Borders files for bankruptcy protection

[Scarpia]

Depressing, browsing in a bookstore is a fun, but I guess they can't compete with other means of distribution and will be disappearing.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/borders-files-for-bankruptcy/?ref=business

[(poco) Sforzando]

Depressing, browsing in a bookstore is a fun, but I guess they can't compete with other means of distribution will be disappearing.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/borders-files-for-bankruptcy/?ref=business

On the other hand, for folks like us the quality of their inventory has been going steadily downhill. Here in Long Island, NY, there are five Borders within a reasonable driving distance for me. Up to a few years ago, you could find a respectable inventory of classical CDs and performance-art DVDs; now virtually nothing. The two best of the lot were the ones closest to college towns, but they've been declining also. The chain has also stopped issuing the 30% and 40% off coupons I used to expect almost every week. I'm sure 2-3 of the stores in my area will close within a month.

[Scarpia]

Up to a few years ago, you could find a respectable inventory of classical CDs and performance-art DVDs; now virtually nothing.

You talk as that were the cause and not the symptom.  Market analysts attribute their decline in part to reluctance to let go of the CD and DVD market long after it ceased to be viable.  I rarely bought a CD at Borders, I used to go there for actual books.

[greg]

This isn't good. I've always liked Borders.
One of my favorite places to go when I'm visiting another town is the mall (or a bookstore outside of a mall), and in the mall I always like to
go inside the bookstore, and if I'm with my dad or something, we'll go play around in the arcade. It seems like malls are slowly losing both. Soon, there will be nothing to do in malls except look at girls or eat stuff at the food court... which is okay, but not quite as fun.

[Mirror Image]

Borders really can't compete with the Internet market. Their books are overpriced and when they had CDs those were overpriced too. I think it's bad they're going out-of-business, but at the same time given the circumstances that surround the economy, I'm not surprised.

[Todd]

I'll bet the Barnes & Noble-Borders merger still happens in some form, probably involving a substantially reduced Borders.  But who would want to invest in such a venture at this point?  Book stores, like CD stores, are dinosaurs, and I think in the not too distant future only small specialists will retain a physical presence.  No loss for me; I vastly prefer spending less for the exact same product online.  I can't remember the last time I bought a book at a store.

[Scarpia]

I'll bet the Barnes & Noble-Borders merger still happens in some form, probably involving a substantially reduced Borders.  But who would want to invest in such a venture at this point?  Book stores, like CD stores, are dinosaurs, and I think in the not too distant future only small specialists will retain a physical presence.  No loss for me; I vastly prefer spending less for the exact same product online.  I can't remember the last time I bought a book at a store.

From an economic viewpoint there is no disputing this trend.  But something is lost.  I find a "bookstore" a pleasant place to spend time.  If all retail is replaced by people staring at their lcd screens and ordering things that get dropped off by UPS a few days later a significant forum where people get to see their neighbors is lost.  With entertainment, work, and seemingly everything else turning into a computer interface, it seems like we are headed towards the "Matrix" world.    

[Bulldog]

I always get the BBC Music Magazine, American Record Guide and Gramophone at the local Borders.  Guess I'll be subscribing in the future.

Like Scarpia, I do feel sad about all these stores going out of business, but I have to say that Borders has become a lousy store.  When I browse their classical recordings, I just get irked.

[Scarpia]

Like Scarpia, I do feel sad about all these stores going out of business, but I have to say that Borders has become a lousy store.  When I browse their classical recordings, I just get irked.

I guess my experience is atypical.  The classical section at the store I visit is small, but I'm often surprised that they have interesting releases lurking there.  But that is very much location dependent.  One store near me has the good stuff and another in a less refined neighborhood doesn't.

But I never really shopped for CDs at Borders, it was books.

[Lethevich]

I browse chain book stores to find things which I then purchase online for less. I suppose it's people like me who are killing such stores, but I don't really care. The "experience" Scarps enjoys will live on through second-hand bookstores, places where I am more than happy to fork out money before leaving.

[Scarpia]

I browse chain book stores to find things which I then purchase online for less. I suppose it's people like me who are killing such stores, but I don't really care. The "experience" Scarps enjoys will live on through second-hand bookstores, places where I am more than happy to fork out money before leaving.

Second hand bookstores still exist where you live?

[Lethevich]

I suppose that I'm fortunate to live in a region popular with visitors or tourists - to think about it, I could see a greater difficulty in somewhere less densely inhabited such as the US

[Scarpia]

I suppose that I'm fortunate to live in a region popular with visitors or tourists - to think about it, I could see a greater difficulty in somewhere less densely inhabited such as the US

I live in a very densely populated area, and there aren't many options for a used book store.  Maybe my googling is sub-par.

[Mirror Image]

I'll bet the Barnes & Noble-Borders merger still happens in some form, probably involving a substantially reduced Borders.  But who would want to invest in such a venture at this point?  Book stores, like CD stores, are dinosaurs, and I think in the not too distant future only small specialists will retain a physical presence.  No loss for me; I vastly prefer spending less for the exact same product online.  I can't remember the last time I bought a book at a store.

I don't think B & N will be acquiring Borders. B & N aren't doing so hot themselves. I would very surprised that they don't file for bankruptcy as well.

[DavidRoss]

The Borders in Davis used to have a good classical CD selection.  Several years ago they gutted it, leaving mostly boring old recordings (Karajan LvB symphonies) and new crossover or popular artists (Yo Yo Ma).  I stopped browsing there and virtually all of my CD purchases have been online ever since.

Borders is going the way of the independent booksellers that outfits like Borders put out of business.  The same thing is happening (has happened) in virtually every segment of the economy.  It's wonderful that we can get everything cheap from a handful of retailers.  Too bad there are no jobs anymore to provide incomes for people to purchase the darned things!

If you don't understand the linkage then it's time for some remedial economic education...and pronto!

[Mirror Image]

Like Scarpia, I do feel sad about all these stores going out of business, but I have to say that Borders has become a lousy store.  When I browse their classical recordings, I just get irked.

I won't miss them. You said it yourself they have lousy stores. There's a reason they're lousy. My local Borders quit selling CDs about a year ago and each time I go by the store the parking lot is empty but for a few cars (who probably belong to the employees). As I said, they're prices are ridiculous and this is, in large part, why they're going out of business.

I mean people like myself who shop almost exclusively online are part of the reason their shutting down, but I never felt bad about shopping online, I'm saving myself money and not to mention headache. These stores like Borders never carry anything I'm interested in especially in terms of CDs and if I do find something that might be interesting the price tag leaves much to be desired.

[Scarpia]

Borders is going the way of the independent booksellers that outfits like Borders put out of business.  The same thing is happening (has happened) in virtually every segment of the economy.  It's wonderful that we can get everything cheap from a handful of retailers.  Too bad there are no jobs anymore to provide incomes for people to purchase the darned things!

If you don't understand the linkage then it's time for some remedial economic education...and pronto!

Well there is income for people who design and maintain retail web sites, and work in order fulfillment centers.  Whether those jobs are of sufficient quantity and quality is complicated.  It raises the question of whether we as a culture value something other than getting consumer goods for as cheap as economically possible.  I guess the market is there, but it is getting focussed into narrower and narrower niches.  There are the people who go to Teavana and select exotic teas handed over the counter by people who seem absurdly obsessed with tea, and there are people who buy a package of 1,000 "Red Rose" tea bags at price club.

[bwv 1080]

its all your fault for buying from Amazon

[Florestan]

From an economic viewpoint there is no disputing this trend.  But something is lost.  I find a "bookstore" a pleasant place to spend time.  If all retail is replaced by people staring at their lcd screens and ordering things that get dropped off by UPS a few days later a significant forum where people get to see their neighbors is lost.  With entertainment, work, and seemingly everything else turning into a computer interface, it seems like we are headed towards the "Matrix" world.   

+1.

Happily, Bucharest has plenty of bookstores. I regularly frequent three which feature CDs as well.

[Grazioso]

Maybe I'm weird this way, but I love physical books and CD's, versus their digital counterparts, which I find repellent, yet I rarely bother going to physical bookstores anymore and will shed few tears if a big chain bookstore folds. For me, shopping online is easier, cheaper, and more fun. If I want to be surrounded by books and just browse around, I'll head to a library.

It raises the question of whether we as a culture value something other than getting consumer goods for as cheap as economically possible. 

This is the land of McDonald's. Enough said. We're not materialists, we're consumerists. We have no cultural love for fine material things, but we love to buy loads of crap cheaply.

I guess the market is there, but it is getting focussed into narrower and narrower niches.  There are the people who go to Teavana and select exotic teas handed over the counter by people who seem absurdly obsessed with tea, and there are people who buy a package of 1,000 "Red Rose" tea bags at price club.

Interestingly, sites like Amazon can cater to niches and the broader public simultaneously--which is easy when you stock eight trillion different items.

And one can never be absurdly obsessed with tea. It's absurd not to be obsessed with tea