Borders US on its Last Legs?

Less than two years after the UK stores closed down (cruelly condemning Crikey! to a slow death, I might add), it appears that the US Borders chain is now about to go the same way. Sales have been steadily falling, and now magazine and graphic novel distributors Diamond have severed ties with the company, refusing to deal with them in future. Borders sales are currently only ten per cent of those of competitors Barnes & Noble, which in turn are only ten per cent of those of Amazon, with Amazon now apparently accounting for around two thirds of book sales. Is the end approaching for high street book shops?

I hope not - that would be the end of something HUGE if books could only be ordered on-line. I hope Waterstones don't go - my local in Manchester is three floors FULL of beautiful books. This increasing reliance on technology is pushing us back into our caves...

I agree. But the fact is that book buyers have embraced online ordering in a big way-bigger than just about any other group, in fact. A lot of comics retailers (back issues and collectibles) and book dealers have now moved their businesses totally online. I think it's a trend that's going to be hard to reverse.

I agree. But it doesn't make it right. I'm all for technology and on-line ordering, but I do like to trawl around bookshops. I just like to hold them - and I sit at this monitor too much anyway. It must be about five years since I ordered on-line - that was the Babylon 5 set...

I must admit, it's been two or three years since I bought a DVD from anywhere except online. Amazon's prices are much more competetive than the high street stores-typically at least a third less.

Yes, they are - and I'd book all my stuff on-line if I could be bothered! But it's like TV - there's just so much choice there is no choice. I realise things move on and change and all that...but NOT to be able to hold a book and smell the ink BEFORE I bought it. Or, finding it in the store, paying for it, taking it home...nostalgia just ain't what it used to be. Hmm-may be an idea for a magazine there somewhere...

An online magazine?

I'd certainly like to do it - the only thing is that it's takes me ALL my time and I don't get any money for it. I am unable to just throw it together for the sake of it as I like to do things right. I'd be in the same position I was before. And I like to eat and my building society like me to pay the mortgage. If there's a way for someone else to do it, I'd like to be involved. Or, if someone else wants buy the property from me - name, logo, back log of pages, website etc...I'm all ears.

I wonder if Jonathan Ros and the other CLints would be interested...

I thought they already had a magazine?

GBF wrote:I thought they already had a magazine?

Yes, but not a nostalgia based one...

tony ingram wrote:I agree. But the fact is that book buyers have embraced online ordering in a big way-bigger than just about any other group, in fact. A lot of comics retailers (back issues and collectibles) and book dealers have now moved their businesses totally online. I think it's a trend that's going to be hard to reverse.

I buy new, single issue comic books at the stores, but I tend to order most of my tpb purchases on-line because of the cost savings.

Postage can sometimes cause those "savings" to be reduced or lost, so I tend to buy through barnesandnoble.com because I can get free shipping through them.