# The barren Borders bookstore **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096 "2009-05-29T22:21:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/61 "2009-06-11T21:50:41Z")
Now B&N ask for my email address after they ask if I’m interested in their discount/sales tracking card. After saying “I’d rather not” the first few times, I just lie and say “you’ve already got it”. The Borders here don’t sell the European F1 magazine I like to buy each month, so its something I’ve chosen to continue to endure… ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/62 "2009-06-12T00:03:47Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > “Will you be saving 10% today with your discount card?” Jebus, I don’t know how many times I had to say that in the years I worked at B&N. Make no mistake, though, not only does your job depend on saying it to every single customer, but your performance is rated _every day_ by how many of the things you sell. If you don’t make your quota for the week you get a yard of [del]shit[/del] encouragement. If you continue to fall short, you get fired. …and God help you if you forget to recite the little spiel and a manager is behind you, or a secret shopper is in front of you. My friend used to relentlessly hit Len Riggio with it, and he clearly found it annoying. This made her very, very happy. She worked in the B&N in the town where he lived. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/63 "2009-06-12T06:25:54Z")
Hm. My local Borders seems to be rearranging things too, now, and they’ve got a bunch of empty shelves. It’s only notable because my local Borders is Borders #1, the original store (although I understand it’s no longer in its original location). Borders HQ is here in town and I had this idea that if they were really cutting down, it wouldn’t affect my shopping experience. The fliers indicate that it’s temporary, though. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/64 "2009-06-12T17:57:53Z")
My friend commented that the Borders he visits in Richmond VA was now mostly devoid of books, but they could order you whatever you wanted. Isn’t that sort of what the Internet and [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) are for? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/65 "2009-06-12T18:37:46Z")
For me, the turn-around time for new books and DVDs to turn used and show up at **Half Price books** is so short, that I never buy anything at BN or Borders except as an occasional gift for someone. If I’m buying in volume, or looking for a specific title, I just use [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), since more often than not if I drive to BN or Borders the selection won’t be there and I’d have to special order anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/66 "2009-06-12T19:57:50Z")
Field report from Bolingbrook (west suburbs of Chicago) is that much of the display tables are gone giving the store a considerably more empty look. Which I imagine must translate to fewer books in the store. The CD/DVD section was emptied out for some sort of remodeling. One large corner is now all papercrafts stuff where it used to be books which cuts down on the actual literature floorspace even further. If I was making numbers up, which I am, I’d say it looked about 20% emptier than before. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/67 "2009-06-12T20:01:13Z")
Another data point-the Borders here (Jax, FL) deep-sixed all their music. Bookshelves look pretty much the same, with some reorganizing (Psychology) going on… It really saddens me that what we’ve come to know and love as the record store (first run releases at least-used will hang on in isolated outposts) will become extinct in the not too-distant future. Hell I still miss LPs, despite the scratches and skips. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/68 "2009-06-13T01:55:21Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > My friend used to relentlessly hit Len Riggio with it, and he clearly found it annoying. This made her very, very happy. She worked in the B&N in the town where he lived. Thanks. That makes me all warm and fuzzy, even though it’s BN. I worked at Borders for about 5 years, and left around the time they started enforcing “the script” for register sales and answering phone calls, partly because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096/69 "2009-06-13T02:04:03Z")
Borders in San Mateo, CA is looking sparser, but still has music and DVDs, and the book selection looks reasonably intact. Looks like most of the bargain tables have been eliminated, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-barren-borders-bookstore/498096.md?page=3)