Frederick, MD, Leesburg, VA and the District - all about an hour away. We have no bookstores in our county at all (Jefferson Co. WV). (Before all the jokes about WV start appearing, I'm a midwest transplant.)
Independent bookstores are pretty much limited to the District in my area and are in trouble financially. *sigh* Another sign of the Apocalypse? ;-)

I seldom walk into these chain book stores because their prices are ridiculously over-inflated. But, if someone is willing to overpay for something, then let them be.

I think that one of the reasons these stores suffer in their sales is because a lot of people use them as a public library. They go in, grab a book, sit in the comfy chairs, maybe order some coffee, and be there for hours. Yes, I'm aware that more than likely, the coffee shop is either part of the book store, or subleasing giving the main book store a cut of the sales. But, if people were to browse a book and buy it, it'd be a different story.

@redskull: Oh, but we have KINDLE! Because I am very interested in directed searches, and I ALWAYS know exactly what book I want, and I NEVER want to take down a book and leaf through it! All data, all the time, baby!!

Good riddance indeed!

Borders stores have a terrible right-wing slant in their politics section. For example, ann coulter and bill o'reilly books invariably seem to be placed in front of progressive authors, and the last time I visited a borders outside the DC area, the only DC paper they carried was the Rev. Sun Myung Moon's "Washington Times" - not even the Washington Post!

@Mr-Mr: This is an honest question, not a snark, I promise.

How are their prices overinflated if they're charging what is printed on the book itself (not the sticker, but the book)? Do the big box chains negotiate these prices with the publishers? Or is it just that others like Amazon and Target mark them down?

when i used to buy lots of cds (before napster or any other p2p) i used to like to shop @ barnes & noble's cd selection because they would get "imports" which were rare and really just for collection purposes. whenever i went to borders, their selection was the same as any other store selling cds. also, it's crazy that borders actually charges MSRP on DVDs. i don't think i've ever bought a dvd for $27.99.

anyway, the cd/dvd section needed to go long ago.

i still buy cds.... only for the artists i REALLY like.

@UASteph: what's printed on the book is the MSRP; that's just about the highest price one can charge for the book. The MSRP is designed to yield a lot of profit per book to the store, since all stores buy these books for a lot less. If a store wants to increase value to the customer, it will charge less while still making profit. That's what the likes of Amazon do.

As a cheapskate and book lover, I only shop for books in used stores, of which we have a few locally, some good some not. True I can't get the newest hits, but it's almost more fun that way. It's like a treasure hunt. That's corny, I know, but I like finding some out-of-print thing with a gaudy cover and giving it a shot for $2 or less.

I do buy CD's at Borders, though, because they frequently have 25% off everything teacher weekends, and Border's gift cards are a common gift for teachers around here. Plus, all the used CD places closed.

@Etoiles: Same, I've been holding a borders Gift Card from 2 christmas's ago. Was planning to spend it on a season of the IT Crowd!

I find it odd that so many people find pleasure in the (potential) demise of a company. Especially a company selling products as benign as books. My hope is that Borders can do whatever it takes to re-organize and find a competitive edge that captures a share of the market. More competition is a GOOD thing.

@zibby: Haw! I did the same thing! As soon as I heard that set was being pulled I went to Borders and picked it up.

Borders has what can now be called "Circuit City Syndrome" Too many people at the top making too many bad decisions.

I worked for Borders for 7 months before quitting. I even had an interview for an analyst position within Borders corporate. Through my time and experience there, Borders closing is a matter of "when" and not "if".

There is a large discrepancy between how employees are treated. For example, the Inventory Processing Team (IPT) is expected to unpack shipments of books/media/Paperchase, help customers when it gets busy, answer phones, etc. However this is not true of the rest of the store when unexpectedly large shipments are received. The turnover on the IPT at the store where I was employed was ridiculous, to the tune of 100% every 3-4 months. And by 100% I mean planned walkouts due to everyone being fed up.

There is very little accountability for the managers and they kind of just shoved everything off on the Booksellers and IPT. Even Cafe-exclusive employees would get shoved into doing end-caps,etc.

And they just converted their snack bar to Seattle's Best. I guess being a B&N-alike doesn't work, especially if you don't lease enough space. I'd blame the real loss on no one buying books anymore, because they're f'ing expensive. $15 for Heller's Catch-22 in paperback? Ironic!

I can only imagine B&N skating by because of their huge partnership with Starbucks and obvious pushing of calendars, datebooks, stationery, and other non-book related baubles (including the tables of "books I buy to show off to other people but don't read myself" at the front). It'll be sad not having the alternative to the social scene that is Barnes & Noble.

I always felt sorry for the assistant who has to say "sorry, we don't have that in stock but I can order it for you." Like I can't type amazon.com into a browser myself.

B&N & Borders are trapped, they need to keep a huge stock to be successful (after a couple of "don't have its" you give up visiting) yet implementing such a stock requires prices that can't compete with Amazon.

Catch 22.

I've seen many people comment "I like to go in and look at the books, but I buy them at Amazon." May I ask how that would keep them in business? I think that's the problem with all bookstores, and it's short sighted for consumers. Eventually, the only place to buy a book will be Amazon, and you won't be able to look at the item first.

I actually like Borders a lot. Hardcover books are one of the few luxury purchases I allow myself, and Borders keeps their first editions longer than any other store. They don't rotate them out once the paperback is released, like B&N. Plus the Borders on the Mag Mile in Chicago (which is closing) has great book signing events all the time, something else that B&N doesn't have. I will actually be pretty upset if they go under. I found a lot of good books there.