Store is on Fire (Nothing's on Sale)

Bad ThoughtsBad Thoughts
edited February 2011 in Bricks & Mortar
I just came back from the local Borders store closing sale. 20% off books, especially with tax, isn't really all that attractive EXCEPT for the cheapest books. Indeed, I ended up getting a stack of inexpensive Star Wars books for my son. I almost got Death in the Andes (I love Vargas) but thought Amazon would offer a better price. I did, however, get Talking Head's Little Creatures for $6.60 plus tax.

My venture out to the Wake Country Public Library Sale was much more profitable. I bought a stack of history books. My son got every Star Wars "Visual Dictionary" (notice a theme). My wife bought a few knitting books. Quite a steal for $45.

Now I just need to kick back on the balcony with a cup of tea, a new book, some music, and blissful ignorance of the trouble the little boy is getting into.

Comments

  • thomnottomthomnottom
    Give them a few more weeks. They'll be at 60% off everything eventually. Try to hide the stuff you really want until then ;)
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-vs.-Volkswagen-Best-Super-Bowl-ad.jpg
  • elwoodiciouselwoodicious
    We hit it this morning and scooped up a stack of books for my daughter, hit the $1 books pretty hard, and I grabbed a couple that I've been waiting years to become available on Bookmooch. When I got home I had to ask myself why I bought more when my backlog of books was already 100+ (and here I am on my laptop and not nose in pages).
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    edited February 2011
    @elwoodicious - for exactly that reason I just emailed a small bookstore for which I was just given a gift certificate to find out if they can order CDs from 12k :-)
  • choiceweb0pen0choiceweb0pen0
    Quite a few Borders are closing the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area. I wish I could feel more than apathetic about it.The one near me in Plano had a lot of space to sit and read unlike the nearest Barnes and Noble, but had a very small inventory. I remember a fine one in Columbus, Ohio, near Ohio State that had a wonderfully large inventory both in terms of books and CDs. It was a great meeting point for relatives from different ends of the state. I stopped in last fall and was disappointed to see the music inventory shrink back to just above so so for big box book/media stores. I think i'll keep my money for books and CDs away from Borders and keep it going to half priced books. Found an Old 97's Cd of Satellite Rides with a ticket stub from a 2002 Ft. Worth show in the back case for $4.
  • pzekepzeke
    @Bad Thoughts: I assume you went to the Borders in Cary. Have you been to the one @ the corner of Wake Forest & Six Forks in Raleigh? That location always had more of a music selection, although it's been awhile since I've visited.
  • Bad ThoughtsBad Thoughts
    pzeke: I frequent the store in Apex at the Beaver Creek Mall. I only ever go into the area around the Cary Borders to shop at Grand Asia Market, which only happens every four or five weeks. (Moreover, stopping for books afterward can be difficult because of the freshly slaughtered whole fish I'm taking home.) I know one of the two Raleigh stores will remain open, though I don't know which one. By now, I'm a bit overtaxed in the new media department. I don't think I can take more bustle. Besides, I promised little man a trip out to the "Rocket Ship Museum" (the science museum in Durham, that is). Sometime I'll have to explore the bookstores in Durham. I've yet to see the Regulator, and the Know barely rises above community use (though I keep intending to go to the Jazz jam, if the ship is still open).

    I'm actually a little disappointed in Borders' closing. The Triangle promises a rich intellectual life, but bookstores aren't there to support it. Maybe I was spoiled in the Pioneer Valley and Massachusetts. Just one store like Amherst Books or (dare I say) Harvard Books or (now I'm pushing it) Schoenhofs would make me so happy.
  • DoofyDoofy
    Music selection is not only shrunk, but seems really expensive. Many new and/or "popular" CDs go for like 18 bucks. Who's going to do that, esp young people who are used to getting any album at $10 from iTunes anyway? This isn't just Lady Gaga either; I noticed Buena Vista Social Club for that price, cf $12 at Amazon

    There was a big beautiful comics book I wouldn't mind having, here; 9 bucks cheaper at AMZ than the liquidation price at Borders. No wonder they are going out of business.

    I would have bought a couple things but for the crowd. May go back Monday.
  • mommiomommio
    edited February 2011
    Four here - the two that are franchises will stay open for now. The two corporate are closing. One is downtown, dearly loved by the downtown workers. The other is a beautiful store that Borders built in a prime location not that many years ago. I loved going in there. Too bad it won't be around any longer. I suppose our B & N stores are loving it.
  • pzekepzeke
    @Bad Thoughts: Your comment reminded me of an article someone wrote more than 15 years ago, when "Raleigh-Durham" started appearing at the top of various corporate "best place to live" rankings: after spending a week or so down here, the article concluded that the place sounded great, but where was it? Still true today.

    Quail Ridge in Raleigh is the "new" bookstore best known in the area; I haven't been to the Regulator in years. I recommend the used bookstores: Readers Corner in Raleigh and Nice Price Books, which has several locations in the Triangle; I know there are several others scattered about the area.

    The one Borders that will remain open around here is way up in North Raleigh, which is to say, deepest suburbia.
  • elwoodiciouselwoodicious
    @Doofy, the liquidation process is handled by a 3rd party and the stores already under liquidation are not part of Borders. My brain is foggy but I remember reading some excellent in-depth pieces (Engadget? Techcrunch?) about the closing of Circuit City and how the pricing floors worked; Smart Money talks a little about it. But as I remember, the pricing on the products is slashed from the MSRP, in the case of books that's fair as it's printed on the back, but with CDs, gadgets, and electronics is gets dicey.

    In the case of Circuit City the company had already reduced prices from the MSRP, for example let's say 15%, as part of the retail experience, what the liquidator did then was reset the price to the MSRP and then discount it for 10-15% which turned out to be a price hike in some cases. The one by us did not move much stock until the discounting hit 40% as after that it actually became a sale.

    tl;dr
    Liquidations, caveat emptor.
  • RudieRudie
    Well, pzeke and bad thoughts, I didn't realize we had so many Triangle residents here! I live in Durham. Not to hijack this thread, but did either of you get to this show at the Nasher for this show?:

    TheRecord

    It was fantastic. It's moved up to Boston now for those who may be in that area - highly recommended.

    Looks like another good one is at the Nasher now:

    Jazz Loft Project

    Finally, if you make the trip to Durham, make sure to hit my favorite local record store:

    Offbeat Music

    This message brought to you by the Durham Visitors Bureau!
  • thomnottomthomnottom
    @elwoodicious - The worst I saw was CompUSA. They actually put price tags of the new base prices over top of the original prices, so you could clearly see how much things were marked up to start the process. Borders and B&N have always had the majority of their stock at "full price" to begin with - their value was in the fact that they had a lot in the store, not that the prices were good.

    With that said, I really liked the 2 Borders that I used to frequent. Unfortunately they both closed awhile back. The one that I occasionally make it to these days is out of the way and not nearly as nice of a selection.
  • pzekepzeke
    edited February 2011
    @Rudie: no, sadly, I didn't make it to the Nasher. I live between Garner and Smithfield, just inside Johnston County, so trips to the Durham/Chapel Hill area tend to be few and far between. I used to go to 9th St a few times back in the early 90s, but, in the years since Poindexter's (sigh) closed, I've probably been to 9th St or Brightleaf Square twice--and that was almost a decade ago.

    Just looked at the Offbeat Music site--it must be the latest incarnation of CD Superstore (later Millenium Music). Good to know it's still there.
  • RudieRudie
    @pzeke - Millenium was in a different location in Brightleaf. Not sure of the ownership vs. Offbeat, but Offbeat has the indy store feel (and is in a smaller location).
Sign In or Register to comment.