Borders Bankruptcy Liquidation

[BriarMonkey]

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I sure as hell hope not. I prefer brick and mortar shopping.
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As a complete aside, I do like that picture. It's like they are trying to figure out where the heck all the buzzards came from. They probably need a hug.

That said, I agree with the brick and mortar store dealio. There is so much out there that I can not see on-line replacing. Would you buy a comfy chair sight and tuckus unseen? What about those shoes - do you know they will fit? And are you sure that steak is really the steak you will get?

There is more to shopping than a financial transaction. I want to be able to check out what I'm shopping for - know that it is what I really want. There are senses that need to be engaged, and a connection.

Sure, there are some things I will buy on-line (like music), but for so much more there has to be a physical presence or else I am not going to go out on a limb and have to deal with returns and that whole mess.

Looking at books specifically, if you can't peruse it, how do you know it's what you want? You can only see so much on-line - and it normally isn't the entire book. Reviews only go so far as they rarely agree with my own.

Yeah, while it's sad to loose the book stores, mayhaps it will let the independants run back up to where they'd been before - and they actually know their local markets much better than some conglomerate.

 

[Ahnehnois]

What about those shoes - do you know they will fit?

I worked at a running store fitting people for shoes for a year. We were constantly asking "what separates us from the other options"? When people want cheap shoes they go online oe to a discount warehouse type operation. When they want good shoes that fit they come in to a retailer. Paying retail is essentially paying for fitting service and the opportunity to try things on.

Perhaps unfortunately, this model doesn't work for entertainment. I can read excerpts from a book online (heck, I can download it into a kindle). I can listen to music clips online. I can read reviews and chat online. There's no compelling reason for me to go into Borders, Blockbuster, Tower Records (et al. list of deceased retailers). Most of the time it isn't worth traveling to a retailer or paying retail prices for those things. Sad but true. I did like browsing there though, and I did buy stuff on occasion.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

For me, bookstores (and other entertainment goods retailers) are as much a destination as a place to buy books. It just feels better buying a book there than online, and I can't tell you how many wonderful things I've found browsing the shelves looking for what I'm shopping for.

Sure you can "browse" online, but it really isn't the same as stumbling on something physically adjacent to what you're buying because of the alphabetized organization...or because another lazy shopper just put something they decided not to buy on the shelf in a random spot. Compared to shopping offline, online shopping is often like you're shopping with blinders.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Double Post.

Computer error
Multiplies my blathering
Twinned post, same message

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

USA (2009): Violent Crimes (all except homicides) 429.4 per 100,000; 133.0 Robberies per 100K.

In 2004, 9.3M Americans (out of 295,734,134) were victims of ID theft. (That's 3,145 per 100K.)

And while Violent crimes are declining, credit card fraud, especially online, is a growth industry.

Credit card fraud keeps growing on the Net - The New York Times

And in an amusing appendix to that post...

http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-...eek-stuff/309289-fraud-alert.html#post5634890

 

[Orius]

As a complete aside, I do like that picture. It's like they are trying to figure out where the heck all the buzzards came from. They probably need a hug.

A hug? Are you crazy? They're like 4-legged gnolls, they'd likely chew your face off.

 

[Herschel]

I love brick & mortar stores and have gone to Borders for around 20 years starting with teh one on University in Madison. That said, my final experience with them was not good, as in leaving me with teh feeling of "Good riddance!"

I had purchased the complete series of "Life on Mars" (the UK version) about a month ago now, and didn't get a chance to watch it right away. I started watching it and the sale started as I finished the last episode of Season 1. I opened the case for Season 2 and the first disc was literally broken. I tried to exchange it and they refused. Scew 'em!

Conversely, I know a guy who always goes to a game store to check out the new stuff and then buys online. I asked him why he never buys anything at the store and his response is always "because I can get it cheaper online, why should I give the store my money when they're charging me more?"

And then he complained when they didn't stock something new he wanted to look at.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I started watching it and the sale started as I finished the last episode of Season 1.

Not that it changes anything, but if the liquidation sale was underway, they may have been prevented by law from exchanging your faulty disc. You might try contacting the DVD maker or BBC directly.

Conversely, I know a guy who always goes to a game store to check out the new stuff and then buys online. I asked him why he never buys anything at the store and his response is always "because I can get it cheaper online, why should I give the store my money when they're charging me more?"

And then he complained when they didn't stock something new he wanted to look at.

Ahhh...a near-perfect illustration of why following "enlightened self-interest" informs my purchasing decisions.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

My local Borders had been around for 15 years, I have known some of these folks by first name for over a decade. I have run a Pathfinder game for four of them, and flirted with one as well. (I may have a weakness for tiny Gothy Wiccan girls who can quote movies from the 1930s.)

The local store was one of the 35 that Books-A-Million was trying to purchase, before that deal fell through.

Not a happy Grump about the liquidation, not at all.

The Auld Grump

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On that BAM acquisition: that may not be completely dead. I've seen some big time financial analysts posit that some of those stores will be filled by BAM, B&N and other major retailers simply because they are in excellent locations, even if there won't be a direct transfer from Borders to them via a sale. So hold your breath, knock in wood, and don't juggle any mirrors...

It won't be the same, though, even if BAM does buy up those spots. Your G-Wiccan probably won't be there... At my favorite location, a new retailer probably won't be hosting any concerts. I saw California Guitar Trio in one Borders and Cerro Negro at another- can't say that of any other chain bookseller (or Amazon). Treasured memories.