Borders: How do they still stay in business?

mhg83 · 09-05-09, 11:23 PM

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhg83

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by UAIOE

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolf359

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdTheRipper

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al_Tahoe

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonG617

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by tasha99

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamphorn

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamphorn

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by dx23

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Smithee

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.

http://www.borders.com/online/store/...=4988006873612

MorseMoose · 09-11-09, 03:40 PM

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.

09-05-09, 11:23 PM	#1
mhg83 DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 3,053	Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ XBL Gamertag: bauer83

09-05-09, 11:26 PM	#2
dx23 DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 9,132	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-06-09, 02:08 AM	#3
Wolf359 Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas TX Posts: 849	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-06-09, 03:41 AM	#5
Dean Kousoulas DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 3,538	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ "Earnest Hemingway once wrote 'The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.' I agree with the 2nd part." - Morgan Freeman, Se7en

09-06-09, 04:02 AM	#6
UAIOE DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LV-426 Posts: 5,559	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ Coilette: Congo Jack! Fry: Yes. And I have a message for you from Colonel Mitumbay! He says....this is from Congo Jack!

09-06-09, 02:43 PM	#10
Deftones DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Arizona Posts: 44,827	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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! __________________ John Henson: McDonald's has dumped Kobe Bryant as their spokesperson and have replaced him with Yao Ming. Apparently McDonald's prefers Yao because he is a bigger international star, and he doesn't rape so much. "You are everything that's wrong with this forum".---SleepyW

09-06-09, 02:46 PM	#11
RonG617 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 379	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-07-09, 03:40 AM	#13
tasha99 DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 4,337	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-09-09, 03:24 AM	#14
lamphorn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 826	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-10-09, 12:33 AM	#19
hindolio DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: los angeles, ca Posts: 2,375	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ sci-fi rocks in 2009 criterion challenge 2009 meh oh the horror! of 2009 happy holiday flicks of 2009

09-11-09, 02:11 PM	#20
Alan Smithee DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: USA Posts: 2,125	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-11-09, 03:00 PM	#21
UAIOE DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: LV-426 Posts: 5,559	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ Coilette: Congo Jack! Fry: Yes. And I have a message for you from Colonel Mitumbay! He says....this is from Congo Jack!

09-11-09, 03:40 PM	#23
MorseMoose Cool New Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 24	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.

09-11-09, 10:17 PM	#24
mcfly DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 5,293	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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. __________________ My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot and a communist, but he is not a porn star!

09-12-09, 01:59 AM	#25
MLBFan24 Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 236	Re: Borders: How do they still stay in business? 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.