The end has come for the big-box book vendor:
There will be no storybook ending for Borders Group Inc. The 40-year-old bookseller could start liquidating its 399 remaining stores as early as Friday.
The chain, which helped pioneer the big-box bookseller concept, is seeking court approval to liquidate its stores after it failed to receive any bids that would keep it in business. The move adds Borders to the list of retailers that failed to adapt to changing consumers’ shopping habits and survive the recession, including Circuit City Stores Inc., Mervyns and Linens ‘n Things.
It was useful to have the stores handy to my various jobs, over the years; and before online shopping became ubiquitous they really were the best option for people looking for a wide and reliable selection. Certainly they were more reliable than the small bookstores, which big-box chains largely barreled over with about as much consideration as flailing big-box chains are getting from online vendors now. I should also note, gently, that many of those online vendors can be traced back to individuals and companies that had their original business model destroyed by big-box retailers in the first place.
And so it goes.
Moe Lane
Full disclosure: I am an Amazon.com
I remember B. Daltons and Waldinbooks being in just about every mall in America. I was so happy when the big box stores came to town. Passing of an era and all that.
On the other hand, small bookstores catering to niche markets (comic books, SF, mysteries) are still alive and well in a lot of places. Like the old song says, “You gotta know the territory!”
Yup! And a lot of them looooooooove Amazon.com, because they can sell books through there with very little overhead.