Barnes & Noble doomed?

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Lucky you live in the best of both worlds, thanx to the www, but the hands-on book stores will probably completely disappear in our lifetimes, how odd it seems from our 'ancient' perpectives!

[Linkmeister]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Aloha from Kaua'i!

Yes, I've recently heard more and more thru the coconut wireless about Borders being in big trouble and the store here on Kaua'i possibly closing soon.

When Borders first opened, it did put some of the smaller bookstores on island out of business (Waldenbooks and some small, locally owned ones) and now it is virtually the only bookstore we have here - so I hope the rumors are not true, but between them revamping the store entirely recently and doing away with much of their merchandise....I'm wondering now.

I love going to Barnes and Nobles at Kahala Mall when we go off-island....it seems a nice (albeit big chain) bookstore and I'd hate to hear it was going under as well.

However, it is certainly true that more and more people (including me) are buying their books online - I can get them so much less expensively than if I have to "special order" them from Borders.

Malama Pono,

As far as Waldenbooks goes, Borders actually bought/absorbed the company, along with mainland ones like B. Dalton.

I have my qualms about Borders, particularly when they can't seem to get credit from publishers to buy new books any more. Since two of their stores are within three miles of me, I'd hate to see 'em go under. That would mean no big bookstore nearer than Ala Moana.

[salmoned]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Amazon, Alibris and eBay are in my mailbox. No bookstore is closer and few are less expensive or carry a better selection.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Speaking of changing thread titles. I think this thread is more of a Borders topic.

[pzarquon]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

I went to visit one of the largest bookstore companies and locations in Seoul. I posted photos and videos of my visit. The most frequently made comment was, "What's a bookstore?" I suspect the old joke may someday be a real comment.

Fortunately, my kids still love bookstores (Barnes & Noble over Borders, too, but they'll take anything), and clamor to visit the library. So perhaps at least one more generation out there will appreciate browsing shelves of books.

Though every book I've bought in the last couple of years has been digital, I still get "real" books as gifts. I wonder if that's essentially the future of the paper variety... thoughtful, sentimental oddities.

[mel]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

The problem with many digital books is that you can't resell them much less loan em out to your friends. (DRM!!!!)

At least with traditional paper bound books, you finish reading them, you can loan em out, sell em or donate them to someone who can sell them for a worthy cause (like Friends of the Library).

[Honoruru]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Another thing about real books is there are people who like a well-made and/or significant book, in other words, people who like to collect books--rare books, first editions, beautifully illustrated books. I’m one of those people. I own a first edition Ernest Hemingway (For Whom the Bell Tolls). But I also own a Kindle, and I love reading on these devices. I just hope bookstores don’t disappear entirely, because I love to browse bookstores as much as I love to browse the web.

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Playing devils' advocate here...

By downloading music we contributed to the end of music stores like Tower Records, we order movies online via Netflix and have contributed towards the demise of Blockbuster and other video stores. Now Borders and other book stores could go under because we all order from places like Amazon.com

Has anyone figured out how many potential job losses we as a society have helped contribute to by doing all of our shopping online??

I was one of the Amazon.com's very first customers....

Border bankruptcy filing next week:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...next-week.html

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Has anyone figured out how many potential job losses we as a society have helped contribute to by doing all of our shopping online??

And how many jobs have been created by online shops? (Amazon is a major employer in my li'l town.)

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

And how many jobs have been created by online shops? (Amazon is a major employer in my li'l town.)

Well if brick and mortar stores are closing nationwide then that obviously is not a good thing. I order from Amazon.com all the time and have since the very beginning so I've helped contribute to this too.

[tutusue]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

And how many jobs have been created by online shops? (Amazon is a major employer in my li'l town.)

Not only online shops but the web, in general.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

I like 'hands-on' bookstores. Borders has been my favorite, still is.

I guess we must adjust to changing times, but I'll regret if it folds. I like electronic books, but prefer ink on paper, still.

Our purchase demographic will determine where we go.

BUY REAL BOOKS!

K?

[helen]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

I don't think the issue is buying books vs electronic media, but rather where you buy it from. It's on-line vs from a local store.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

I love going to my neighborhood independent bookstores and record stores, where I can talk with people who have expertise and information that is useful to me. I make purchases there, even though I know I could pay less for those same products at a bigger chain store or online. I browse there regularly and find unexpected pleasures.

I also buy stuff at the bigger chain stores and online. I am less likely to "browse" online in a similar fashion, yet I often find material that my local shops do not or can not afford to stock.

I own no e-book reader, though I foresee doing so - yet I still have shelves at home crammed with hundreds of books, and am certain I will buy many, many more. There are books that I know I will keep, and others that I will want to read and be rid of, which is where an e-reader would not only come in handy but also have less of the dreaded "carbon footprint."

The dynamic of commerce and technology always shifts. How many of us still transport our selves and our goods by horse-drawn carriage? Or gather the family around the piano to enjoy the latest releases of popular song in sheet-music form? Are these (and similar) changes "good" or "bad," or does our natural sense of nostalgia cloud our judgment?

[Kalihiboy]

Re: Barnes & Noble doomed?

Borders to close 200 stores:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110216/bs_nm/us_borders_4