Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Borders Book Carnage

I've heard all the reasons why Borders went out of business and why many bid them good riddance, from horrible customer service to poor business strategies and failure to jump on the ebook wagon. Truth be told, my favorite book store is our local Tattered Cover but...Borders was by far the closest book store to my house and the staff there were always awesome to me. My hubby and I would go there almost every date night after dinner to browse. I've taken my kids there numerous times, and loved watching their excited faces as they explored the kids' section and got to pick out a book. I did most of my holiday shopping there last year and spent so much money I was sure I'd keep them afloat. That's why even though I wasn't surprised, I was still sad to see Borders go.

So last weekend, my hubby and I paid our final respects and went there after an amazing dinner. I expected to stroll through the aisles one last time, lingering in the YA section and giving a nod here and there to my favorite writers. What I didn't expect was book carnage. It looked something like this, only much worse:

Gone were the neatly shelved books in alphabetical order. Instead, Lauren Myracle was tossed onto Libba Bray, while Carrie Jones bumped up against Holly Black. It was mayhem and madness, and made me kind of sad. I fought the urge to straighten them all and put them back in their respective places. I know electronic publishing is the wave of the future, and books will still sell in various formats, but there is one old-school book lover here who will miss my trips to Borders. Farewell, Borders!

I know there a lot of Borders haters out there, but anyone else who will miss them? Or at least feel sad about the demise of a bookstore?

7 comments:

  1. E-publishing and online retail certainly have some advantages, but there is nothing that compares to shopping in a brick and mortar store where the employees are passionate about books.

    Borders will be missed.

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  2. So glad I'm not the only one missing it. :)

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  3. I'll miss them. I went the first weekend they were closing and paid $3 more for a book vs. buying it online. Today, my son and I stopped by (I guess we're part of the carnage. I went looking for Christmas presents). I wonder if libraries will be the only place to browse for books in my son's future? Sigh.

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  4. Stacy--I thought of presents too! My kids love the library too, but the thought of not having a bookstore makes me sad.

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  5. Geez, my store actually wasn't a mess at all! That's sad.

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  6. I'll still miss Borders. Alas, any store with books in it has to be a good thing. I bought one book at the "liquidation"--only 10% off, so not much of a savings. I bet they'll be cheaper later on, closer to September.

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  7. Carol--I so agree that any store w/ books is a good one.

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