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I think B and N shot themselves in the foot with the comfy chairs and coffee idea. While it looks good on paper ( a customer can spend time there making a decision before they buy) in reality people are takers. I see them all the time just loafing there, reading the magazines and books, and then putting them back on the shelf and walking out with no purchases. They think they are at the public library !
We get it at my job too. People come in and rip the plastic covers off of service manuals and other books, get the information they need, and then they walk out, leaving an opened manual that the next person doesn't want to buy because it has been "opened". Then our customers wonder why our prices are so high.
I will also spend a lot of time researching some part for a customer who doesn't know what they need and once we find it they say "That's too expensive, I'll go home and find it on the internet !" People are basically takers and users.
Don
It's unfortunate. But, truth be told, I have gone into clothing stores, tried things on, and researched to see if I could find the same item for a lower cost on eBay or another website. But there is a threshhold I will not cross. I've heard of people going to the upscale grocery stores to partake of the samples, fill themselves up, and not buy anything. I've heard of parents leaving their kids in the kiddie section of B&N or Toys R Us to entertain them while the parents go elsewhere to do their own shopping. You want to get really tacky, there is a business downtown that has a waterfall in front of it, where parents take their kids in lieu of a public pool.
There will always be the takers, and I don't know whether or not it has to do with the economy, or a lack of character. I wonder sometimes if the law of reciprocity that Cialdini details in his book "Influence" hasn't gone by the wayside. I don't feel obligated to buy something every time I walk in a store, but when I go to B&N, and when I went to Borders, the least I could do is purchase a coffee while I was sitting there perusing books. And, of the stack, there were one or two I would choose to buy. After all, I did enjoy the ambiance, and I met some good people. I buy my Moleskine journals there, and I am almost due for a new one.
What I used to see in Borders is that there was this woman that would bring in food from Burger King and sit her fat ass down there eating and glopping up the books. The staff there should feel empowered to put a stop to such behavior. And when Hurricane Sandy cut off power for many people, B&N was mobbed by people trying to get Wi-Fi, and kids running willy-nilly around the store. And when Borders was liquidating, people were ther like vultures. It was sad to watch, but I can't tell you if that had to do with mismanagement, or people wanting to somehow "stick it to the man", or people that just have no couth.
I certainly hope that B&N stays around because there are not too many places for literate individuals to converse, enjoy a beverage, and buy books. There are sure enough bars and clubs where people can act a fool when they wish. And when I go to a museum, I pay full price. It's just the right thing for me to do, to support the things in which I believe.
I like B & N , but.......
they will close , give it couple of yrs or less
no way the can compete , not with amazon , but ebay
paperback is $4 shipped , no tax
fancy stuff $15 shipped , and no tax (can find cheaper if you got patience )
books are like cars , once you open the wrap , you lost half of it's value
This. Nine times out of ten, I buy my books used online because they are so much cheaper, not just from Amazon, but from other websites like Abe Books. I've even tried buying my books used from Barnes and Noble.com to give them business. I tried two times. I paid them for the books, then later received the email that the books were out of stock! Then they took a long time to refund my money. I never bothered to look for used books at B&N online ever again.
B&N is keeping their current doors open thanks to Kindle. The problem is Amazon. They are driving book prices way down and essentially are taking over the publishing world. B&N plans to continue to close stores around the US, but will remain open. They are starting to look towards new technology with their Kindle.
I like B&N and will continue to purchase books from them on occasion. I do like me some swap and shop stores though. Not because I want to save a few bucks, but I just don't like having loads of books sitting around my place. My rule is 1-2 books at a time. I will read one and turn it in for a different book, this is why I like mom and pop book stores.
Kindle? Kindle is Amazon. B&N is Nook, and Nook is dying.
Some of the B&N in various locales has a section set aside for little kids - special reading events. Parents can bring their little ones in for story telling (by the various authors of said books) while they sit down nearby sipping on a coffee drink or whatever. Don't think both are as easily accessible in a local library.
I'm not a fan of the wooden chair. They make my backside sore so sometimes if I think about it, bring my Back Joy or a cushion along.
I've bought various items aside from the magazines and books. Some of those B&N stores are HUGE and I've seen more in some of those stores than others. Maybe I've bought more than I intended.
We have a couple Books-A-Million stores within 30 mins of us but can't get some of the same items that I can from a B&N cafe . We used to have a couple Border's stores within 30 mins of our house. Shame, one of them is now one of those Dollar stores (architecture of building - possible uses to waste) and the other was changed to a combo book/cd - record store.
The company is struggling and they have closed a number of stores. The ones closest to me seem to be doing okay.
They're not struggling here. In fact, another two-story B&N is currently under construction.
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. We used to have a couple Border's stores within 30 mins of our house. Shame, one of them is now one of those Dollar stores (architecture of building - possible uses to waste) and the other was changed to a combo book/cd - record store.
