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Borders is closing for good!

post #1 of 39
7/18/11 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
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
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post #2 of 39
7/18/11 at 6:32pm
I heard they were going to close 2 or 3 years ago.
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post #3 of 39
7/18/11 at 6:41pm
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.
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post #4 of 39
7/18/11 at 6:45pm
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.
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post #5 of 39
7/19/11 at 5:56am
I liked Borders, too. That's a shame.
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post #6 of 39
7/19/11 at 6:52am
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.
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post #7 of 39
7/19/11 at 7:02am
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.
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post #8 of 39
7/19/11 at 7:21am
Hopefully Barnes and Nobles will stay open. The Borders by me closed a few months ago. It was sad
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post #9 of 39
7/19/11 at 8:10am
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.
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post #10 of 39
7/19/11 at 11:33am
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
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post #11 of 39
7/19/11 at 11:58am
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.
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post #12 of 39
7/19/11 at 12:21pm
I can't believe they actually went bankrupt... I guess online stores are just taking over!
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post #13 of 39
7/19/11 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by catbehaviors View Post
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?
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post #14 of 39
7/19/11 at 12:48pm
We have a local, small independent book shop in town. 90% of his sales are online.
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post #15 of 39
7/19/11 at 3:49pm
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.
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post #16 of 39
7/19/11 at 3:58pm
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.
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post #17 of 39
7/19/11 at 4:18pm
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.
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post #18 of 39
7/19/11 at 5:11pm
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!
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post #19 of 39
7/19/11 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
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.
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post #20 of 39
7/20/11 at 4:07am
no one reads anymore
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post #21 of 39
7/20/11 at 5:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by katachtig View Post
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.
And it's not just bookstores that only carry new books that are exciting. I love to spend hours at the Book Barn in Connecticut, just walking around and checking out all the different genres. The Book Barn and its two annexes sell used books. My GF and I will literally spend hours and hours there. It's an amazing place to visit.

There's a certain thrill from buying books that you don't get when buying e-books. At least, that's how I feel. Maybe that's why I love going to the library, too. I never know what I'm going to find.
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post #22 of 39
7/20/11 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
This is heartbreaking..
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post #23 of 39
7/20/11 at 11:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eternalrx View Post
no one reads anymore
People still read, but not necessarily hardback or paperback books. A lot of people say that having a smartphone, e-book reader, tablet, laptop or netbook has actually led them to read more because they can carry a whole library around with them and also access scores and scores of free books.
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post #24 of 39
7/20/11 at 11:53am
I know. Sad. Though most books I only read once so I use the library more than anything. And hey- that's what I'm paying taxes for I did buy one book through Amazon a few months back, but I had a $10 credit that needed to be used.

Cheryl
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post #25 of 39
7/20/11 at 4:39pm
This is sad. I love the bookstore smell...wish they could bottle it.

I have an e-reader but it's best used for fiction I think. When I need to study something it's just different reading it in a physical book. I still love browsing bookstores. You do find some interesting things. I've found the 'bestsellers' don't always appeal to me. I like to check the local section of the stores too. I've found some great things about my area or by people in my area Amazon sure isn't going to tell me about. But then with Amazon I've been able to purchase a friend's book when no big publishers have wanted to publish his books.
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post #26 of 39
7/20/11 at 5:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles View Post
This is sad. I love the bookstore smell...wish they could bottle it.
They do bottle it, available online of course.

The smell mostly comes from outgasing from the adhesive used for the binder. Ex of mine showed me all the crazy scents you can buy online from cigars to crayons to marijuana to play-doh. She would alternate between Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper lipgloss just for me for example, heh. Quite authentic actually!

So just buy some of that online, spray it on the back of your e-reader, and voila! If you're still not convinced, go to hulu.com and search "Hoarders" and you'll insist on ditching all your books and magazines for a Kindle or similar in no time!
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post #27 of 39
7/20/11 at 5:18pm
Hmmm. Guess I'm a lone holdout who refuses to touch an e-reader. I like the feel of a book in my hand and turning the pages. It's also safer to take in the bathtub which is where I do a large portion of my reading.
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post #28 of 39
7/20/11 at 10:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
They do bottle it, available online of course.

The smell mostly comes from outgasing from the adhesive used for the binder. Ex of mine showed me all the crazy scents you can buy online from cigars to crayons to marijuana to play-doh. She would alternate between Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper lipgloss just for me for example, heh. Quite authentic actually!

So just buy some of that online, spray it on the back of your e-reader, and voila! If you're still not convinced, go to hulu.com and search "Hoarders" and you'll insist on ditching all your books and magazines for a Kindle or similar in no time!
OOOOO! Playdough! Good stuff! I think I'll just give it another year or so and my daughter should be old enough to play with it! haha!

I have a kindle and I LOVE it. I read from it pretty much daily. I thought I'd hate it when they first came out. Then I saw a girl reading from one when I was in B&N one day. I still like a paper book from time to time, but the kindle is deffinitely good! Especially when we travel! Saves me a whole bag almost!
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post #29 of 39
7/21/11 at 1:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
If you're still not convinced, go to hulu.com and search "Hoarders" and you'll insist on ditching all your books and magazines for a Kindle or similar in no time!
That was the deciding factor for me. My husband was keeping track of approximately how many books I was accumulating, and would start throwing them out by the hundreds when I reached around 1,000. I still have several bookcases full, but once I got my Kindle I donated hundreds to an Anglican church here (English-speaking congregation), so we finally have some room.

One huge advantage of e-books is that it's getting easier to get foreign-language books. Ducman, I don't know if you've noticed yet, but now that amazon.de is selling the Kindle, amazon.com is selling German e-books.
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post #30 of 39
7/21/11 at 2:15pm
I do have kindle and an ipad but I just have a romance with paper books and bookstores. I am in a profession where reading is the key and so I have to read a lot (had to read 450 books to take my prelim exams - that was a bit of a torture though), but I just love the feel of holding a book. Most of the books I have to read (non fictions) are not in the electronic form. Not a hoarder, but being in academia, I have and buy tons of books - one of our largest expenses, and they are neatly arranged in book shelves. Oh well - what can I say? I love books. They may be inconvenient, expecially when I have to carry dozens at and from the library and I have also contributed to the closing of book stores by ordering online. But I will be sad if this becomes a world with no books.
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