# About that wall of magazines at Barnes & Noble... (and about the store in general) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 27, 2024, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854 "2024-04-27T23:33:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/61 "2024-06-04T19:22:33Z")
And you don’t have to worry about the old articles disappearing(unlike the internet). I have had numerous websites I enjoyed get shut down and their content lost forever. I can keep old print magazines forever if I choose. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/62 "2024-06-04T19:34:25Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Reading something on my phone instead of a physical book would be like having cold stale liver instead of fresh strawberries. That’s what I thought too, but it’s not that bad. Your brain adjusts to the different format. Plus it’s pretty cool to be able to always have a book on you. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/63 "2024-06-04T23:26:52Z")
I definitely prefer a dead tree book, but I always have a few books downloaded to my phone just in case I’m stuck somewhere without internet access. It’s not too bad, even on a device as small as a phone. I can’t remember the last time I went in a B&N, but I do remember that they seemed to have a smaller selection of magazines. It was still several racks though. This was at the Streets at Southpoint Mall in Durham, NC. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/64 "2024-06-05T00:59:50Z")
Interesting points, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/65 "2024-06-05T01:01:08Z")
Yes. The fact is that you will probably have hard copy _Look_ magazines from the 1960s still existing 200 years from now, whereas most Web content will have disappeared entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/66 "2024-06-05T01:51:23Z")
What I’ve noticed is that most of the magazines I see are special one-subject issues, like all about Taylor Swift or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/67 "2024-06-05T03:09:37Z")
Yeah, I see those in the supermarket all the time. I don’t know who would buy most of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/68 "2024-06-05T03:17:57Z")
I assume fans of Taylor Swift (or whatever the subject). ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/69 "2024-06-05T03:45:19Z")
Taylor Swift I get, but most of the topics do not seem to have much of a fanbase… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/70 "2024-06-05T05:02:15Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > What I remember from being there a few years ago: one whole floor is just J-pop, another whole floor is just K-pop. Then there’s the floor of L-pop and the floor with nothing but copies of mmmbop. ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/71 "2024-06-05T05:33:46Z")
I used to buy magazines occasionally about 6 or 7 years ago usually when I was traveling. What I found out back then was there were some magazines - particularly computer magazines (hardware etc) were several different issues which seemed to consist of different layouts of some of the same articles just repeated every 4 or so months. I no longer have to go read magazines because since Covid my local library has over 3,000 magazines online that I can read on my Ipad. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/72 "2024-06-05T12:58:05Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Yeah, I see those in the supermarket all the time. I don’t know who would buy most of them. I think it’s not the fans of the topic, but people who know a fan and think it would make a good gift. My cite is my in-laws have bought me several of these on the mistaken notion that I’m interested. I’ve got ones about the Dead, Bob Dylan, and Mad magazine compilations (of issues I own and have read dozens of times) ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/73 "2024-06-05T14:55:34Z")
Guess the Hanson brothers were famous for starting fights… wait, maybe that was _Slapshot_… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/74 "2024-06-05T15:34:23Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I don’t know who would buy most of them. I buy some. Special issues on the history of James Bond, or All About Dogs, or Nat Geo Wonders of the Heavens, or the latest Titanic info. I bought one on the history of film noir that was pretty good, if basic\*. I pass on Star Trek/Star Wars themed ones, but if I were in my 20s I probably would buy them. I don’t think they are the best value for the money, but they aren’t bad. They’re good “starters”. I’ve never seen anything _wrong_ in their info, just not a lot I didn’t already know. \*but, it got me to watch _Laura_ and _Out of The Past_, two films I had missed. Both were very good. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/75 "2024-06-05T21:33:50Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > That’s the problem with the onlinification of everything. It eliminates the need to get out and actually interact with other humans. For previous generations, it was television and air conditioning. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/76 "2024-06-05T22:21:09Z")
Interesting observation, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/77 "2024-06-05T23:10:46Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > That’s the problem with the onlinification of everything. It eliminates the need to get out and actually interact with other humans. > > For previous generations, it was television and air conditioning. They had a lot fewer options to watch on television and air conditioning by itself is pretty boring. And they certainly didn’t have the ability to take care of almost every errand online. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/78 "2024-06-05T23:21:53Z")
I’m starting to love magazines. On Sundays I try to take a break from screens. It’s the perfect time to break out a magazine. Right now I’m subscribed to _Tricycle,_ the quarterly Buddhist review. I get _The Atlantic_ and _Scientific American_ free on my Kindle but it has to compete with all my Kindle books. I would love to get more paper magazine subscriptions. I do love Kindle. The convenience of use, in the bed, in the bath, in the waiting room, on vacations etc is worth more to me than proper ownership of a physical object. I do purchase hard copies of the books I love, but unless it’s a very visual or instructional book, my preference is Kindle. I have a few hard copy books waiting to be read that are just languishing because of my preference for Kindle. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/79 "2024-06-06T01:01:19Z")
PressReader is awesome. But several magazines I like aren’t there. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854/80 "2024-06-06T12:39:02Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I would guess that Canada’s Chapters carries between 300 and 400 different magazine titles. Some pharmacies might have up to half that. I often try to kill some time at the magazine rack in my local Shoppers Drug Mart while waiting for prescriptions. It has perhaps 50 “magazines” but the majority of them are the fake magazines referred to above (e.g. dedicated to one celebrity or movie). The rest are split up between health & fitness, home décor/cooking, and a few puzzle magazines: no general news or science magazines. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-that-wall-of-magazines-at-barnes-noble-and-about-the-store-in-general/1000854.md?page=5)