# Is Borders about to go under? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387 "2011-01-04T16:46:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/141 "2011-02-16T18:03:37Z")
Yep, my Borders is closing. Fine. Wonderful. Now, I’ll have to drive waythefuckout to Webster and Clybourne to the Barnes and Noble. Thank you Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/142 "2011-02-16T18:21:45Z")
We are losing 4 of 5 local stores including the location very close to where I live. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/143 "2011-02-16T18:25:18Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Yep, my Borders is closing. Fine. Wonderful. > > Now, I’ll have to drive waythefuckout to Webster and Clybourne to the Barnes and Noble. > > Thank you Amazon. Why should Amazon feel bad? They’re more convenient, have a better selection, and are cheaper. If enough people were loyal to shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores, Borders wouldn’t be in trouble. Around here, there’s enough of a customer base that cares to keep a number of independent bookstores in business. Of course, it’s the San Francisco Bay Area, so there’s more of a culture for that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/144 "2011-02-16T18:31:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Of course, it’s the San Francisco Bay Area, so there’s more of a culture for that kind of thing. Didn’t help Boston. This town used to be filled with bookstores. Aside from the remaining two Big Box stores, college bookstores, and a couple of amazingly resilient used book stores, there’s only Trident Bookstore/Cafe in the downtown area, with others much faryther away (Harvard books in Harvard Square, Booksmith at Coolidge Corner, and others farther out). I’d have said Boston was at least a big book town as San francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/145 "2011-02-16T18:31:53Z")
Phew, it looks like my nearest three Borderses are safe, but the one downtown is sunk. By the way, I recently spent a week in Paris, and there is a bookstore practically on every second block. I wonder how they can manage. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/146 "2011-02-16T19:13:03Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > I wonder, though, if that growth for B&N is sustainable: how many of those people who bought Nooks are going to come back to a B&M B&N to purchase an ebook rather than opting to simply download it from their chair at home or work? Granted, my knowledge of ebooks is negligible, but I’m assuming that a Nook user would be able to download new content from say, Amazon, rather than B&N’s Web site. No, the two formats are not compatible. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/147 "2011-02-16T19:15:14Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Great. Another of my best pleasures dying. > > People who browse at bookstores, figure out what they want, and then leave the store to order the book on Amazon because it’s cheaper or whatever make me physically ill. I agree with you, and not just with books. If you use some store’s higher level of service to decide what to buy, then make your actual purchase from Walmart or Costco to save money, then you’re pretty much guaranteeing that good customer service won’t survive. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/148 "2011-02-16T19:19:32Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I agree with you, and not just with books. If you use some store’s higher level of service to decide what to buy, then make your actual purchase from Walmart or Costco to save money, then you’re pretty much guaranteeing that good customer service won’t survive. Which wasn’t really the case with Borders. They cut back on their selection, and didn’t have a higher level of customer service. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/149 "2011-02-16T19:49:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Wall Street Journal just published a list of stores to be closed: > > [Borders Stores Closing - The Wall Street Journal Online - Interactive Graphics](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/st_borders0216_20110216.html) > > In our area, the one on Boylston Street in Boston is going down (that leaves only two big bookstores in the downtown area), as is the one in Peabody (Bad location. There’s a Barnes and Noble across the street near Northshore Mall that gets all the business) and one in Burlington I didn’t even know existed. But it looks as if the ones at Downtown Crossing in Boston, the Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge, and the one in Swampscott will stay. The Omaha metro where I live is keeping all three of its stores. I’m glad to still have the options, but I’ve been bummed for years that they’ve cut out everything I used to love about Borders–live entertainment, their cafe (Seattle’s Best is a joke), in-store examination and pickup of special orders, previews of CDs, etc. I still maintain that the shift in business model is what killed the place, but what are you going to do? OTOH, I’ve worked at two Borders stores in other cities. At one, I was a perennial employee of the month. The other stuck me in the doghouse from day one and pushed me down until I got fired. The latter is closing. Can’t say that I’m really sorry, especially since they’ve taken to hosting Sylvia Browne signings. For that alone the store needs to [del]burn to the ground[/del] close. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/150 "2011-02-16T19:53:56Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Which wasn’t really the case with Borders. They cut back on their selection, and didn’t have a higher level of customer service. They used to. When they moved to Seattle’s Best, they effectively cut the floor staff. Fewer booksellers = worse service. Way back when (before I worked there), a potential bookseller had to pass a rather arduous test on general book knowledge. That hasn’t been the case for probably about ten years–and it shows. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/151 "2011-02-16T20:12:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Wall Street Journal just published a list of stores to be closed: > > [Borders Stores Closing - The Wall Street Journal Online - Interactive Graphics](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/st_borders0216_20110216.html) > > In our area, the one on Boylston Street in Boston is going down (that leaves only two big bookstores in the downtown area), as is the one in Peabody (Bad location. There’s a Barnes and Noble across the street near Northshore Mall that gets all the business) and one in Burlington I didn’t even know existed. But it looks as if the ones at Downtown Crossing in Boston, the Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge, and the one in Swampscott will stay. Damn. All the ones near me are closing. The Barnes & Noble already closed. That leaves zero, yes zero bookstores within reasonable distance of my house. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/152 "2011-02-16T21:05:52Z")
Looks like the newish Alameda store is going ( mildly surprising, seemed like a good fit and it’s _new_ ), but the more established Emeryville one survives. That’s fine - it’s closer to me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/153 "2011-02-16T21:07:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Damn. All the ones near me are closing. The Barnes & Noble already closed. That leaves zero, yes zero bookstores within reasonable distance of my house. [Sorry for responding to my own post.] I just checked, and actually there seems to be a Borders 16 miles from my house that is not on the list. That’s the closest remaining large bookstore to me that I can find. Too bad, one of the ones closing was only 3 miles away, really convenient. ---
**Author:** ![bramma23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@bramma23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bramma23)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/154 "2011-02-16T22:45:51Z")
Time for some cheap Criterion Collection DVDs in the going out of business sale. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/155 "2011-02-16T22:58:38Z")
The New Orleans metro area is losing both of their Borders locations. My children really enjoyed visiting Borders, too … we’ll miss 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:** [February 16, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/156 "2011-02-16T23:03:00Z")
> [@bramma23](#): > > Time for some cheap Criterion Collection DVDs in the going out of business sale. I doubt that you’ll be able to buy anything good cheaply, since they can just pack up the new merchandise and move it to a different store, or sell it back to the distributor. I went to a CompUSA when that store was closing and they mostly had junky stuff in the store. (I get the impression that they actually bring in new crappy merchandise to a going-out-of-business sale because people think they’re going to get a bargain.) ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/157 "2011-02-16T23:07:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I doubt that you’ll be able to buy anything good cheaply, since they can just pack up the new merchandise and move it to a different store, or sell it back to the distributor. I went to a CompUSA when that store was closing and they mostly had junky stuff in the store. (I get the impression that they actually bring in new crappy merchandise to a going-out-of-business sale because people think they’re going to get a bargain.) When one of the Borders closed where I live they had everything 40% off. I was able to get some good books that way. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/158 "2011-02-16T23:11:17Z")
Really? Well, the Borders store near my brother’s house is on the list. I’ll tell him that they should check for the store closing sale. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/159 "2011-02-16T23:19:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (I get the impression that they actually bring in new crappy merchandise to a going-out-of-business sale because people think they’re going to get a bargain.) In general, store closings are not handled by the chain, but by a liquidator. And yes, the liquidator will bring in a bunch of crap that they’re hoping to make some money on. You can find decent original stock at the beginning, but by the time it gets to 50 or 60% off, it’s mostly crap. The Borders in walking distance from me is remaining open, according to the list. Now if only they’ll get some books I want to buy. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387/160 "2011-02-16T23:21:30Z")
They’re closing the one at Tysons Corner which only opened seven years ago, and both of the DC locations. The store across from the Willard Hotel already closed a few months ago. With all the convenient-to-get-to Borders closing, the whole chain might as well be gone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-borders-about-to-go-under/566387.md?page=9)