I hate Borders
 

Went looking for some books yesterday. First stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up a book my wife ordered. Found copies of several books I wanted to buy, but I decided to head to Borders to use my 25% off coupon.

At Borders, I first looked for Barry Lyga's newest book, Boy Toy. They didn't have it.

Next, I searched for the new Ben Bova book. They didn't have it.

Then I searched the mystery section for the new Steven Booth and Mark Billingham novels. They didn't have either.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know these are smaller books and not every book store is going to have a copy of every book I want. But from my experience, if a book isn't a best seller, Borders doesn't have it. I leave that store empty handed more often then any other bookstore. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother stepping foot in there.

Boy Toy?

I've actually made some good finds at Borders. They tend to keep books onhand longer than B&N, and they're actually one of the few chain stores left with a horror section. My mind still boggles at the fact that the B&N chains (including B. Dalton) dropped their horror sections and mixed those titles in with regular fiction, essentially ensuring the eternal frustration of the horror audience.

But, I'll admit, B&N is always the first store I go to.

Borders allows you to view inventory online through bordersstores.com - it's not perfect but if your selections aren't mainstream, it sometimes makes sense to check before going.

Hmmm, that's an interesting feature. Nothing's ever in stock, but yeah, I can dig that.

I'm glad someone else noticed. Barnes & Nobles is cool, but they mix Horror in with other genres. Border's has a specific section for Horror titles. :up:

I have been hugely frustrated with Borders for some time.

It's almost a given that they will not have many of the more popular DVD titles on new release Tuesday. I recently had no luck finding Letters From Iwo Jima/Flags of Our Fathers (5 disc set), Taxi Driver, Flash Gordon, Pathfinder (unrated), and Robocop 20th on their respective release days.

When I looked in Title Sleuth, it said "order", or (unbelieveably), showed no record at all of the title in question. Inquiries at the help desk yielded blank stares or offers to "order" at 2X the price of online competitors.

I always leave scratching my head wondering how much longer this type of business model can remain viable.

I've noticed this is doubly true for their DVD selections. If it's not a blockbuster or if it's older than 25 years old, they'll take their sweet time in ordering and stocking it. I mourn the loss of the brick and mortar Tower Records chain.

Why does it take so long to order? I ordered a book that just came out (ordered the day it was released) and it took 13 days to get in.