The End of Borders Bookstore: It's now over :_(

[quote name='myka22']I feel bad for all the people losing their jobs. There are a lot of nice people at my local Borders who having been working there for ages.[/QUOTE]

Loved the Borders by me also. Was such a great hangout to do work/school/etc. The drinks were great, usually better baristas than most Starbucks. Loved the 30% + coupons they'd put out. I used to by so much from them pre shitty economy and lack of money.

[quote name='spmahn']I'm pretty bummed about the death of Borders, they were lightyears ahead of Barnes in Noble as far as in store selection goes. I would find obscure Books, DVDs, CDs, etc. on the shelf on Borders, some of which weren't even available on Amazon. Barnes and Noble only stocks recent releases, and acts more like a library, leaving well worn copies of books still on the shelf for purchase. I also loved Borders coupons, which often produced the lowest prices for books. Even if I had nothing in mind to purchase, I would take the 40% off coupon and go into the store to browse and find something to buy. What a loss...[/QUOTE]

Yup, you said it.

[quote name='AugustAPC']fuck this economy.

However, questionable their business practices were, too many good people will loose their jobs.

I wish them all the best.[/QUOTE]

This is truth. I can't tell you the number of people that I know that are on hard times/without work or a job/etc. I know too many people that can't even find work serving food at McD's right now.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Hope my one outstanding Borders order (SG: Atlantis complete collection on BD) actually ships out. Supposed to release on the 26th.[/QUOTE]


I am sure they will. They can at least keep the online store opened.
If not , I am wondering about all those 50% off pre-orders everyone did a while back....

There is a 30% coupon that came out the other day...better use them before Friday as it's probably the last coupon :(.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']I am wondering about all those 50% off pre-orders everyone did a while back....[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I rolled the dice and pre-ordered a book that comes out in August with a coupon and $15 "Borders Bucks" store credit.

It feels like I ate $15, but I'm not going to gripe too much, all the people losing their jobs have suffered far worse.
 
Aw dammit. I still have quite the soft spot for Borders. Well, at least from past experience, I know the liquidation process will take some time, so the employees won't be out of a job immediately. Also, I am SO going to take advantage of the sales.

Now if Barnes and Noble were to go, I wouldn't mind as much. For some reason, I always labored under the impression that they had a distinctly Fox bent to them....Maybe because they had Bill O' Reily as a guest once...
 
[quote name='Rasen']Now if Barnes and Noble were to go, I wouldn't mind as much. For some reason, I always labored under the impression that they had a distinctly Fox bent to them....Maybe because they had Bill O' Reily as a guest once...[/QUOTE]

Heh, actually, I've always gotten that sense about Borders much more so than B&N. I've gotten several emails from Borders heavily pushing conservative books (the subject line of the last one: "Coming Soon from Conservatives Glenn Beck, Newt Gengrch & Ann Coulter"), and I've walked into the store to be greeted by tables loaded with these books right in the front of the store a number of times. I also remember seeing several displays selling other, less big-name conservative and religious propaganda books throughout the store as well. To be honest, it's one of a number of things that has kind of turned me off to Borders.

Not that I'm happy to see Borders go, mind you. It just made me a lot less comfortable about giving them my money.

To an extent, I get that they're just trying to sell books, and those things sell. However, B&N (at least around here) has seemed to give equal time and space to liberal viewpoints as well much more than Borders has.
 
I'm also disappointed that Borders is closing. Any competition is good for the consumer.

I hate their layout because the aisle are so small that if 2 people are looking in the same area it gets tight and their shelves are short (at least the science fiction and mystery sections, which I prefer) to me (I'm 6'2"). Barnes and Noble is spread out and I can see the books better, plus their chairs are more comfortable.

But I loved their coupons. Most people are say that Amazon always has the better price but for Mass Market Paperbacks (usually $6.99 or $7.99) Amazon doesn't seem to have them on sale but a 30% coupon makes it a deal. B&N rarely offers coupons but we are members there for we get the 10% off at least.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']I am sure they will. They can at least keep the online store opened.
If not , I am wondering about all those 50% off pre-orders everyone did a while back....

There is a 30% coupon that came out the other day...better use them before Friday as it's probably the last coupon :(.[/QUOTE]If I had placed a pre-order for something further off in the distance, like Star Wars Complete Series, I might be a little worried.

Since this is releasing on Tuesday and it should ship out by the end of this week or Monday of next week, I'm a little less worried, though I'll still believe it when it ships out and I have it in-hand without any shipping issues.

[quote name='arcane93']Heh, actually, I've always gotten that sense about Borders much more so than B&N. I've gotten several emails from Borders heavily pushing conservative books (the subject line of the last one: "Coming Soon from Conservatives Glenn Beck, Newt Gengrch & Ann Coulter"), and I've walked into the store to be greeted by tables loaded with these books right in the front of the store a number of times. I also remember seeing several displays selling other, less big-name conservative and religious propaganda books throughout the store as well. To be honest, it's one of a number of things that has kind of turned me off to Borders.

Not that I'm happy to see Borders go, mind you. It just made me a lot less comfortable about giving them my money.

To an extent, I get that they're just trying to sell books, and those things sell. However, B&N (at least around here) has seemed to give equal time and space to liberal viewpoints as well much more than Borders has.[/QUOTE]I never even thought to notice that in their emails, as I just hunted for the coupon links in their emails and went on my way.

I know the B&N stores around here aren't specific to a type of book, though I have seen what you're referring to with Borders and the numerous conservative books on the front tables as you walk into the store.

The coupons were nice from Borders, though the rest of their business model just didn't quite make sense.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']The coupons were nice from Borders, though the rest of their business model just didn't quite make sense.[/QUOTE]

From a business model standpoint, even their coupons didn't really make sense. ;) They regularly gave away most or all of their profit margin with those coupons. Once they added the Borders Plus discount in, they were almost certainly taking losses on those sales (if they weren't before). It's great to bring in business, but you have to actually make money off of that business at some point for it to really do you any good.

It's one of the reasons why I'm not nearly as worried about Barnes and Noble. I know there are a lot of people out there saying that B&N is next and that it's inevitable that they'll go down too, but they just seem to have a lot more business sense. If it's even possible to weather the market in the brick-and-mortar bookstore chain business now, they'll manage.
 
[quote name='arcane93']From a business model standpoint, even their coupons didn't really make sense. ;) They regularly gave away most or all of their profit margin with those coupons. Once they added the Borders Plus discount in, they were almost certainly taking losses on those sales (if they weren't before). It's great to bring in business, but you have to actually make money off of that business at some point for it to really do you any good.

It's one of the reasons why I'm not nearly as worried about Barnes and Noble. I know there are a lot of people out there saying that B&N is next and that it's inevitable that they'll go down too, but they just seem to have a lot more business sense. If it's even possible to weather the market in the brick-and-mortar bookstore chain business now, they'll manage.[/QUOTE]I assume that Borders thought that most customers wouldn't be like us, just using the coupons and not buying anything else while there. I'm sure it killed any profit margin, especially since the membership worked online, so I wouldn't have to step into a store to use it.

B&N will survive because Nook readers are selling well, and between it and the Kindle, they have a pretty large duopoly on the e-book market.
 
I am pretty sure Amazon is the leader on ebaook with like 70% of the market. B&N, Sony, Apple are fighting for second place
 
I'm surprised Borders lasted as long as they did. This is what happens when you pretend competition doesn't exist. They usually have what I'm looking for, but Amazon always has what I'm looking for at half the price, no sales tax, and free shipping. Now I just won't have the luxury of browsing at Borders before I order it on Amazon, I'll just have to drive another mile and a half to browse at B&N.
 
I am still a firm believer that B&M book stores will still be around... Borders had some nice coupons and at times brought it cheaper than amazon without the wait. Yea you got to feel sorry for the employees, but what about the chick behind the counter at the seattle's best coffee? She's gonna lose her job because of borders going under.. :|

Over all I liked borders over B&N...
 
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[quote name='merchie89']30% off at borders, is still 130% amazon[/QUOTE]

My experience with the first round of Borders closings was that if you can ignore the non-sales for the first month, and come back when prices are 50-80% off, you will get the best deals, and there will still be a lot of good stuff left.
 
[quote name='spmahn']My experience with the first round of Borders closings was that if you can ignore the non-sales for the first month, and come back when prices are 50-80% off, you will get the best deals, and there will still be a lot of good stuff left.[/QUOTE]

the problem is that you get all the random joes seeing Closing sale signs and they go NUTS!!! Most good stuff is gone by 40%.

Ive got a video store closing near me, they are at 30% and that is still way above say amazon or gohastings on movies. when like 60% rolls around, im betting nearly everything but Christmas Vacation 2: Eddie's Story is gone :(
 
[quote name='merchie89']the problem is that you get all the random joes seeing Closing sale signs and they go NUTS!!! Most good stuff is gone by 40%.

Ive got a video store closing near me, they are at 30% and that is still way above say amazon or gohastings on movies. when like 60% rolls around, im betting nearly everything but Christmas Vacation 2: Eddie's Story is gone :([/QUOTE]

Pretty much how it normally is, especially at the busier stores.

People just don't care about how low it can go. A deal is a deal for the average shopper. My Borders were pretty much cleared out before they even hit 40%-60% off.
 
The store I was checking out last time was different I guess. Sure, it was packed with people buying armloads of overpriced crap at the beginning, but by the time the discounts hit 40% the interest was mostly gone. I didn't notice much difference between the stock levels at 40% and 60% ~2 weeks later.

Either way, store closings are always worth checking out IMO.
 
Im sad borders is going down. I studied for long hours sipping on Seattle's Best Mocha while studying.

I just never bought a book from them because for the particular books i needed, Amazon had them generally lower like Adobe Premier in the Class room. Its still 60 bucks there while Amazon had it for 37.

Dammit, "cool story bro" moment" :x
 
Now this really pisses me off... We have 2 freaking weeks of Borders Plus membership left!?!?!?!? Does that mean Borders will be done by that time OR that's when stuff goes OVER 50% on all the good stuff?
 
The Borders nearest to me closed down a couple months back. Got a bunch of stuff the last week, when things were all 90+% off. I'm talking .80-.90 cent manga volumes and such. Granted, the selection wasn't the greatest at that point, but, I did fill up one of our bookcases.
 
[quote name='Rig']The Borders nearest to me closed down a couple months back. Got a bunch of stuff the last week, when things were all 90+% off. I'm talking .80-.90 cent manga volumes and such. Granted, the selection wasn't the greatest at that point, but, I did fill up one of our bookcases.[/QUOTE]

mine near me just started liquidation today...and it was a mad house. I just hope a couple art books and Adobe After Effects books make out alive after the initial sale.

I ve never seen a madhouse for just 10-30 percent off books lol.
 
People assume liquidation=deals. If these people actually shopped at Borders and used the coupons that they offered then they would have saved more money and Borders might have survived. And anyone that says that they are glad Borders is going out of business is an ass. If you don't like the store for whatever reason (this is coming from someone who doesn't like the store) then don't shop there, nobody is forcing you to. In this economy why should we be glad a company is going out of business?
 
[quote name='PenguinoMF']People assume liquidation=deals. If these people actually shopped at Borders and used the coupons that they offered then they would have saved more money and Borders might have survived. And anyone that says that they are glad Borders is going out of business is an ass. If you don't like the store for whatever reason (this is coming from someone who doesn't like the store) then don't shop there, nobody is forcing you to. In this economy why should we be glad a company is going out of business?[/QUOTE]

But yet these same people will bitch about how much they hate shopping at Wal-Mart, but they have no choice since every other store in town went out of business.
 
went to my local borders recently and most of the stuff is 10% right now, with about 5 different things at 40%. My local store is one of the ones that just started it's closing sale on the 22nd(yesterday), so I'm sure the better deals will be had in the next few weeks...
 
[quote name='integralsmatic']mine near me just started liquidation today...and it was a mad house. I just hope a couple art books and Adobe After Effects books make out alive after the initial sale.

I ve never seen a madhouse for just 10-30 percent off books lol.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, they definitely went nuts here, too. I stopped in just to watch the madness; I wasn't buying anything until things were dirt cheap.

I'd say in the 70-80% off range they still had a decent selection of stuff that they had consolidated to shelves in the center of the store. We (my gf and mom and I) found enough stuff in the last week of the sale (80-90% off) to spend around $200.

And actually, by the time they were super cheap, the crowds had really died down. There were still a decent amount of people going in and out, but, not like the early days.
 
Got the email that said they were going out of business yesterday. I never bought much there unless I had a gift card or saw a sale, but it still sucks when any place goes out of business completely.

I'll probably go by there soon and pick up a few music books I've been looking at that have been on the clearance rack.
 
[quote name='integralsmatic']mine near me just started liquidation today...and it was a mad house. I just hope a couple art books and Adobe After Effects books make out alive after the initial sale.

I ve never seen a madhouse for just 10-30 percent off books lol.[/QUOTE]

Mine was the same way today. So many idiots were buying everything at 10% off.

I dont get it...
 
[quote name='PenguinoMF']How long does it take to get to 60-80% off?[/QUOTE]

Depends on how long they're dragging out the liquidation. Have they announced a final close date for all Borders yet?
 
[quote name='kodave']Depends on how long they're dragging out the liquidation. Have they announced a final close date for all Borders yet?[/QUOTE]

August 5th maybe? That is when they are honoring the Borders Plus membership discount until.
 
Dropped by one of mine today. Blu rays were 40% off and no one was buying. Im stopping by another tomorrow to see what the sales are like. I was hoping to get some anime volumes for cheap but they are still only at 20% off, which is terrible compared to online stores.(Full metal alchemist brotherhood dvd set 1 = $40, $22 @ amazon free shipping)
 
Went to mine as well yesterday just to see what it was like, and there was a line for the registers at the back of the store stretching towards the center of the store. Thankfully it is still summer so the town has really slowed down, and I'm hoping the copies of Salo and Vampyr are still there within the next week or so.
 
[quote name='Potatoeman']Dropped by one of mine today. Blu rays were 40% off and no one was buying. Im stopping by another tomorrow to see what the sales are like. I was hoping to get some anime volumes for cheap but they are still only at 20% off, which is terrible compared to online stores.(Full metal alchemist brotherhood dvd set 1 = $40, $22 @ amazon free shipping)[/QUOTE]

Far be it for me to stop you, but the discounts are going to be the same wherever you go right now. Since the liquidation is company wide, and it's being run by the same company, the discounts will be uniform across the company.
 
I should have been more specific! I meant I wanted to see what they had in stock. The Borders I went to yesterday was absolutely a madhouse. I went to one today that had a lot more inventory and wasnt hit as hard. They had some anime that I hope lasts the coming weeks or however long until the clearances drop down, if they ever do.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Mine was the same way today. So many idiots were buying everything at 10% off.

I dont get it...[/QUOTE]
That's how the Blockbuster and Hollywood Video store closings were around here. You'd think they were giving away a free iPad with every purchase the way morons were buying overpriced USED shit at 10-20% off.

I can still remember in 2005 or 2006 when FYE bought out Sam Goody and going to stores in their last week of business. There was still a TON of stuff on the shelves in the last week and this was stuff selling at $.50-$1 an item.:whistle2:#

Now people get $5 off a $50 game and they're creaming their jeans thinking they got the best deal EVER.:roll:
 
[quote name='B:L']Are they still marking barcodes with a sharpie like they did in the previous liquidations?[/QUOTE]

Ugh I hope not since all the stores are closing now.
 
[quote name='B:L']Are they still marking barcodes with a sharpie like they did in the previous liquidations?[/QUOTE]

I never understood the problem with this. A quick dab with some nail polish remover gets rid of the marker completely.
 
[quote name='spmahn']I never understood the problem with this. A quick dab with some nail polish remover gets rid of the marker completely.[/QUOTE]

Unless the book doesn't have a glossy finish and the sharpie is absorbed into the paper of the book's back cover. If they sharpied my book, I would not pay for it and leave.
 
My guess is they aren't because all Borders are closing so they don't have to worry about people trying to return stuff to another Borders store now like the last round of closings where only some stores closed.
 
[quote name='Floopy'] If they sharpied my book, I would not pay for it and leave.[/QUOTE]

That's exactly what I did last time I went to one of their earlier closings. Asked the cashier how they would feel if I took a sharpie to their shirt. They didn't have an answer.

Haven't been to any of the recent closings though. Guess I could swing by and watch the check out counters for a bit to see if they are marking books before getting in line myself...
 
I didn't buy a lot of books in the last sale, but when I did, I just asked the cashier nicely if he wouldn't mind, oh, just forgetting to mark the books with the sharpie. Made a casual joke of it, saying that I wouldn't even consider returning such a deal. He just laughed and said that he wasn't supposed to, but he supposed that if he forgot one time it wouldn't be a big deal (I mean, what where they going to do, fire him?). Not saying that it will work every time, but it's worth a try.

That is, of course, assuming that they're even doing it this time. As someone else noted already, it's not like they have to worry about you returning the books to another Borders store at this point.

[quote name='shrike4242']Looks like my pre-order item shipped out today, so I'm done with Borders.com. @whee.[/QUOTE]

Bah, I got a notice today that the one order that I still had open was being cancelled. Granted, it was an out-of-print item that it was probably a long shot getting anyway (and it had already been backordered for a month), but it was still disappointing. Still, yup, closes my business with them as well, unless somehow they manage to keep the website running and keep offering coupons on it, which I doubt will happen. At most, the name will probably get bought by some crap company with bad service like Tower Records and Circuit City did.
 
We made two trips to the local Borders when they were closing. The first time we showed up, they started to get the marker to mark our (big stack) of books, and I informed them that I'd walk right out if they marked any of our stuff. (They didn't mark them up.)

The second time we went in, they didn't pull the marker out at all.
 
I stopped in the local Borders this afternoon, and as everyone has said, the discounts aren't low enough yet to warrant much thought. Even at 20% off books an 40% off DVDs, prices are still much higher than what you'd pay on Amazon. The store was actually pretty quiet however, so hopefully people have learned not to waste their time with these sales while the discounts are still too low to matter. There was definitely still plenty of items left that I'll be salivating over once the discounts reach 60 to 80% off however, assuming anything is left at that point.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Bah, I got a notice today that the one order that I still had open was being cancelled. Granted, it was an out-of-print item that it was probably a long shot getting anyway (and it had already been backordered for a month), but it was still disappointing. Still, yup, closes my business with them as well, unless somehow they manage to keep the website running and keep offering coupons on it, which I doubt will happen. At most, the name will probably get bought by some crap company with bad service like Tower Records and Circuit City did.[/QUOTE]Arrived without issue today. Last item I'm likely buy from Borders.
 
I received a few cancellations as well. When I went to their website I noticed that they removed all of the books from their Used category online. Those cancelled orders were just a series of last gasps anyway. I was either going to get them for ~$2 or I was not going to get them at all. Either way, I wasn't too concerned. I've got one item in transit now to my local store, and 2 more that are being released next Tuesday.

I am a bit concerned about my K-On v. 2 BR, as it went straight to backordered status on 07/05 and has yet to be sent out. I suspect I will be getting a cancellation letter about that one before too much longer.
 
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