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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,013,815 times
Reputation: 28903
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Quote:
Originally Posted by indomitablyShe
Went to Borders this weekend hoping for big savings. NOPE... 20% off books still more than double, triple what I pay. I stopped buying books at Borders a few years ago. When you don't need to read the latest release you come out better in terms of price and selection with Amazon, thrift stores (got some real treasures there), even the library sells used books. I purchased over 100 books last year; all used, all for less than $4 with free shipping. I also prefer to buy hardbacks with larger font.
Still there was an occasional deal to be had. The bargain books were priced near $5 so I picked up a few just for local support.
It's like reverse liquidation. More in line of "perceived value" but... they're bankrupt. There IS no perceived value, especially when others are selling for less.
Liquidation sales are always like this. I noticed the same thing when Tower Records went out of business. The liquidators basically wipe out any and all sales and mark downs, and then it's 10% off the list price of almost everything in the store. This is why I went to Borders last Thursday to comb through the bargain books. I was able to find a book on women's health for $5, marked down from $25. I'm sure that same book would have been only 10% off starting last Friday. No, thanks!
I'm always amazed that people fall for this gimmick, but then again, most people who go to liquidation sales have never set foot in that store before and have no idea that they're paying more than they should. (And honestly, when I think about the way the stores get trashed by these bargain hunters, I have no sympathy for the vultures! )
It's like reverse liquidation. More in line of "perceived value" but... they're bankrupt. There IS no perceived value, especially when others are selling for less.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,013,815 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyCo
Liquidation sales are always like this. I noticed the same thing when Tower Records went out of business. The liquidators basically wipe out any and all sales and mark downs, and then it's 10% off the list price of almost everything in the store. This is why I went to Borders last Thursday to comb through the bargain books. I was able to find a book on women's health for $5, marked down from $25. I'm sure that same book would have been only 10% off starting last Friday. No, thanks!
I'm always amazed that people fall for this gimmick, but then again, most people who go to liquidation sales have never set foot in that store before and have no idea that they're paying more than they should. (And honestly, when I think about the way the stores get trashed by these bargain hunters, I have no sympathy for the vultures! )
That's nutty-nutty-cuckoo. I had no idea that's how it works. That said, my heart belongs to Amazon (for better or for worse), Goodwill, and the library.
I may have mentioned this, but when they closed the branch near me, the first few weeks were a waste of time. You could still get it cheaper on Amazon. When they finally got down to 40% off, that's when there was still some good stuff at a decent price. Once it hit 50% off, there wasn't much left. So there is about a one or two week sweet spot you need to hit.
I also said I would never get a cell phone or IPOD either I'm not ready to purchase a kindle yet, but may do so in a few years.
LOL'd over this. I'm technologically slow myself. I was never going to get a cell phone, but I've had one for almost ten years now. I still don't have an IPOD.
I may have mentioned this, but when they closed the branch near me, the first few weeks were a waste of time. You could still get it cheaper on Amazon. When they finally got down to 40% off, that's when there was still some good stuff at a decent price. Once it hit 50% off, there wasn't much left. So there is about a one or two week sweet spot you need to hit.
Mine is at the 40% mark now, but some things are still only 10% or 20%,
Went to Borders this weekend hoping for big savings. NOPE... 20% off books still more than double, triple what I pay. I stopped buying books at Borders a few years ago. When you don't need to read the latest release you come out better in terms of price and selection with Amazon, thrift stores (got some real treasures there), even the library sells used books. I purchased over 100 books last year; all used, all for less than $4 with free shipping. I also prefer to buy hardbacks with larger font.
Still there was an occasional deal to be had. The bargain books were priced near $5 so I picked up a few just for local support.
I got a couple of short-story anthologies for $3.99 each. I have a long train ride to work every day, so they will make for good commute reading.
We'll all be sorry someday when brick and morter stores aren't around.
I wish they'd at least keep the Ann Arbor store open. I had no idea it was a chain when I went to school there in the 80s. I spent many lovely afternoons there browsing, reading
We'll all be sorry someday when brick and morter stores aren't around.
I think there will always be some brick-and-mortar stores. Just not as many as before the internet and e-readers. But there will always be a place for them. And my hope is that all the little mom and pop used book stores the chains ran out of business make a comeback now that the chains aren't on every corner.
I think there will always be some brick-and-mortar stores. Just not as many as before the internet and e-readers. But there will always be a place for them. And my hope is that all the little mom and pop used book stores the chains ran out of business make a comeback now that the chains aren't on every corner.
The times, they are a changing.
Agreed.
I don't think books are dying. Therefore, there is still a place for books. But publishing has changed radically in the past 20 years, and for bookstores to survive, they are going to have to adapt to that new environment. And I think smaller stores are more naturally suited to that than the big chains.
A good example is the Bull Moose stores here in New England. They are primarily a store that sells music, movies, and video games. With the rise of iTunes, Amazon.com, Netflix, etc., you figure they'd be dead in the water. On the contrary, they are thriving. In fact, some of their stores are even expanding. But they are doing it in a very smart way. Because they are still fairly small, each store is able to cater to the needs of its community. And because they carry both new and used merchandise, they are able to compete with online retailers.
Bull Moose actually reminds me a lot of what Borders was 20 years ago, before they went corporate.
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I'm not ready to purchase a kindle yet, but may do so in a few years.
