I went into Borders bookstore earlier tonight. This was my first time in months that I've gone into one and was reminded why i rarely shop there. The Sookie Stackhouse collection was $47.94. Amazon has it for $33.56. That's a huge difference. Almost all their other books were so much more compared to Amazon and other B&M stores like Target or Walmart.
How is this place still open in the current economy? I would think Boarders would wanna compete with Amazon and price things lower than them.
dx23
09-05-09, 11:26 PM
I wonder the same for Barnes and Nobles but apparently they made the same pact with the devil that Radio Shack has.
As for Borders, they are not in good financial shape and I could see them going under before the year ends. They had plans to put 4 additional stores in Puerto Rico, one of the few places where they have been succesful. Those plans have been canceled because they don't think they'll make it by the end of the year.
Wolf359
09-06-09, 02:08 AM
Simple, the internet has killed B&M bookstores. You can choose to patronize them if you want to have a local bookstore in your town, or not. But its unfair to compare an e-tailer with much less overhead than a normal store.
Al_Tahoe
09-06-09, 03:32 AM
How is this place still open?The soccer moms like to gather there and drink their specialty coffees and spend their husbands money, while their spoiled little brats are in school. They don't care if the book they buy costs $29 or $22. :)
Dean Kousoulas
09-06-09, 03:41 AM
They have been bleeding money for quite some time now. I simply don't see them lasting very much longer neither. Barnes & Noble is superior to them in every way.
UAIOE
09-06-09, 04:02 AM
I used to love buying and special ordering CD's there, but I can tell they've been getting hammered because their CD and DVD section has shrunk a lot.
But truthfully, if there is a time when I need a book *NOW* and not 5 days from today, Borders and B&N are nice to have around.
Assuming they have the book in stock.
EdTheRipper
09-06-09, 06:11 AM
I used to love buying and special ordering CD's there, but I can tell they've been getting hammered because their CD and DVD section has shrunk a lot.
I used to do the same with dvds a few years back. If Best Buy didn't have it, odds are good Borders would. Now, the store I used to frequent doesn't have a cd/dvd section at all. I was extremely disappointed to discover that fact.
Lemmy
09-06-09, 12:31 PM
Simple, the internet has killed B&M bookstores. You can choose to patronize them if you want to have a local bookstore in your town, or not. But its unfair to compare an e-tailer with much less overhead than a normal store.
I'm sorry, but that's just bullshit. I mean, yes, e-tailers have less overhead...you're right about that...but if REtailers choose not to accept LESS profit to continue to MAKE profit...fuck'em, they deserve to go down like a $2 whore.
UAIOE
09-06-09, 02:40 PM
I used to do the same with dvds a few years back. If Best Buy didn't have it, odds are good Borders would. Now, the store I used to frequent doesn't have a cd/dvd section at all. I was extremely disappointed to discover that fact.
The selection at the one here got so bad, I'd get those 40% off coupons and not find a single thing I'd want to buy.
Deftones
09-06-09, 02:43 PM
I think they stay in business, even though they are losing money, because there are people out there that still don't know the internet is a valuable tool to find bargains on items. I'm looking at you old people!
RonG617
09-06-09, 02:46 PM
If they go out, I will miss the shelf browsing. Found lots of interesting things I would never have known about if not for browsing in a store. That said, I do 99% of my book/music/dvd shopping online, so I guess I am not helping them much.
jjcool
09-06-09, 02:59 PM
The soccer moms like to gather there and drink their specialty coffees and spend their husbands money, while their spoiled little brats are in school. They don't care if the book they buy costs $29 or $22. :)
Dont forget those of us that like to look at the soccer milfs in their low cut tops and short skirts. Especially during the summer, when they have the AC cranked.
If they go out, I will miss the shelf browsing. Found lots of interesting things I would never have known about if not for browsing in a store. That said, I do 99% of my book/music/dvd shopping online, so I guess I am not helping them much.
Thatis why I like Barnes and Noble. The one near me is open late, abnd I can go in a look around for a good amount of time. Once in a while they have decent sales, like the Criterion sale.
I have never bought anything from Borders, however.
tasha99
09-07-09, 03:40 AM
I shop at Borders all the time. Just a few months ago I bought the Sookie Stackhouse box set for somewhere around $33 (they give 40% off coupons out all the time). It was a couple of dollars cheaper at Amazon, but for $2, I'd rather have my set in hand than wait for it to ship.
I like to go there, get a coffee, and read for a while with my son. He reads manga, which can get expensive considering they take 20 minutes to read. For five bucks or so, we can spend an evening there and he can read $$$ for free. I read all of the Fables graphic novels there earlier this summer.
lamphorn
09-09-09, 03:24 AM
I'll never understand how B&N is beating Borders. Borders sends out coupons for 30% and sometimes even 40% off of anything in the store. That brings me into their store, where I get a cup of coffee and browse around for something to get a discount on... I never ever buy anything at Barnes and Noble (although I will browse there and then go to Borders to buy) because it's always at full retail price.
fujishig
09-09-09, 11:52 AM
I shop at Borders all the time. Just a few months ago I bought the Sookie Stackhouse box set for somewhere around $33 (they give 40% off coupons out all the time). It was a couple of dollars cheaper at Amazon, but for $2, I'd rather have my set in hand than wait for it to ship.
I like to go there, get a coffee, and read for a while with my son. He reads manga, which can get expensive considering they take 20 minutes to read. For five bucks or so, we can spend an evening there and he can read $$$ for free. I read all of the Fables graphic novels there earlier this summer.
And there's the other reason why I would never pick up manga or graphic novels at one of these places. Why pay full retail for what is essentially a used copy? It gets ridiculous when the whole aisle is cluttered with kids sitting on the floor with stacks of manga.
Maxflier
09-09-09, 12:18 PM
I'll never understand how B&N is beating Borders. Borders sends out coupons for 30% and sometimes even 40% off of anything in the store. That brings me into their store, where I get a cup of coffee and browse around for something to get a discount on... I never ever buy anything at Barnes and Noble (although I will browse there and then go to Borders to buy) because it's always at full retail price.
Not to mention Borders doesn't charge you for their member card. A card which actually earns you Borders bucks once you spend a certain amount versus the nothing that you earn with the B&N card.
I do miss when Borders had a nice Criterion selection like B&N :(
dx23
09-09-09, 02:38 PM
I'll never understand how B&N is beating Borders. Borders sends out coupons for 30% and sometimes even 40% off of anything in the store. That brings me into their store, where I get a cup of coffee and browse around for something to get a discount on... I never ever buy anything at Barnes and Noble (although I will browse there and then go to Borders to buy) because it's always at full retail price.
They made the same deal with the Devil that Radio Shack has. I find it almost impossible that B&N has a better business model than Borders.
lamphorn
09-09-09, 05:09 PM
They made the same deal with the Devil that Radio Shack has. I find it almost impossible that B&N has a better business model than Borders.
I will say that I love Barnes and Noble, but I hardly buy there because they don't do the 30% coupon thing. What they do have over Borders is atmosphere. Borders is just a little to antiseptic for a bookstore. Barnes and Noble feels more like a bookstore, is more welcoming somehow.
hindolio
09-10-09, 12:33 AM
one thing i dig about borders is the bargain section for kids. often, they will rotate various $2.99 - $6.99 childrens books which are kinda cool. i dunno if b & n does this.
Alan Smithee
09-11-09, 02:11 PM
Am I the only one who remembers when they DID price all their DVDs below MSRP? It started in 2000, they had signs saying "New lower DVD prices!" and most titles were about $5 off list price. I went nuts the first day and usually went there right away for all my DVDs- the limited-edition Men In Black was $30. Times I went in just to look I usually ended up walking out with something. Then prices started creeping back up by a couple dollars until they were eventually list price again, and I quit buying DVDs there.
UAIOE
09-11-09, 03:00 PM
You must be, I don't recall their DVD's being that price. Besides, I bought my MiB LE off of Amazon back then.
But I think I remember their CD's actually being somewhat comparable to the likes of Best Buy and CC way back when.
dx23
09-11-09, 03:03 PM
Am I the only one who remembers when they DID price all their DVDs below MSRP? It started in 2000, they had signs saying "New lower DVD prices!" and most titles were about $5 off list price. I went nuts the first day and usually went there right away for all my DVDs- the limited-edition Men In Black was $30. Times I went in just to look I usually ended up walking out with something. Then prices started creeping back up by a couple dollars until they were eventually list price again, and I quit buying DVDs there.
There $5 off until the company was sold to the idiots that have it now about 3 years ago and they decided to priced everything retail and on the website $1-$5 dollars over retail or over $400 dollars for things like the Beatles Mono set.
I would frequent Borders for a DVD or CD when I knew Best Buy wouldn't have it and I was armed with a 30% coupon that brought the price down to an Amazon-like price. But now that they've cut the DVD/CD stock in half, they rarely have anything I want that Best Buy doesn't, so I don't even bother anymore.
mcfly
09-11-09, 10:17 PM
The Borders here closed over a year ago. The next closest one is like 30 miles away so I never go there. I prefer Barnes & Nobles for books anyway. I never shopped there for anything else.
MLBFan24
09-12-09, 01:59 AM
my local Borders has free jazz "concert" events sponsored by the local jazz radio station. Basically a free concert and meet & greet with the jazz artist - Peter White, Mindi Abair, Jim Brickman, Rick Braun, Jessy J, etc.
these events bring in a huge turnout, where people buy the CDs, coffee, etc.
Josh-da-man
09-12-09, 01:37 PM
I've tended to favor Borders over B&N because it seems like they have a better selection of books than B&N. B&N seems kind of older and conservative, whereas Borders feels younger and has a wider selection of books on offbeat/obscure subjects.
Combined with the 20-30-40% off coupons that Borders puts out regularly, and it's a no-brainer.
The only area that B&N beats Borders in for me is their remainder/bargain selection. Borders generally has few remainders, while B&N regularly gets last year's major publisher hardcovers. I think I've bought ten "bargain" hardcovers at B&N in the last couple of months.
fumanstan
09-12-09, 07:41 PM
I like the Borders by me far better then any of the Barnes and Noble. It just seems organized better, and has more comic books which is what I swing in to check out most of the time.
I've bought some impulse buys there for things I wanted right on the spot and didn't feel like waiting a couple days for.
Dean Kousoulas
09-12-09, 07:46 PM
I've tended to favor Borders over B&N because it seems like they have a better selection of books than B&N. B&N seems kind of older and conservative, whereas Borders feels younger and has a wider selection of books on offbeat/obscure subjects.
Combined with the 20-30-40% off coupons that Borders puts out regularly, and it's a no-brainer.
The only area that B&N beats Borders in for me is their remainder/bargain selection. Borders generally has few remainders, while B&N regularly gets last year's major publisher hardcovers. I think I've bought ten "bargain" hardcovers at B&N in the last couple of months.
My B&N has a huge discount hardcover section. Granted, I check back weekly and they don't switch out titles too often, but there are still great deals to be found.
KillerCannibal
09-12-09, 09:13 PM
I've pretty much stopped going to Borders altogether. Even the occasional 40% off coupon doesn't do it for me. After they cut their DVD/BD selection by 3/4 its size, I realized they have virtually nothing I want. Anything I want on Day One I'll buy at BB, and anything else I just order online. I rarely want/need anything that quickly.
Gdrlv
09-12-09, 10:48 PM
I love browsing at Borders and used to buy a lot there. Then, I got a Kindle. Now, I take my Kindle there, and buy anything I find interesting at Borders through the Kindle. Often wonder how the employees/staff feel about people downloading Kindle books right in their store.
bdhart
09-18-09, 05:59 AM
What I really don't understand is going into the store and seeing several Blu Ray's priced at $4-5 more than the retail price. Even with the 40% off coupon, the prices were still higher than Amazon.
UAIOE
09-18-09, 03:09 PM
I understand that Borders deals with some overhead that Amazon doesn't, but Borders is still somewhat higher than Best Buy.
But then, Best Buy has mark up on pretty much everything else to counteract any losses on CD's.
StephenX
09-20-09, 10:21 PM
Not to mention Borders doesn't charge you for their member card. A card which actually earns you Borders bucks once you spend a certain amount versus the nothing that you earn with the B&N card.
I do miss when Borders had a nice Criterion selection like B&N :(
This.
My wife and I used to always print a couple of 30% off coupons and browse the DVD selection. With the coupon, the OOP, rare, and classic stuff was a decent deal. They always had criterions, as well. I actually got the Oldboy tin at Borders for less than $30 or so. Of course, they don't have DVD's anymore so we don't visit as often (if at all).
FangsFirst
09-21-09, 05:06 AM
There $5 off until the company was sold to the idiots that have it now about 3 years ago and they decided to priced everything retail and on the website $1-$5 dollars over retail or over $400 dollars for things like the Beatles Mono set.
But then, Best Buy has mark up on pretty much everything else to counteract any losses on CD's.
Answered your own question. They are there to sell appliances and warranties and such. CDs and DVDs and such are to draw people in, and add a couple bucks to their purchases.
UAIOE
09-21-09, 03:45 PM
No, I know that is what Best Buy does. I was flat out told that when I worked there.
Of course, I was also told they were turning the music department into a "sales" department and also that teenage new hires get paid more than employees who worked there for over a year "because of inflation".
Alan Smithee
09-28-09, 03:21 AM
I went to a Borders for the first time in several months- GOD their DVD selection SUCKS now! Most of the shelves have hardly anything on them so they spread out what they have trying to make the shelves look full. If they're gonna have a crappy selection with crappy prices why am I going to bother going there?
I loved how all the box sets were locked up too- you couldn't even see the price tags. I wanted to ask someone to open it so I could check the price, then say "Naah, too expensive, I'll go get it at Fry's instead."
Josh-da-man
09-28-09, 08:06 AM
Earlier this year, most Borders locations gutted their CD/DVD sections.
I managed to pick up quite a few CDs for 50% off.
bunkaroo
09-28-09, 03:22 PM
I loved how all the box sets were locked up too- you couldn't even see the price tags. I wanted to ask someone to open it so I could check the price, then say "Naah, too expensive, I'll go get it at Fry's instead."
Just assume list price (or higher) is on the tag. You'll be correct 99% of the time.
They must have added the other set days later because I searched and didn't find the link you posted. Still, I want to know why are they pricing $5 over retail price everything in their store. How are they going to turn things around when everything is more expensive in Borders than in every other store.
My mom and I don't care for Borders either. The atmosphere is so dull there. The CD section is complete unorganized and they have less of a selection than Best Buy does. I have a member card for there but I just check coupons trough email...don't usually use any of thm though.
We love B&N. I go there to pick up books on the first day they're released, when I don't feel like waiting days for Amazon to deliver. Also I like when B&N sometimes has CD's that the local BB dosen't carry. The coffee and magazine selection are nice too. I go there to get my horror movie magazines.
BuckNaked2k
11-03-09, 02:08 AM
The big Borders near me gutted their CD/DVD section back around August, and had some OK mark-downs. The kicker is, I go in there now, and there's nothing where the DVDs and CDs used to be! They just put a few tables in there for people to sit and and read (but not buy). I mean, the area is huge! Empty floor space is a cardinal sin of retail, and they have it in droves.
I know the company is owned by some private investors, like a venture capital firm or something, and I think they are just trying to hold on, but when it makes more sense to have 15% of the store sitting empty, the writing is on the wall.
I like B&N, because I can get good buys there when they have certain sales, like the Criterion sale. I was getting $40 Criterions for $13 after 50% off + 10% member discount + $5 coupon.
The BN website is good too with prices actually less than in the stores. The Borders website is a joke, with most DVDs and Blu-rays selling above MSRP! Yikes!! Their web sales must be near zero with a business model like that.
UAIOE
11-03-09, 03:42 AM
I can't order from B&N.com on the basis that they royally screwed me over in 2002.
The short, short version:
Bought a DVD day after Thanksgiving (for x-mas) and it didn't arrive until Dec 26th. During my month long wait I called their CS line numerous times, I was promised another copy would be shipped 2-day (I believe). After it never showed up, I called again only to find out that CS person never even submitted the order.
Never again.
Quack
11-03-09, 09:39 AM
I've always preferred Borders over B&N any day of the week. I never liked the idea of having to pay for a discount there when Borders does it for free with the Rewards program. I just don't understand how they've just tanked though.
Deke Rivers
11-03-09, 09:54 AM
I love browsing at Borders and used to buy a lot there. Then, I got a Kindle. Now, I take my Kindle there, and buy anything I find interesting at Borders through the Kindle. Often wonder how the employees/staff feel about people downloading Kindle books right in their store.
as an ex-Borders employee i can honestly say most (as minimum wage employees) wouldnt give a a shit.
I mean 3/4 of the customers that would come in would just read in the store or do homework with the study guides etc....then I would have to pick up all books and crap they left on the floor , tables, etc when they were done for the evening..for this we were open until 11 every night.
I cant imagine them being around much longer..in fact Im surprised they still are
Giles
11-03-09, 12:35 PM
IMO the magazine selection at B&N is vastly superior to Borders.
dogmatica
11-03-09, 01:37 PM
What I wrote in a recent Borders coupon thread:
I get at least two Borders coupons a week via email because I signed up for their free rewards program two years ago when I bought a T.C. Boyle audio book on cassette on clearance. I've never used a single one. I was even at the store right next to Borders last night and had no desire to walk in.
Is it me? Is it them?
GizmoDVD
11-03-09, 01:59 PM
as an ex-Borders employee i can honestly say most (as minimum wage employees) wouldnt give a a shit.
I mean 3/4 of the customers that would come in would just read in the store or do homework with the study guides etc....then I would have to pick up all books and crap they left on the floor , tables, etc when they were done for the evening..for this we were open until 11 every night.
I cant imagine them being around much longer..in fact Im surprised they still are
Exactly. Most employee's really don't give a crap since they are paid so low. They'd rather you walk around and read 'for free' than be a real customers and require assistance.
UAIOE
11-03-09, 02:25 PM
I always thought they let the reading slide in hopes you be around long enough to buy a drink and/or food.
Deke Rivers
11-03-09, 04:18 PM
Exactly. Most employee's really don't give a crap since they are paid so low. They'd rather you walk around and read 'for free' than be a real customers and require assistance.
well i wouldnt go that far..i worked there because of my love for books and movies..
I welcomed the occasional customer in the store that shared that love..90 percent of them are there to sit in the cafe and use the books then leave
just the shape of the washroom was a good indicator of how far down the spectrum the typical customer in that store declined..might as well have been a Walmart...
done with the book? hell just throw it on the floor..someone will pick it up..why buy th emagazine when you can bring a whole stack of them in the cafe then spill shit on them and get up and leave the stack there..
my rant being that someone walking around in the store with a Kindle would have been the least of my concerns..
BuckNaked2k
11-03-09, 05:24 PM
....just the shape of the washroom was a good indicator of how far down the spectrum the typical customer in that store declined....might as well have been a WalMart....No kiddin'.
The Borders closest to me is a medium to small store in a rather exclusive community. They recently went to a system where you need to request a token to get into the rest rooms on account of the mess and vandalism taking place in there. I was amazed when the associate told me this, as again, this is a really nice preppy town with no bums or miscreants.
Josh-da-man
11-04-09, 03:23 AM
I always thought they let the reading slide in hopes you be around long enough to buy a drink and/or food.
And then spill coffee and drop muffin crumbs all over the books you're reading, so someone gets a nice little surprise when they actually do buy that book you spent the afternoon reading for free.
(I hate this shit, the idea that someone can sit in a bookstore and read a book, break the binding, spill food all over it, and then put it back on the shelf.)
UAIOE
11-04-09, 03:33 AM
I was always under the impression that if you viewed a magazine/book and spilled your drink on it, you had to buy it....or that was the proper thing to do.
I guess I'm an oddball.
Deke Rivers
11-04-09, 09:48 AM
And then spill coffee and drop muffin crumbs all over the books you're reading, so someone gets a nice little surprise when they actually do buy that book you spent the afternoon reading for free.
(I hate this shit, the idea that someone can sit in a bookstore and read a book, break the binding, spill food all over it, and then put it back on the shelf.)
yes you are basically buying used books at new book prices
Deke Rivers
11-04-09, 09:50 AM
No kiddin'.
The Borders closest to me is a medium to small store in a rather exclusive community. They recently went to a system where you need to request a token to get into the rest rooms on account of the mess and vandalism taking place in there. I was amazed when the associate told me this, as again, this is a really nice preppy town with no bums or miscreants.
I literally would have customers come to the info desk to complain to me about the washrooms ..and mostly the ladies room believe it or not :)
ProfessorEcho
11-05-09, 06:20 PM
For whatever reason, the Borders in Northridge, California puts all their American comic book trade paperbacks and graphic novels in a locked glass case (the Manga is not locked away). The last time I was there I wanted to take a look at one of them, a compilation of comic books that were originally released in the 1970's. I wanted to see where the reprinted issues started. So off I go to search for an employee to open up the locked case. I was on the second floor of the two story store and it took me 20 minutes before I could spot an employee. I can say this literally because after five minutes of searching, I began to time it to see how long it would take.
I finally found an employee who was so bewilderingly distracted that at first he had no idea what I was talking about. He finally disappeared to find the key to the glass case and met me in that section. I told him that I had never been in a bookstore where they locked up the graphic novels and asked him why they did it in this store? I assumed it was because of potential theft? He said he had no idea, but thought maybe the store just wanted to keep them in good condition. Anyway, he took out the book I wanted to look at, tucked it under his arm and started to walk away. I asked him where he was going and he said the book needed to go downstairs so it could be rung up. I told him I wasn't sure I was going to buy it yet and he said that it needed to go downstairs anyway and be stored behind the counter until I was ready to buy it. I told him I needed to look at it first to make sure I wanted to buy it at all. He said: "Well, how long are you going to be? I need to get this downstairs asap." I asked him why and he said it's policy with anything that comes out of the glass case. I asked him why and told him the book was only worth $17. He said he didn't make the policy. I asked him if I could glance at the book and he gave it to me. I decided it was not the one I wanted, so I handed it back to him and he opened the glass case and threw the book back on the shelf so that the cover bent. Then he walked away. Sigh...........................
This was the same store that once had The Greatest Hits Of Michael Jackson playing on an endless loop and when I requested that they at least mix it up with some other music I was told no because corporate wanted Michael Jackson to play all day and night.
Add to that the filthy restroom, the soiled carpeting, outrageous pricing which is ooften over the MSRP and the lack of virtually any customer service whatsoever and this particular BORDERS in Northridge has seen the last of me. You want a reason to shop online? Go to that store.
Adboy151
11-06-09, 09:02 AM
And it starts...
Borders to close 200 Waldenbooks stores, cut jobs (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOfcGKhK7txypU881sM3jmJMb8UAD9BPKLT00)
Josh-da-man
11-06-09, 11:52 AM
And it starts...
Borders to close 200 Waldenbooks stores, cut jobs (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOfcGKhK7txypU881sM3jmJMb8UAD9BPKLT00)
Doesn't seem like that big of deal. Seems like smaller chain book stores have been going away for the past ten or so years.
All of the B Dalton and Waldenbook stores around me closed up shortly after the big Barnes & Noble and Borders stores opened up.
Sort of surprised that they'll still have 130 mall stores open. None of the malls around me have any more book/music/video stores, except for an FYE store. I'm guesing that increased compeition from "big box" stores like Best Buy, Borders, and B&N have cut into their profit margins, leaving the malls stores focused on selling higher margin things like clothes, jewelry, and over-priced tchokes.
UAIOE
11-07-09, 03:03 AM
The mall near me lost its B. Dalton & Waldenbooks years ago.
I was discussing this topic with the girlfriend (she still enjoys going to Borders), and she kinda agrees that cleanliness has gone down some at the store here. She says it's isn't terrible...but its not as good as it once was. While B&N still seems to be plugging along nicely.
MinLShaw
11-07-09, 12:19 PM
Well, in fairness to any book-seller, the cost of books has inflated at a much higher rate than other entertainment media in the last decade. The costs of paper and shipment, plus the amount of shelf space consumed by such products, makes it harder for books to be an easy sell. Then, you factor in the ways in which brick & mortar stores have tried to offer an in-person alternative to the frequently cheaper, yet distant, online sales (i.e., coffee, guest author appearances, etc.) and realize those carry their own costs.
As far as Borders vs. Barnes & Noble, I'm in the camp that wonders why people pay for a B&N Member account to get 10% off their purchases, rather than the free Borders account with frequent 30-40% coupons. That said, I confess that between the two I prefer browsing at B&N because of the ambiance of the place, and the fact that the closest one of their stores is much more convenient for me than the nearest Borders.
The majority of my book purchases, however, come from Half Price Books. They have a greater variety of titles at any given time, it seems, and even there I rarely find myself needing to pay half of the list price (their general price scheme) because of how frequently they run sales and clearance older stock. And, at least at the HPB I frequent, most books are in like new condition or better, meaning that by the time I get it home and put it on my bookcase, you'd never be able to tell that I just bought a used, 10-year old hardcover for $2.00.
UAIOE
11-07-09, 12:32 PM
Perhaps those member accounts are keeping B&N afloat. ;)
I'm not much of a book reader (my GF is) so my main motivation to peruse such places is for either magazines or music/movies. The problem is that both places have limited selection and high prices when it comes to music/movies.
I will say that B&N does win with atmosphere, but that is about it.
BuckNaked2k
11-07-09, 03:05 PM
I'm surprised they still operate any Waldenbooks given their "Borders Kiosk" brand which essentially replicates the Waldenbooks function.
As for the $25 B&N membership, I have to say, I have literally saved hundreds of dollars over the last six moths or so with this, on account of the 10% membership discount, coupons, and other members-only promotions.
I was able to get The Beatles in Mono box set for $150 + tax during release week. This alone paid for my membership, given the prices at Amazon, Best Buy, and Borders, if you could even find one.
I also went hog-wild on the last Criterion sale, saving an extra 10% + $5 on each title I purchased.
Dean Kousoulas
11-08-09, 12:15 AM
I agree. Normally I stay away from any store club that costs money to join, but with the amount of money i've saved in the past year, I paid for the $25 many times over.
Buy: