Forum - View topicNEWS: 3 More Executives at Borders Store Chain Resign
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enurtsol
 Posts: 14886 |
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I blame the ex-teen shoujo manga fans.
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Emerje
 Posts: 7403 Location: Maine |
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Who doesn't accept debit cards? If it's a real debit card with a credit card logo and not an ATM/bank card then any retailer will accept it. But Barnes and Noble does accept PayPal. Their online prices are often quite low, and if you have a Members card you will often get coupons you can apply as well along with free 3 day shipping. I rarely buy manga from B&N.com for more than $7 shipped.
Don't blame them, it's not their fault. They may be annoying and hurting the manga industry, but blame the stores for allowing it. They even set up seating to encourage people to treat the stores like a library. The other reason you can't blame them is because it's just as big of a problem at B&N yet they're doing fine. And really, manga takes up maybe 5% of the store floor, it's more likely a cumulation of different problems, it's definitely not any one thing. Emerje |
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nekedo
 Posts: 94 |
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What would the alternative be, hm? Tell them to leave? Then there's no doubt that they won't get a sale. People don't take kindly to being called out on their bullcrap. Borders had a rough patch a few years ago, and they got through it. Considering that they showed interest in buying B&N, I don't think that things could be that poor off. And actually, many manga sections take up at least 10% of the store, and are among the most vandalize and lifted sections in the store. Yeah, I'd blame the manga cows/people who don't have the morals to know that you have to pay for things in a store. |
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Hiyugi
 Posts: 59 |
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 Man this will blow if they pull a Media Play on us. But it will be even worse if both physical store close up more. In my town they is hardly anybody in those stores to tell you the truth. The manga section is practically gone, it looks just as bad as Best Buy with their DVD section.
Everytime I go into those stores on a weekly basis, it seems like they change staff alot more than they normally did in the summer... About them manga cows, they are a problem but it really is the store's fault for making them so comfortable in the first place. But you know what, it never made sense for manga to be in a bookstore anyways. Makes me sad for all the small mom & pop bookstores they forced out of business with their big *** stores. Can't say Borders and B&N deserves it though... |
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Teriyaki Terrier
 Posts: 5689 |
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Ever heard of Amazon, Ebay, Robert's Anime Shop (the link is at the bottom of the page or at least it was several months ago.) Rightstuff.com and Justmanga? Even when Borders does close, there is always the option to buy it online or get it on a kindle. It's likely that shipping may or may not be expensive, but it's better than having no options at all. Which is exactly what would have happened if Borders had gone out of business before the online shopping boom. It's fairly easy to set up a bank account and can be done now and days much faster than a decade or two ago. |
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mike.motaku
 Posts: 160 Location: Indiana |
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Both chains admitted years ago that the discount strategy failed big time for them. Customers only bought the items that were discounted, rather than using the savings from the sale items to buy things that weren't on sale.
The recent discount wars with Amazon, Walmart, & Target reduced them to selling books at or below what they were supposed to be paying the publishers. Toss in free shipping for online orders, and you are reduced to paying people to take stock out of your store. That is no way to make a profit and not a sustainable business model. Pushing e-book readers and ramping up their online presence gave customers even less reason to go into a brick-and-mortar store. Frankly, the only people I saw in either of our local stores were students using it as a study hall. Occasional coffee sales don't pay the rent. Add that to the rampant tit-for-tat expansion into markets that could barely sustain one superstore, let alone two, and driving smaller independent stores out of business and you suddenly have towns and cities that once had several bookstores now having none. |
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chefneer
 Posts: 1686 Location: Fort Worth, Texas |
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According to this article from Reuters some of the major publishers have suspended shipments of new books to Borders, at least for the time being.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0528385620110105 If Borders closes its doors the publishers will lose a sizeable chunk of their business, so I can see them making some kind of arrangement to try to keep Borders afloat - if they go down, everybody will hurt. But it's a temporary measure at best - they can't do it indefinitely. Borders will need to find a way to refinance and re-invent itself, quickly. It's pretty clear that everything they've tried so far hasn't worked. |
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luffypirate
 Posts: 3187 |
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@ everyone saying Borders cater to the cows with their comfortable seating:
Incorrect. The closest location to me has removed a majority of their chairs and couches. There is a small section near the center of the store that is always taken up (never by cows) and a fold out table near the back that is used for chess games. The cows sit IN the isle, near the end cap, or stand and wander aimlessly. I have never ever ever seen a cow sitting anywhere else than on the ground. These kids kill it. Sitting, reading, and damaging someones would be product is not supporting the industry. A lot of those shelved books can no longer be called new. Instead of telling your mom to give you a ride to leech at Borders, might as well stay at home and read those scanlations. |
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chefneer
Posts: 1686 Location: Fort Worth, Texas |
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The manager at my local Borders has told me that many of the books the cows handle have to be treated as a loss to the store. They're too damaged to sell, and they can't be returned to the publisher because they're no longer new, so they go in the trash. Manga are also the most stolen books in the store. Not much help to the bottom line.
It is true that the stores have brought the problem of cows onto themselves, in large part. They provided comfortable seating and so on as a service to their customers, and some of the customers have abused it. I would also argue that much of the responsibility rests on the customers. It sometimes seems that many kids, and adults, have never been taught that what they are doing is wrong. That is a whole different topic, though. |
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ZeetherKID77
 Posts: 982 |
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I heard rumors a while back that Barnes & Noble was going to buy out Borders, but they may just be rumors. It would suck immensely to see them shut down as they are a good chain.
And I really hate people who read manga in the stores. If they want to prevent losses they should take those stupid benches out. |
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chefneer
Posts: 1686 Location: Fort Worth, Texas |
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B&N considered buying Borders in 2008, but decided against it. Now it seems that Border's biggest investor wants Borders to buy B&N. That could get interesting. This Wall Street Journal article from December 7 discusses that possibility.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704156304576003041857933776.html. Actually, if it could be pulled off a merger might not be such a bad idea, though something would have to be done about Borders' debt load. B&N has been doing better lately but they're still not doing great. Combining forces could be a solution to both companies' problems. Maybe. |
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Sunday Silence
 Posts: 2047 |
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I've actually heard that one of the most profitable aspects of Borders is....Bargain Books. Stuff from remainders to discontinued product have a high profit margin and usually go quickly if you find and send out the right stuff. BUT, i've also heard that Borders took a major gamble this year and cut a lot of funding for Bargain Books and instead re-funneled them into Toys.
I wonder of actions like that took a toll on the company this year? EDIT: I wonder if bookstores should initiate a new business plan where they function as private libraries that also sell books -- and you can pay a nominal fee to rent a book? |
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Sheleigha
 Posts: 1674 |
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For a manga/anime/game/blu ray collector, it's all I can afford at the moment. I've been buying on Amazon and TRSI the titles I can't find on shelves. It really is sad though seeing it go under, as I've just got to come to know the store (and the crappy kids who ruin it  ) Well, there is a B&N RIGHT across the street. Sadly, there's ALOT more Borders around (3 in the area, 1 B&N) if I want to look for certain titles...
However, don't take this as an "uh oh!" with no more books... With ebooks being more popular, I think it's a problem in having TWO large chains in competition... In Canada, there is only really ONE chain: Chapters. There's also Coles, but it's a smaller branch, kind of like Waldenbooks. I've never heard of any bankrupcy issues with Chapters yet. (And there is VERY few manga cows... At one I used to frequent, there would be only ONE chair by the manga section with someone reading ONE book or graphic novel... No aisle sitting etc.) So because I've never heard issues with Chapters, who ALSO has a $20 annual club card, I'm guessing it's just the competition... |
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Teriyaki Terrier
Posts: 5689 |
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Does Kohl's only sell clothes, shoes and hand bags? Didn't know they also sold manga as well. But to be frank, although Borders is okay, Amazon is much better for quality and selection. I've literally lost track how many times I was able to pick up a manga at Borders and the cover was torn/slightly bent or the pages look/are ripped and how the back of the book is full of smudges and finger prints. It's one thing to read the book and not buy it, but least try to exercise some consideration as someone else may want to actually purchase that book. Because essentially, if the product (i.e. the manga) is ripped or otherwise not in the greatest shape, Borders usually won't sell these so these people might as well be reading the manga online. I'll never understand why people who won't buy the manga in the first place mess up the said manga at all. Doesn't really make any sense, but maybe it's done simply because they can do it easily. |
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Sheleigha
Posts: 1674 |
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Coles, not Kohl's.
It's one of those things in retail... You have no idea how many people will take an item out of a package, just to look, and then buy the unopened one because it's unopened... Yeah....... |
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