I have membership cards for both stores, but more often than not I just end up using Amazon. Even with the membership discount, unless I get emailed a coupon, I can nearly always get the same book from Amazon for several dollars less. These days, that matters more than ever.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I buy the books I want from Amazon, but brick and mortar stores are still the only way to go if you like to browse.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
They closed all the Borders in my area. I figured it had something to do with Homeland Security.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Tante wins the thread
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I prefer to patronize small, family-run bookstores whenever possible, anyway. If I don't have time to go to one, or time to have them order something I want, I use Amazon.
Borders and B&N only get my business if I have time to kill and they're what's around. And then it's usually pretty little business for the amount of time I spend there. The only other time I'm there is if I'm given a gift card.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
The only small, family run bookstore in my area has a poor selection, a claustrophobic set-up, unfriendly staff, and a general icky vibe.
So, yeah, online sources usually seem more attractive. Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Paperspine.com: Netflix for books.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Don't libraries do that for free? Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
They do videos for free, too.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Christy and I enjoy going to both Borders and Barnes and Noble. I would be sad if they went away.
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
I suppose that a large draw, especially if the service really gets going, will be in the selection. A service like this can stock a much larger variety than most libraries can, and this is likely more convenient than an interlibrary loan.
That said, the competition with public libraries is going to be a big problem for them, and when you add in the rapid growth of oil recently, I don't think that this is something I'd invest in at the moment.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: Paperspine.com: Netflix for books.
Personally, I prefer ThriftBooks when possible, and Amazon or Powell's otherwise. My reading is too fits-and-starts and what-am-I-in-the-mood-for-today driven for any of the swap or rental options.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I live close enough to Portland to go to Powell's. Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Well, I work for Barnes and Noble and I haven't heard about any merger. Its been a talking point before and I know our CEO doesn't think too highly of Borders.
Is this just a "what if?" scenario or has there been news reports regarding a for-real merger?
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
I LOVE Borders. Love, love, love. I would be very sad if they went away. If they must merge with B&N, I hope Borders wins out.
edit Google tells me Borders is in trouble, so it's not likely they'd survive if they merged with B&N. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shanna: Is this just a "what if?" scenario or has there been news reports regarding a for-real merger?
My local newspaper had an article about it in their business section. Apparently, B&N is seriously considering it.
[ May 26, 2008, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Puffy Treat ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: I live close enough to Portland to go to Powell's.
It's on the list of Things We Must Do for PortlandCon. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I always used to go to Walden books, but they closed. Sometimes I browse at Border or BN, which are across the street from each other (and there's another one in the downtown area that's closer), but the last book I bought at an actual store was I think last July. I've bought at least a dozen on Amazon since then.
I like to browse. Sometimes I wander around the history section to see if anything catches my eye, but not very often anymore.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Waldenbooks got sucked up by Borders. Now Borders is in trouble.
I loved Waldenbooks and I miss them terribly. I do know of one existing location but its selection is terrible and the staff that remained are distant at best.
B&Ns member card carries an annual fee, while Borders' card is free. My B&N card recently expired and I decided not to renew it. For additions to my permanent collection (which is mostly filling in holes in series at this point), I go to my local gently-used bookstore, then Borders if I want it right away or Amazon if I'm just buying to fill holes with no intention of reading it soon.
If B&N does subsume Borders, my future practice will depend largely on that member card situation. If the former Borders stores start charging to have the card, I'll give up on the chains entirely and learn to live with the disappointment of delayed gratification and stalking the mailman for boxes.
Posted by Sachiko (Member # 6139) on :
All it will mean for me is that all my biscotti dollars will go to the same people now.
I went to B&N last night with my husband and bought nothing. It seemed like half the YA fic and sf/f shelves were Laurell K. Hamilton/ Stephanie Meyer knockoffs anyway.
One sassy supernatural heroine after another...I'm starting to feel sass-logged. And this from a person who named her oldest daughter after Buffy Summers.
I look at the prices and think about all the school supplies I could buy for my kids instead. Ten hardbacks = one Rosetta Stone language course for the whole family.
The best exception to this has been how cheap they've made their Charlie and Lola books. I was able to splurge and get several at once for my kid when she had the 'flu.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
We are big fans of used bookstores. The problem is that only works if people in your general community have similar tastes as you do. The one near my work (which is almost 30 minutes from my house in good traffic) has a much better selection.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Man, I feel nostalgic for Waldenbooks now. There used to be one nearby that had a friendly staff and a great selection.
Now it's a Ruby Tuesday. Posted by sylvrdragon (Member # 3332) on :
They're basically all the same to me. Though I will admit that I like B&N's configuration a bit more. B&N also had all of the books I was interested in last time I went to one, while the Borders that I went to shortly after was lacking. Granted, this may have been a size issue. The B&N was a lot bigger and may have been one of the central stores in the area, whereas the Borders may have been a- well... border store.
Amazon is nice, but I usually don't get around to buying new books until I'm already out of stuff to read. As such, it pains me to wait for the delivery from Amazon. Not to mention the copious amounts of junk mail that I get from Amazon on a daily basis...
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Hmmm. I've never gotten much junk mail from Amazon, despite having ordered from them a lot. Notification of a sale on DVDs or books once a month or so. That's about it.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: Hmmm. I've never gotten much junk mail from Amazon, despite having ordered from them a lot. Notification of a sale on DVDs or books once a month or so. That's about it.
Same here.
There is Neither B&N or Borders near here so it won't impact me at all.
Even when I lived in The States, I bought my books either from Amazon or locally owned book stores. If you ever in downtown Salt Lake, I highly recommend browsing Sam Weller's on main street. Its right by the Gallavan Center Trax stop. I've spent many an enjoyable hour roaming the nooks and crannies of their basement level.
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
Well, there's Borders near my house, but an amazing indie bookstore near my undergraduate college plus a B & N which will always hold a special place in my heart (JK Rowling signed my HP1 there).
Please boycott the B & N in Flagstaff, AZ because the staff were rude to the Harry Potter customers last summer. Besides, if you are in AZ and you are near a Bookman's, why are you going to B&N anyway?
I'm going to grad school in Cambridge, MA, so my new book buying habits are going to be as follows: spend book money on food because rent is so high and you are poor, look away from the 50 zillion bookshops in the city, AZ.
Posted by Sachiko (Member # 6139) on :
Sam Weller's...I've been to a few OSC readings/signings there before.
Here in eastern Washington (I live in the town where OSC was born) (not that that's the reason I moved here; I married a native of the area) the used bookstore is The Bookworm.
This area is the size of a small/middling city, but thanks to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the majority of the locals have master's degrees or higher, usually in science or math.
Which means great sf/f book turnover at The Bookworm, and local sf/f conventions too. I like my town.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
It'll be just like when Waterstones and Ottakars, the two main booksellers in the UK merged. If there was a Borders and a Barnes & Noble in your little town, one would probably end up closing.
So most of the smaller towns end up with one big bookshop, there's no variety, no choice and if you want anything different, you have to go to Amazon.
It doesn’t always help the small booksellers as they don’t usually have a huge choice of books anyway - the onslaught of the big bookshops and the small relative surface area has meant that quite a few in my area have had to become either very bestseller orientated or very specialised to one genre.
Personally, I've spent many happy hours in B&N and Borders (which has a few shops in the UK - the armchairs they set out which allow you to read books you haven't bought yet was great when I was a poor student). I have loyalty cards for both - and I'd hate to see either disappear. I love that coffee/book smell you get as you walk through the door.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
quote:Originally posted by theamazeeaz: Besides, if you are in AZ and you are near a Bookman's, why are you going to B&N anyway?
So true. So very very true. Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I've found that of the stores in my area Barnes & Noble always has a wider selection than Borders. So, I'm hoping that if they merge the super-store adopts that policy. I rarely find what I'm looking for at a Borders...
Edit: The only bookstore that isn't over 60 miles away is a used bookstore downtown. So, I'll pop in there every now and again. I've found a couple of harder to find OSC books there. So, if I have time, I'll search through their shelves. They don't really organize anything though.
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