Talisman Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Borders did sell online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 The bright lights, the sterile atmosphere, the proximity to packaged food and noisy people... hardly an atmosphere conducive to happy book-buying. Besides, they only really stock bestellers and therefore don't even cater to my needs. Totally agree..I never buy books in a supermarket Waterstone's also sell online, something that I don't think Borders did. I think they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I'm sure I read somewhere that they'd sold off their online business a little while back, and it was suggested that was one of the first indications they might be in trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 They didn't sell the online business but the web team changed about a month ago. The website was supplied by Gardners, one of the larger wholesalers, and when they stopped supply a week or so ago due to an unpaid bill (from what I understand, Borders were contesting the number of returns that Gardners allowed them to offset against what was owed), this was the first reported sign of trouble. Truth be known though, it had been brewing for a while. They almost went down during the summer, but were saved at the 11th hour by a management buyout. This was the second time they changed hands in less than 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Ok, thanks Talisman. I know they've kept the stores open for now, but as a customer buying books at this time of year, would you buy gifts from them not knowing if they'll be open in the new year when people might want to return books for refunds or exchanges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 When DH and I were in York this week we had a quick look in Borders and found them to be a lot more expensive than WH Smiths on most levels. I picked up my copy of Threads magazine and was horrified to find that it was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Clearly I must buy a lot of 'rubbish' as I often purchase my books in Tesco. I love Waterstone's and buy a lot of books in there, but if something is in the charts then I'm going to buy it where it costs under Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I'm with you there Janet and I don't consider that I buy rubbish. It's purely down to finances and who can do the better deal especially with the first issue of a hardback. Specialist books that I enjoy come from Waterstones or Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rach.at.the.disco Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Clearly I must buy a lot of 'rubbish' as I often purchase my books in Tesco. I love Waterstone's and buy a lot of books in there, but if something is in the charts then I'm going to buy it where it costs under Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 It will be interesting to see what happens to Borders here now. They are always way overpriced here and have only recently started selling online. I don't see how they can continue to be a viable business when they are (to my knowledge) the only booksellers selling over RRP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaynie Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 It will be interesting to see what happens to Borders here now. They are always way overpriced here and have only recently started selling online. I don't see how they can continue to be a viable business when they are (to my knowledge) the only booksellers selling over RRP. Very true, I find it galling that Borders think they can sell their products at a premium price when they are nothing more than a glorified supermarket. If I am going to pay $30+ for a book that I could find for half the price at Target/KMart or on the internet, I think I will be spending my money at an independent bookstore thank you very much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWords Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Don't forget the fact that you can purchase books directly from the publisher. The supermarkets selling books (Asda is worse than Tesco, IMHO) are only part of the larger shift in book purchasing trends, and even indie bookshops and second hand bookshops are feeling the added pressure of online sales. A couple of months ago I spoke to a guy who had to shut his bookshop due to the loss of sales - and he had been selling books for over twenty years in the same shop. It seems he can make as much (if not more) money by taking his books to places such as the Kinross Indoor Market. I don't judge, I just report... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I see comments like this all the time from other authors and other websites that I frequent. You are absolutely right Bigwords, Internet selling - and more specifically, the discounting culture is killing the independent sector. I am not here to judge either - I simply see things as they are, from both an authors and a readers point of view. Yes discounting is good for the consumer as they get lower prices, but at what cost if it means that retailers go out of business and authors do not have the money (or the time) to continue writing, as they are forced to work elsewhere to make ends meet and no this isn't a gripe because I love my job). The average member of the Society of Authors (and don't forget that these are the more successful ones) make something like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigWords Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 The net book agreement was a major factor in supermarkets being allowed to sell books, so I would wholeheartedly welcome its' return. The removal of the agreement took (if I remember the events correctly) something like three or four years for it to go through, so bringing it back would require a major publisher sticking their neck out. I can't see it happening, but I can hope... For the record (and I wish that I could say otherwise) I have never purchased anything from Borders. Waterstones is better laid out, the staff seem more knowledgable, there are adequate copies of popular books, the background music isn't distracting... I gladly hand over money when a shop is as nice to browse in. The few times I have been in Borders I have been disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I must admit I rarely buy anything from Borders as they don't tend to have the same offers that Waterstone's do, but I do use it to browse the books. I went into Borders today, and I've never seen it so busy. The poor staff, who seemingly don't seem to have any more info than the general public with regards to the state of the company, looked absolutely frazzled and all they seemed to be doing was putting 20% off labels everywhere, while customers wafted around (mainly the gift sections and the CD and DVD shelves) but didn't seem to be buying much in the way of actual books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talisman Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 You should read the comments on The Bookseller Chesil and Bigwords, if you want to know what is really going on at Borders and how the staff feel - there are tales on there of rude customers demanding more money off for torn jackets and even staff being assaulted when I looked earlier ! Personally I had mixed experiences of Borders - I used to shop there when my local store (we have since moved) opened, and they were very helpful in setting up a talk at their mind, body and spirit group when I first published my book, but when I began to ring other stores to try and get them to stock me it was a different story. I have heard a lot of authors say that they were very self published and independent author friendly, but that was not my experience at all. I got the distinct impression that a lot of the time they were just telling me what I wanted to hear to get rid of me, as a lot of the stores promised to order copies and then didn't do so. One told me that they didn't order anything at less than 60 percent discount, which I know just isn't true. I had one person tell me that he was a Manager when I later found out that he was just a Saturday boy ! Not a pleasant experience all in all. Waterstones were the opposite and couldn't have bene more helpful. If the Manager didn't think my book would sell, then instead of fobbing me off, they told me so, and took the time to explain things. They seemed to have a lot more control over what books they could stock in individual stores, whereas with Borders everything was centralised, the Managers therefore had no say in what they had in their stores. Not a good way to run a company imo. Of course none of this means that the staff deserve the way that they appear to have been treated by the company. It is testament to the lack of communication within the company when the staff have to read The Bookseller to find out what is going on. It reminds me of what happened in my own job this time last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucybird Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Well I actually bought the first book I've ever bought from Boarders today! Due to everything having up to 50% off, I am much more of a Waterstones fan, I just don't like the atmosphere of Boarders, but when I get to save money I don't care so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.