I'm just hoping they stay afloat for another week and actually ship my Stargate Atlantis BD 50% off preorder. Guess I should have ordered when DeepDiscount had it for about the same price, but I thought Borders would make it to the Fall.

For anybody with giftcards to burn, this will be the last coupon, good thru 7/21.

30% off coupon

Online code:
BHM3494H

OMG. The last coupon. Sorry to see Borders go. I really enjoyed shopping there.

Thanks for the coupon code, forgot I had a gift card balance still that someone gave me. Got Blow Out: Criterion Blu-ray for $12.

Has anyone been able to place an order on Borders.com in the last 12 hours. Every time I try to place something in my shopping cart, I get a message saying they are unable to do so due to "technical difficulties".

How will the Kindle or Kobo or whatever the book reader is called be affected by bankruptcy?

I just got an e-mail from Borders.com that told people to transfer their Borders e-books over to a new or existing Kobo library, or something to that effect. So it sounds like people who have bought e-books from Borders for the Kobo reader will be in the clear.

I don't have a Kobo reader, so I assume they sent these out to everyone on their mailing list.

A once-promising franchise has bit the dust, but will B&N follow suit? That remains to be seen.

I really don't think so. Unlike Borders, B&N has a lot of devoted media shoppers, especially when the Criterion sale comes rolling around. Which, btw, Criterion endorses in their email newsletters & web site news. B&N manages to straddle the line as a chain store with a media section that's aesthetically pleasing to cinephiles.

I also recently realized that B&N stores are valuable for their magazine selection. They're the main place to go if you want to buy the latest issue of, let's say, Rue Morgue, Video Watchdog, Decibel or Terrorizer Magazine. You won't find these mags at Target. And you can't order these single issues from BN.com. You can order them directly from the publisher or some niche webshops, but for magazines printed in Canada or the UK it's more expensive that way.

Here we go again...

I have another charge for $6.51 on my Visa, today. Nothing was ordered.

I'll call customer service again tomorrow.

Neither magazines nor Criterion DVDs can save B&N. These account for a piddling portion of their $7.5+ billion per year revenues, and these are not growth areas. The only thing that can save B&N is growth, which means e-books. Remember that unlike mom & pops, large, publicly held companies like B&N can't have lean years - even a lagging quarter can be lethal. Shareholders expect not just profits but consistent growth, or else they invest their money elsewhere. B&N's only hope is that its Nook product succeeds. Those of us who buy physical books and media are important in the short term to buttress e-book sales, but we're essentially dinosaurs that don't figure into their long-term health.

There is still a market for hard copy books, just as newspapers and magazines are still being printed. The strongest survive by changing their business model to reflect a changed marketplace.

I just read where Books-a-Million is bidding (offering 70 cents on the dollar) for 30 Borders locations - some of their superstores in the Northeast, mostly in Pennsylvania. Some Borders locations did quite well. Barnes and Noble may contract but if they are flexible the company will survive, albeit in somewhat different form.

I called Borders 800 customer service number and heard a recording that says they will begin store closing sales on July 23. Gift cards will be honored. Borders.com will keep operating. They will no longer send out promotional emails to customers, so that means no more coupons. But Borders Rewards memberships will continue to be honored.

This is different from the store closings earlier this year. The stores already closed were sold off to liquidators, so they were no longer Borders stores. You couldn't use gift cards, etc. This new and final liquidation is more of a classic going out of business sale conducted by Borders with the help of liquidators, so they can continue to honor Borders programs, at least for a while.

I have several back ordered items, mostly CDs, and I just got a shipping notice for one of them yesterday. I used a gift card to pay for part of two of those back orders. Normally they send out a new gift card if you cancel a back order that was paid for with a gift card so it will be interesting to see if I can get my gift card money back in time to use it before the stores close. Fortunately it is not a lot of money - about $25 - but I'd still hate to lose it.

"Nature always finds a way."

Great, you made me quote Jurassic Park.

Shame to see them go. Anyone going to the stores today please post back. Specifically interested in DVD and Blu-ray reductions.

Belated thanks for the warning. Californians can cash out giftcards if the balance is less than $10. I went into Borders last weekend and cashed out $60 spread across 4 cards with some careful purchases.

Does anyone know what is the future of Borders.com? Will they put their existing stock on sale? The website still seems to take preorders, but it doesn't sound like preordering would be a good idea.

It is important to understand that Borders will get no new inventory during liquidation, so you will not only be unable to fulfill a pre-order, any backorder that you have will also not be fulfilled. If you have a backorder, cancel it and watch your CC.

Not sure that the prior post is entirely accurate. I was at a b & m yesterday, and they told me they would still be getting new stock, at least next week. Was inquiring about CD's.

You still buy CDs?

I buy at least 10 per week. So what?

Borders is cleaning out their distribution centers and stores so whatever they have left starts getting liquidated today and goes until most, if not all, stock runs out.

I called Borders customer service line this afternoon. I was on hold for almost 30 minutes, but I finally got through. I'm pretty sure their call center is off shore. I have several CD orders unfulfilled at Borders.com. Some are paid for with gift cards. Their service rep told me that: 1) Borders.com back orders will remain open until filled, i.e., indefinitely. 2) that if I cancel an order paid for with a gift card the money would revert to the gift card, which I could then use at a store or online. Problem: they can't tell me the gift card number and some of the orders are several months old.

My thoughts: Borders.com orders for CDs and DVDs come from an address in Indianapolis, IN. I also buy CDs and DVDs from Buy.com and - guess what - they also come from the same address in Indianapolis. I think that Borders has an agreement with a fulfillment partner in Indianapolis who can choose to fill the orders if they still want the business. BUT - if Borders Bucks were used to pay for an order you will not get them back if the order is cancelled. Also - I am not sold on the idea that the gift cards will regain unused funds if the orders are cancelled. .I hope so.

Bottom line: if you have any Borders Bucks or gift cards I would not use them on line at Borders.com - use them in a store. Also - the last Borders.com 30% off coupon is no longer working. I doubt you will see any good deals at Borders.com from this point on.

One piece of good news: one of my Borders.com back orders shipped out today - so orders are still being fulfilled.

I got an e-mail today announcing the liquidation...currently at 40% off.
As has (sadly) become standard with these liquidations, clueless types will undoubtedly flock there in droves for this 40% discount (even tho it's no better than a standard coupon sale) and wipe out all the good stuff. Rest assured that by the time the discount gets worthwhile - the best will all be gone.

I believe the e-mail said "up to 40% off."

Yes, still buy CD's. I'm a relic ... I like having a physical product, liner notes, etc. Couple of other things. Prices are "up to" 40% off. May go to a store today and check things out. Also, I got an e-mail today notifying of a shipment. Interestingly, it is a Tuesday release ... BoDeans' "Indigo Dreams". As with others, without coupons, will no longer be buying at Borders.com.