That really pissed me off - two year ago I would have said Borders was the best shop in the world but now they seem to be driving their core customers away with a lack of choice (many shelves are empty) and this constant electronic noise puts me off the blurbs.
It's like book browsing in an arcade.
Now whilst I can understand Game wanting their goods on show, even demo games they are smack bang in the middle of a bookshop. For christ sake - show a bit of common sense. Borders main role is as a bookseller but the staff here appear to be without a clue -over the last few months the range of titles has decreased and soon they will only be stocking the bestsellers - which you can get across the road at Tescos for much cheaper. I was loyal to Borders because they stocked all authors and titles, not just the top twenty sellers. And now I have to contend with a load of Cozy Powell wannabe kids.
9 comments:
I used to work at a Borders where I live. That was years ago. Been back numerous times over the years and have noticed, especially recently, how lackluster it seems. Fewer customers, lots of switching around of displays, tons more frivolous knick-knacks in the aisles as you make your way to the counter. No video games (yet), but I wonder if the state of the economy and the reality of online book sales is really hitting mega-stores like Borders pretty hard. I know there's the "experience" factor, but it's not offering much ambience for me. As much as I love Borders, Amazon is way better for me—price-wise, selection-wise, plus I don't have to waste gas driving out there. But I will always be up for trip to Borders, all of that notwithstanding. (:
It always makes my stomach knot to go into a store and see the shelves half empty. It's so often that one soon drives past the place and its unique merchandise is gone. I hope your Borders comes to its senses and discovers that bookbuyers are its target audience. Amazon.com and BN.com are great when one needs something obscure or one knows exactly what one wants, but there's nothing like wandering a Borders and Barnes & Noble and discovering exciting books one didn't know existed.
In a reversal - I can't browse in a supermarket because of that infernal banal music that they play like some kind of water torture. However, real music like Free would have me spending hours browsing.
HMV do it.
I think that many stores, not just bookshops are splitting floorspace to make up for losses in sales.
Over the last month I've been looking at one set of bookshelves in the local Waterstones and W H Smith and they are still packed with the same books. No movement and no gaps. And for as long as they have kids as managers there will be no movement.
In conversation with another customer he said that the problem he found was a decided lack of choice. In his words ' it's all the same thing. Nothing grabs me anymore.'
One other thing - computer games and books in one place is something that I like. Imagine a good display of decent covers - westerns even - with young people on site. There are possibilities there.
Empty shelves is just a sign of the times, I think. We were looking around electrical shops last week (PC World, Currys and Comet) and half the shelves were empty. Even the big supermarkets (Tesco, Asda) seem to be suffering from it.
The Borders near where I live seems like it's going through a major renovation in stupid.
Point: the music section. the interior is completely devoid of everything and the wall simply has all the latest rock/pop CD's that you can buy.
I like the Cozy Powell reference. Too bad most people won't get it.
Cozy Powell? More Sandy Nelson - now that's what you call drummin' up a storm.
How 'bout Gene Krupa? Now that cat could pound 'em....
I have to drive an hour and a half to get to a Borders, but if I did and the bums put a usable drumming game in, I'd have to boycott the place. I much prefer local, mom-and-pop bookshops. My second choice is to shop online ... plus there's the library!
Print will indeed die if we let morons put silly games in bookstores. That's what Sprawl-Mart is for.
My two cents.
Cheers,
Matt
There's a Borders right down the street from me, and I have been in there only once in the past six months. Shopping on Amazon has become so ingrained in me, and I don't know if that's good or bad. I do have to say that I still prefer shopping in a store as opposed to online, only because I'm a visual kind of person. I like to see my choices in front of me.
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