Borders Nearing Bankruptcy

[Gunbucker]

It's a wake up call to stop browsing and start buying! Get ur ass of the comfy couch and start queuing! :bsmilie:

Can't agree more. Many factors are spoiling it for genuine buyers:

• Families treating it as a day care center, letting their little Anti Christs reign terror on the books, throw, crease, run about, etc.
• "I'm gonna finish this book over a few weeks" wankers who literally dogmark pages, and make it unfit for purchase
• Poor update of books. Page One at Vivo kills them anytime.
• And yes, the eBook culture

 

[cowmera]

I usually buy my books online ( cheaper + free shipping) and from MPH warehouse sale. I will buy from borders only when they have the 35% off voucher. And yes, their variety cum books condition cannot be compared to kinokuniya and page one.

When I was in Taipei, i spent a long time at eslite and I realized that their books conditions are all good i.e. no creases, dog ears even when there were people reading all over the place. There were also long queues at the cashier. I guess eslite is successful because it is more than a book store, their staff are helpful and friendly, people take the initiative to stop reading there and buy the books home?

 

[hongsien]

I usually buy my books online ( cheaper + free shipping) and from MPH warehouse sale. I will buy from borders only when they have the 35% off voucher. And yes, their variety cum books condition cannot be compared to kinokuniya and page one.

When I was in Taipei, i spent a long time at eslite and I realized that their books conditions are all good i.e. no creases, dog ears even when there were people reading all over the place. There were also long queues at the cashier. I guess eslite is successful because it is more than a book store, their staff are helpful and friendly, people take the initiative to stop reading there and buy the books home?

No lah, it is just cultural differences, but not something Singapore can be proud of.......if you got parents browsing magazines without buying, then the children will follow them too

 

[raydio]

I'll be very sorry to see them go. I've spent many hours at the Orchard Borders. Hopefully Redgroup will keep the store there. Otherwise I will have to find another place to buy photography magazines.

 

[cowmera]

No lah, it is just cultural differences, but not something Singapore can be proud of.......if you got parents browsing magazines without buying, then the children will follow them too

Yup.

 

[GlassEye]

I have seen people sleeping in the comfy chairs in Borders and imagine I am the same size as Arnold Swarzenegger. I will then stuff my fingers into their nostrils and tell them politely that they were snoring. :angry:

But seriously, they should restrict browsing and tick off those who browse the magazines carelessly. Many times I have seen people flicking the pages of the magazines and spoiling the crisp pages. The reason the magazines are expensive is because they have to allow for spoilage from the browsing.

And what about those who take notes from the books!? I have also seen people using camera to take pictures of pages of the magazines/books. If people dont buy, how can the store survive?

Our culture is still way behind others. But it would be a pity if Borders close.

 

[GlassEye]

Borders USA has gone bankrupt today!

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1486222/Borders-bookshops-file-for-bankruptcy

And so has Borders Australia . . . less than 24 hours after the USA Borders folded!!!

http://www.smartcompany.com.au/reta...alia-and-angus-robertson-chains-collapse.html

 

[Canonised]

So sad ..... wonder whether there will still be bookstores in a decade from now

 

[ricohflex]

Who has time to read fiction novels in the form of printed books nowadays.
A legacy problem with fiction novels is that they are always damn thick with hundreds of pages. Because authors are probably paid by word count, before their book becomes popular.
Look at your usual book store.
Find one with most of the fiction novels that are 1/4 inch thick only.
Impossible.
The publishers and authors dug their own graves by insisting on unnecessarily thick fiction novels.


Those who have Internet RSS feeds have a lot to read already.
We do read books on non-fiction.

 

[kei1309]

Who has time to read fiction novels in the form of printed books nowadays.
A legacy problem with fiction novels is that they are always damn thick with hundreds of pages. Because authors are probably paid by word count, before their book becomes popular.
Look at your usual book store.
Find one with most of the fiction novels that are 1/4 inch thick only.
Impossible.
The publishers and authors dug their own graves by insisting on unnecessarily thick fiction novels.


Those who have Internet RSS feeds have a lot to read already.
We do read books on non-fiction.

i still read Stephen King. even though his endings are crappy

 

[ninelives]

just like music store , lot of them close down because now everything also go electronic...

As a System Analyst, i have to read a lot of books. last time i got the books from stores. now, i can read it online or buy the pdf files.

i believe story books also like that, now most people buy the e-books?

 

[GlassEye]

just like music store , lot of them close down because now everything also go electronic...

As a System Analyst, i have to read a lot of books. last time i got the books from stores. now, i can read it online or buy the pdf files.

i believe story books also like that, now most people buy the e-books?

That is only one of the reasons but it is also due to how the business is run and how they respond to changing market situations and trends.
Book stores like Barnes & Noble seem to be doing OK. Nearer home, Kinokuniya and Page One seems OK. "That CD Shop" is still around long after Virgin Records and Tower Records left Singapore although I am not sure if they have re-opened.
Borders USA has only filed for Chapter 11, it is not the end, it may still rise from the ashes after a massive restructuring.
Borders at Wheelock Place is, to me, a landmark.

 

[shaoken]

It spells the end of an era? :dunno:
But from what I see, most of the time during weekends, it's like a "playground" for children.

 

[ricohflex]

Tell you why.
Lack of interweave of the digital information age technology into their sales + marketing processes.

A search on Internet using Google search engine will show search results Gooooooooooooogle numbered 1 to 13.
You click on each hoping to get a useful search result.
Type in "borders Singapore Asian godfathers" in Google.
There is NO LEAD to Borders book store in Singapore for this book.
You give up after clicking from 1 to 4 pages of search result.

So where did I buy the book?

A simple search led to Kinokuniya. (By the way, Goggle almost always shows Amazon first in the list of search results for books - maybe Amazon paid Google lots of $$$$ for this because it leads to sales.) But too bad for Amazon, I don't like to get my books through the postal service from the USA. I like to get them from the local book store.

Kinokuniya has a BookWeb on line facility that helps you to search for books in its stock.
Once it is available, Kinokuniya will tell you:

The book cover and what it looks like.
The price.
You can buy it on-line if you wish.
But if you wish to go to the local book store to get it, then it tells you:
WHICH KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORE BRANCH HAS THE BOOK YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.
IT EVEN SHOWS YOU A MAP OF WHERE IN THE STORE THE BOOK IS LOCATED.
THE BOOK SHELF NUMBER.

Compare this to what Borders bookstore has in the digital sales counter frontline.
Want to search online to check if Borders has the book - no chance. IMPOSSIBLE.
You have to phone Borders to tell them to find for you.

Want to buy on-line in Borders Singapore? No chance. IMPOSSIBLE.
Want to search for yourself? No chance. IMPOSSIBLE.

Quote from Borders website
"Do you have the book/CD/DVD I am after?
We are unable to answer specific product queries via email. Please contact your local store and a staff member will be happy to help you with another product query.

Can I buy Borders products online?
Unfortunately, you are not able to buy Borders products online. For product information or to place a special order please contact our stores directly and one of our team members will be happy to assist."
UnQuote.

.............................................................


A sideline story to this book search saga.

Tried to buy the book in Bangkok. Went to lots of bookstores. Maybe 10. Wrote the name of the book and the author, Joe Studwell for them to help to check if available.

Result:
Book store staff has a frightened or uncomfortable look followed by "No more stock"; or "We don't have this book" or "Please try other branch".

One can only guess that some one very powerful in Thailand has been mentioned in the book. And so coincidental, it seems ALL Bangkok bookstores have "sold out" the book or have no stock.

 

[Deadpoet]

Amazon sells more books than anyone else.

Amazon sells more ebook than regular printed books.

The writing is on the wall, especially for text, electronic is the way to go. Just like film.

Got my Kindle over Christmas, what a joy to read.

 

[darr]

I usually buy my books online ( cheaper + free shipping) and from MPH warehouse sale. I will buy from borders only when they have the 35% off voucher. And yes, their variety cum books condition cannot be compared to kinokuniya and page one.

When I was in Taipei, i spent a long time at eslite and I realized that their books conditions are all good i.e. no creases, dog ears even when there were people reading all over the place. There were also long queues at the cashier. I guess eslite is successful because it is more than a book store, their staff are helpful and friendly, people take the initiative to stop reading there and buy the books home?

Yah man i almost cant find any wrapped books and readers if any find proper place to sit and dont flip the pages like nobodys business. What a disgrace here.