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Borders to Shut Down

Renae

Renae

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Borders Group Inc. said it would liquidate after the second-largest U.S. bookstore chain failed to receive any offers to save it.
Borders, which employs about 10,700 people, scrapped a bankruptcy-court auction scheduled for Tuesday amid the dearth of bids. It said it would ask a judge Thursday to approve a sale to liquidators led by Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Group.
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Borders to Shut Down - WSJ.com

As an avid reader and book buyer, this makes me most sad.
 
Look at the bright side... this may be the reemergence of the small book store. If all the nincompoops go out and buy kindles to read books, the small book reseller will have an opportunity to get amounts of good quality hard back and used books. The superstores sort of took the intimacy out of books and those of us who love paper books may once again have an opportunity to go to a local book store and buy books without the superstore hubub.

Barnes & Noble is probably the last brick and mortar super book reseller. Any other ones left?
 
I hope Ockham is right. I still hate to hear this as Borders is the only book store of any account around here.
 
MrVicchio said:
Borders to Shut Down - WSJ.com

As an avid reader and book buyer, this makes me most sad.
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I knew they were close to shutting the doors and about a half hour ago, my wife told me they had. I too am an avid book reader and I own every book and only a few are on the Nook. I prefer hardcover, but I'll take books the best way I can get them. I love Barnes and Noble and Amazon as I also purchase books that have not been in print for decades. In fact, my current reading is a book that was published in 1914 and is "The Journal of the Joint Committee of Fifteen On Reconstruction, 39th Congress, 1865-1867." I had just finished another one on the Fourteenth Amendment by Horace Flack that was written in about 1907. Just to show that I am not a total history nut, I did sandwich those two books with one of Vince Flynn's thrillers.

Unfortunately, we did not have a Borders near us. Sort of reminds me of "You've Got Mail" movie. Well, in a big sort of way. LOL!
 
sorry to hear about the bad news for the employees.

i still have a B&N within driving distance. i prefer traditional books, although i am warming to books on "tape" (or rather, mp3) that i can listen to more easily during my daily commute / nightly exercise.
 
Blame E-books. The Authors Guild, et al, saw this coming a decade ago, when otherwise unpublishable writers began flinging their crap on line to sell via the internet. To compete, successful writers had to offer their own works as E-books. The moment a cheap, portable, convenient E-book reader hit the market, the fate of nearly all bookstores was sealed. As a writer myself, it breaks my heart to say it but the day isn't far away when paper books will be relegated to musems and trash heaps. It's the end of an era. :(
 
Ockham said:
Look at the bright side... this may be the reemergence of the small book store. If all the nincompoops go out and buy kindles to read books, the small book reseller will have an opportunity to get amounts of good quality hard back and used books. The superstores sort of took the intimacy out of books and those of us who love paper books may once again have an opportunity to go to a local book store and buy books without the superstore hubub.

Barnes & Noble is probably the last brick and mortar super book reseller. Any other ones left?
Click to expand...

The superstores took the intimacy out of books? Really? At both Barnes & Noble and Borders, there were plenty of places to sit and read, none of the sellers cared when you picked out a book and finished half of the thing while sippin' on a mocha frap, and the selection was amazing. I remember having to shop at those small book dealers before the big superstores came along, and it sucked. First off, there was no place to sit and browse through a book that you were interested in. Not that it would have mattered if there were - the staff at those places were always on your jock if they saw you reading anything more than the back cover. Seriously, they'd walk by every few minutes asking, "Are you interested in that book?" "Are you ready to check out?" "Can I help you with your purchase?" "Hey, what do you say we buy that book together?"

Secondly, those small stores were WAY overpriced. Back when I lived in Chapel Hill in the 90's, a Borders came into town and set up shop, prompting the small local bookstores to push this huge campaign about supporting the 'small, intimate bookstore' from the 'dangerous book giant'. It met with no success, partly because the staff at those places was so pushy, but mostly because you were paying more per book. In some cases, a lot more. And the selection sucked. If they didn't have it, they could order it, of course. You'd have to wait a week, though. Or you could waltz up to the 'dangerous book giant' and pick it up at that moment for a lot cheaper.

Yeah, tough decision.

Lastly, most of those places had really strict rules about food and beverage, and by "strict rules", I mean that you were told to g.t.f.o. if you had any. I suppose when you price your books so high that you need a second mortgage just to shop there, there is every reason to discourage folks from wandering in with a beverage. Not at the superstores. Not only do they have few rules governing food and beverages, they actually sell them there.

The small book business model blew chunks long before the superstores shut them down, and with teh interwebz so prevalent nowadays, those stores aint gonna fare much better than the big daddies. Worse, actually. Seriously, why go out and buy a book at some crappy little bookstore when you chill out at home and either download it or order it on Amazon for much cheaper? If worst comes to worst, I think most folks would either do that, or drive up to a remaining Barnes & Noble.
 
For a second I thought you meant like...the country's borders.
 
Singularity said:
The superstores took the intimacy out of books? Really? At both Barnes & Noble and Borders, there were plenty of places to sit and read, none of the sellers cared when you picked out a book and finished half of the thing while sippin' on a mocha frap, and the selection was amazing. I remember having to shop at those small book dealers before the big superstores came along, and it sucked. First off, there was no place to sit and browse through a book that you were interested in. Not that it would have mattered if there were - the staff at those places were always on your jock if they saw you reading anything more than the back cover. Seriously, they'd walk by every few minutes asking, "Are you interested in that book?" "Are you ready to check out?" "Can I help you with your purchase?" "Hey, what do you say we buy that book together?"

Secondly, those small stores were WAY overpriced. Back when I lived in Chapel Hill in the 90's, a Borders came into town and set up shop, prompting the small local bookstores to push this huge campaign about supporting the 'small, intimate bookstore' from the 'dangerous book giant'. It met with no success, partly because the staff at those places was so pushy, but mostly because you were paying more per book. In some cases, a lot more. And the selection sucked. If they didn't have it, they could order it, of course. You'd have to wait a week, though. Or you could waltz up to the 'dangerous book giant' and pick it up at that moment for a lot cheaper.

Yeah, tough decision.

Lastly, most of those places had really strict rules about food and beverage, and by "strict rules", I mean that you were told to g.t.f.o. if you had any. I suppose when you price your books so high that you need a second mortgage just to shop there, there is every reason to discourage folks from wandering in with a beverage. Not at the superstores. Not only do they have few rules governing food and beverages, they actually sell them there.

The small book business model blew chunks long before the superstores shut them down, and with teh interwebz so prevalent nowadays, those stores aint gonna fare much better than the big daddies. Worse, actually. Seriously, why go out and buy a book at some crappy little bookstore when you chill out at home and either download it or order it on Amazon for much cheaper? If worst comes to worst, I think most folks would either do that, or drive up to a remaining Barnes & Noble.
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Don't judge all small bookstores on your crappy experiences. They're not all overprice, they don't all have small selections, and they don't all ignore you and never ask you what you're looking for. The internet's great for lots of things, but it can't reproduce the smell of paper and bindings of thousands of books in a small area. It also doesn't have the same soul - the big super stores sure were convenient, but they also had kids screaming, the coffee foamer noise, the nerds in the CD area blasting the latest vomit rock, and people blabing on their cell phones while dragging their pouty kids through the isles talking about their latest bahama get away while looking for the latest trashy romance novel. Give me a break. I'd rather wait for a book than get it right away - a little anticipation and something to look forward to rather than instant gratification. And the small bookstores can usually get books the large retailers cannot because the publishers no longer have stock and the circulation is long gone. 1st editions? Not likely in the super stores. They've got a lot of stuff no doubt if you like a lot of stuff. I don't. Barnes & Nobel is fine to get some newer books or looking for slightly older books in the discount pile. It's got little to no soul to it, little to no atmosphere. There's a place for them - don't get me wrong, but until you've experienced a quaint old bookstore that's got character, lots of quiet and an old leather recliner, there's absolutely no comparison.
 
Ockham said:
Don't judge all small bookstores on your crappy experiences. They're not all overprice, they don't all have small selections, and they don't all ignore you and never ask you what you're looking for. The internet's great for lots of things, but it can't reproduce the smell of paper and bindings of thousands of books in a small area. It also doesn't have the same soul - the big super stores sure were convenient, but they also had kids screaming, the coffee foamer noise, the nerds in the CD area blasting the latest vomit rock, and people blabing on their cell phones while dragging their pouty kids through the isles talking about their latest bahama get away while looking for the latest trashy romance novel. Give me a break. I'd rather wait for a book than get it right away - a little anticipation and something to look forward to rather than instant gratification. And the small bookstores can usually get books the large retailers cannot because the publishers no longer have stock and the circulation is long gone. 1st editions? Not likely in the super stores. They've got a lot of stuff no doubt if you like a lot of stuff. I don't. Barnes & Nobel is fine to get some newer books or looking for slightly older books in the discount pile. It's got little to no soul to it, little to no atmosphere. There's a place for them - don't get me wrong, but until you've experienced a quaint old bookstore that's got character, lots of quiet and an old leather recliner, there's absolutely no comparison.
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I'll wager dollars to doughnuts that those places are in the minority of small book stores, and rest assured those few are struggling when compared to the big boys. The competition is way too fierce for them to thrive, and quaint, cozy, and soulful doesn't pay the bills. The most that they could possibly do is eke out a small existence, and unless you and others like yourself are planning on donating a significant portion of your paycheck on a monthly basis into keeping them afloat, you can count on teh internetZ trashing them equally as bad as the superstores. There is a reason that most of them have disappeared, and it's for the exact reasons I outlined above. The vast majority of Americans feel the same way, otherwise those small book stores would be thriving.

Since you seem to enjoy the small stores, I hope that there is always a market around for you and others who see it the same way. But I wouldn't count on those small stores making a resurgence.
 
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I'm sorry to hear this too. I love paper books and I love browsing for them. I understand the appeal of eBooks, but they cannot replace the pleasure of hunting through the shelves, eyes getting hung up on catchy titles or ornate printing on the spine. The thrill of finding what you were looking for, or something better.

I was in a superstore of another nature today. Powell's Books in Portland's Pearl District. It covers an entire block, doorways, stairs and elevators connect the several original buildings which comprise it. It has the feel of a great labyrinth with treasures around every corner. Used and new books populate the shelves and one is welcome to handle and peruse to one's heart content. I haven't had the opportunity, but it's my goal to get into the rare book room.

Though Border's came nowhere near the experience of Powell's, it was closer and the convenience of just going to find and buy a book versus waiting for it in the mail, will be missed.
 
DiAnna said:
Blame E-books. The Authors Guild, et al, saw this coming a decade ago, when otherwise unpublishable writers began flinging their crap on line to sell via the internet. To compete, successful writers had to offer their own works as E-books. The moment a cheap, portable, convenient E-book reader hit the market, the fate of nearly all bookstores was sealed. As a writer myself, it breaks my heart to say it but the day isn't far away when paper books will be relegated to musems and trash heaps. It's the end of an era. :(
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Blaming e-books is premature. I blame places like Amazon where you can get any book you want (generally unlike my experiences at even the bigger stores), generally quicker (because you have to "order" it in store), cheaper (because they don't charge MSRP, and if used, much cheaper), and so on. If it is an older text, you are in luck, cheaper it will generally be. Granted, there are issues with that, but it's damn true.

There's a used book store around here that I peak my head into every now and then. I picked up a couple of older civics textbooks for high school kids circa 1950s, books regarding the writing style and methodology of Historians, old political memoirs, a few copies of the quarterly "The Historian" or "The History Teacher."
 
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Singularity said:
I'll wager dollars to doughnuts that those places are in the minority of small book stores, and rest assured those few are struggling when compared to the big boys. The competition is way too fierce for them to thrive, and quaint, cozy, and soulful doesn't pay the bills. The most that they could possibly do is eke out a small existence, and unless you and others like yourself are planning on donating a significant portion of your paycheck on a monthly basis into keeping them afloat, you can count on teh internetZ trashing them equally as bad as the superstores. There is a reason that most of them have disappeared, and it's for the exact reasons I outlined above. The vast majority of Americans feel the same way, otherwise those small book stores would be thriving.

Since you seem to enjoy the small stores, I hope that there is always a market around for you and others who see it the same way. But I wouldn't count on those small stores making a resurgence.
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They did struggle and the one place I loved died a slow death and it's now a Starbucks. I miss that place.
 
DiAnna said:
Blame E-books. The Authors Guild, et al, saw this coming a decade ago, when otherwise unpublishable writers began flinging their crap on line to sell via the internet. To compete, successful writers had to offer their own works as E-books. The moment a cheap, portable, convenient E-book reader hit the market, the fate of nearly all bookstores was sealed. As a writer myself, it breaks my heart to say it but the day isn't far away when paper books will be relegated to musems and trash heaps. It's the end of an era. :(
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I just cannot get down with e-books. I want the actual book in my hand! I either order from Amazon or trade sites. I also visit the library quite a bit.
 
DiAnna said:
Blame E-books. The Authors Guild, et al, saw this coming a decade ago, when otherwise unpublishable writers began flinging their crap on line to sell via the internet. To compete, successful writers had to offer their own works as E-books. The moment a cheap, portable, convenient E-book reader hit the market, the fate of nearly all bookstores was sealed. As a writer myself, it breaks my heart to say it but the day isn't far away when paper books will be relegated to musems and trash heaps. It's the end of an era. :(
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You can't completely blame e-books. They certainly haven't helped matters, but the decline of brick and mortar bookstores started with Amazon and other online booksellers. Ebooks only sped the process up.
 
Kal'Stang said:
Where's Obama with a bailout on this? If he's so commited to "saving jobs" and "helping the working people" surely he will at least try to bail out these people?
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Doesn't care.... he only reads from teleprompters.
 
Kal'Stang said:
Where's Obama with a bailout on this? If he's so commited to "saving jobs" and "helping the working people" surely he will at least try to bail out these people?
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PerfectStorm said:
Doesn't care.... he only reads from teleprompters.
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If you two are going to engage in ultrapartisan silliness on a thread that has nothing whatsoever to do with Obama, at you should at least include those stupid "it's because he's Kenyan" and "it's part of his Muslim conspiracy" comments so that the rest of us can enjoy a good laugh.
 
Someone needs to download a sense of humor.
 
Singularity said:
If you two are going to engage in ultrapartisan silliness on a thread that has nothing whatsoever to do with Obama, at you should at least include those stupid "it's because he's Kenyan" and "it's part of his Muslim conspiracy" comments so that the rest of us can enjoy a good laugh.
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1: I fully believe that he was born in Hawaii. I've posted to that effect many times defending Obama against birthers.

2: Don't care what his religious background is and never have.

3: Its a valid question posted on a forum about debating politics. Obama gave billions out to keep businesses from failing. If he is to be consistant then he should do so with all other buisnesses that are about to fail. Otherwise he is showing governmental favortism.
 
Too sad,although we all know that most of modern people prefer to purchase books by Internet retailer.
 
Ockham said:
Look at the bright side... this may be the reemergence of the small book store. If all the nincompoops go out and buy kindles to read books, the small book reseller will have an opportunity to get amounts of good quality hard back and used books. The superstores sort of took the intimacy out of books and those of us who love paper books may once again have an opportunity to go to a local book store and buy books without the superstore hubub.

Barnes & Noble is probably the last brick and mortar super book reseller. Any other ones left?
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Until all the hipsters get wind of it, make it the newest fashion statement, buy up all the books with thier parents money and leave you paying crazy dollars for used booke..... Mark my words.... You heard it here first.
 
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