Forum - View topicNEWS: Borders Bookseller Lays Off 742 or 3% of Workforce
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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I didn't even know that they had that big of a workforce. Each time I go to a Borders in my area it's practically empty. Let's hope their laying off can save them.
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FeralKat
Posts: 402 |
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Too bad for all the people who were laid off.
 I feel for them.
I hear ya. I have to ambush an employee to find anything at mine. I stopped buying from them because they stopped organizing the manga section completely. It's a wreck! |
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Asrialys
 Posts: 1164 |
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My nearby Borders has employees everywhere. The nearby Borders Express has about six employees that I know of. I think they got two new ones though...
Sure it wasn't the kids getting at it?  All the Borders I've seen were always organized. Well, as organized as it gets when a bunch of children leave stacks of manga on the floor after they're done reading them.
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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Seems reasonable, I believe Borders was hurting already before this. I wonder how book sales fare in economic downturns. But a lot of people probably realize that they have a public library and go to use it.
Also, it's not like this directly affects manga. No one buys anime at Borders, unless you're insane, because they charge full MSRP. As for manga, most people tend to just read it and shelve it again, and they don't need employee help for that. Even before this layoff, checkout was usually pretty iffy, like only having one person at the checkout lane. I think the only manga I've bought from Borders has been a volumes 3-8 of Claymore, and I got them $5 each. Last edited by walw6pK4Alo on Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:29 am; edited 1 time in total |
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The_Libertarian_Otaku
 Posts: 189 |
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The Borders where I live always has a neat, organized manga section, and I've never seen any manga cows trashing it. Of course, being in a mall, its storefront isn't all that big for a bookstore, but still a decent size, and at most I've only seen three or four employees in there at any given time. |
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artemiy
 Posts: 29 Location: LI, NY |
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Maybe there is not much people in borders but good thing u can find it in a lot of places 'round us, and yes i agree they are little bit messy in places like huge strip malls, cause parents drop em of for a while there, store near me is great and always has better selection than BN, sooner too.
I'd say 3% is not that substantial to worry about (yet), as many other stores have tougher times. |
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504NOSON2
 Subscriber Posts: 647 Location: Body:Santa Barbara, CA ~ Heart:New Orleans, LA |
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I fail to see how this has anything to do with anime. Sure, they sell Manga, but, I can't see any other relations.
Sucks for them, though. |
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l2EV
Posts: 6 Location: Stuck in remedial class |
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As time continues to progress, it really is hard to grasp the idea that people are constantly being laid off and becoming financially in debt. To the comment that says being laid off is "reasonable", I sincerely don't see anything reasonable about it. These are real working people that we're actually talking about here; they have families to support, rent and housing to pay, and just generally trying to live in this time.
My condolences to the people who were laid off, here's to hoping that something better comes along. I think people won't actually get the idea until they see their favorite happy-go-lucky worker always greet and help them, not there anymore. |
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Leon Evolon
 Posts: 212 Location: Crazytowne |
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Can't say that I'm surprised, they weren't in the best of shape before the recession so it's understandable that they need to cut back somehow. The Borders around here all seem to have a chronic infection of kids roaming about the manga section and generally making a mess of it by removing half of a shelf and then leaving it on the floor after they are done reading them, and consequently ruining the books by creasing the spine and leaving their greasy smudges all over the pages. This is why I like the manga companies that individually wrap their volumes, but that does little more than slow then down as Borders employees do not enforce the wrapping even on the, shall we say, not so child-friendly volumes. So, while Borders has a good selection of manga, the less-than-perfect condition of the majority of them seems to steer me away.
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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That's just the thing. They SELL manga. That's why ANN reported it. And they would do the exact same thing with Barnes and Noble. |
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erilot
Posts: 25 Location: INDIANA |
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I myself am not surprised at the layoffs. The last time I went to the Borders near me it was a total wreck and I don't feel like visiting it anymore. Barnes&Noble has a better selection of books and is more orderly. I don't think my Borders has ordrered new manga since November. These days I am buying online most of my manga since they stopped carrying anything new. My mother and I love mysteries and fantasy novels and those were at a bare minimum since before X-mas. I would not be surprised if the Borders near me closes due to their poor stock and lack of help. I will just continue to buy online, saves me drive time and gas.
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Ashen Phoenix
 Posts: 2946 |
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I'm really, really hoping Borders doesn't go under any further, lest the run the risk of going completely out of business which would just about break my heart, as the store has been my second home for years now (and a place where I can go to to feel better, no matter how bad a day I've had, it always works).
Cross your fingers, everyone, and try to support 'em as best you can. That's all I can say at this point. |
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mike.motaku
 Posts: 160 Location: Indiana |
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The Borders in my town looks like a bomb site. Employees are hard to find and severely lacking in knowledge of their stock. The men's room looks like one you'd expect in a poorly maintained bus station. After they got rid of most of their music section that part of the store (nearly half their total space) has stayed empty. Rumors of their closing have been coming fast and furious in recent months.
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marzipan.dragon
 Posts: 70 |
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I empathize with the employees being laid off, and wish them well.
Just a few days ago I went to a Borders at lunch break for the pleasant indulgence of black coffee and 'Sayonara, Zetubou-sensei'. The 4 local-ish Borders I go to have reasonable manga aisles - somedays a mess, but more often than not neat and in order. Although I don't regularly shop for manga at Borders unless I have a coupon, I'm glad it's there, and hope they stay in business for many seasons to come. |
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DerekTheRed
 Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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Rumors of Borders closing have been fast and furious for a year. They've been taking the initiative, and it looks like they're done a pretty good job if they are only cutting 3% of their work force. |
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