BookBrowse Blog

Borders Fatal Mistake - And How It Could Have Been Avoided

Posted: August 9, 2011 10:13 PM
15 Comments
Related Categories: Miscellanea

Much has been said about the reasons for the demise of Borders, but Raymond Rose's article in last week's Publishers Weekly really hit the nail on the head for me. He writes,

"My sorrow isn't for the death of this company but for its employees. They're the real victims here. In my store, we had an amazing group. There was the elementary school teacher who worked every weekend and made the most magical children's recommendations; the young woman who could guide both newbies and skilled knitters alike through the needlecraft books; the tattooed graduate student who could talk your ear off about Thomas Hobbes... or Batman, your choice; and the spitfire supervisor who could hunt down the perfect mystery novel. That's just five people in my store. Imagine the number of original, talented people in the other 600-plus stores that have closed or will close later this year...

The irony is that the very thing that Borders abused--its employees--could have saved it. All Borders ever had to do was talk to its employees to find out how to be a better bookstore. Those on the front line can tell you what works (better selection!) and what doesn't (glittery pink Jesus statues!). Borders wasted time and money on so-called experts when all the experts they ever needed were already on the payroll. Not to mention their many attempts to poll its customers. Do you want to know what your customers think? Why not talk to your store employees? They speak to the customers every day."

Will you miss Borders?

Please take a moment to answer our poll.

The poll has now closed, see the results here.

[Add Comment]

When the Borders near me closed, the 20%-50% off sale packed the store. If management from the start had run discounts every day with club card (the way B&N does) it would have survived. Its coupon system was confusing and irritating. I'd only buy 1 book a week at Borders and buy 2-3 at discount at B&N. When a company goes under, it's senior management's fault. Borders is a textbook case in point.

# Posted By Tom | 8/11/11 11:34 AM

Barnes & Noble is headed in the same direction as they don't really care about their customers, customer service, or local interests. It is all about $$$ and ideas from some lofty corporate office.

# Posted By Sharron | 8/11/11 12:46 PM

I agree that they did not listen to the employees. I'm one of two teachers working in our Borders, and the other employees relied on us for so many recommendations! Our regular weekend customers loved talking with us and sharing book reviews.
I dreaded the Christmas season and the absolute junk we were supposed to sell (the Jesus also came in purple glitter, and why did we have 6 ft neon pink artificial trees for sale?) It took years for corporate to design a Biography section - something the customers asked for for years.
I am one of the thousands losing my part time job. I will miss my customers, but not the corporate BS. My students will lose because I will no longer have the extra money to purchase books for my classroom.

# Posted By Pat | 8/11/11 3:27 PM

Thank you Pat, not just for your post but also for going above and beyond for the children in your classroom. I work in our local Friends of the Library bookstore from time to time and am constantly humbled at the number of teachers who come in and spend substantial amounts of their own money on books for their classroom. I also see it at RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers - an organization in Silicon Valley, CA that recycles materials from companies into teaching kits) - teachers flood there every week to spend their time and, more often than not, their own money to buy supplies. - Davina (BookBrowse editor

# Posted By Davina | 8/11/11 3:54 PM

Davina, it's not only teachers who spend their time and their own money to buy supplies for the kids. Many of the children's librarians and the staff who work in the children's libraries in our area do the same, especially since so many public library budgets have been slashed in recent years.

# Posted By Barb | 8/11/11 6:45 PM

Thank you for adding that Barb - you are right.

# Posted By Davina | 8/11/11 6:52 PM

I will miss Borders. My husband and I have spent many happy hours brousing the shelves and buying a book on history or a new and interesting subject. It is not the same on-line.

# Posted By kathleen | 8/12/11 12:58 AM

I check out any book store I see. Many are a confusing jumble of crap. I haven't traveled out of my own area this year so I haven't been to a different book store, let alone any bookstore, for at least a year. My favorite book stores now are Amazon and my public library.

Hint: learn how to pronounce the public place (it's not lie-barry)and maybe just maybe it will stick around

# Posted By Penny | 8/12/11 11:30 AM

I'm really not surprised that Borders is closing. While I'm sure many stores had wonderful, caring, knowledgeable employees, my local Borders did not. I could go on and on about the local staff, but the store is closed and hopefully they have scattered to the comic book stores and clothes shoppes where they really wanted to work. And, the store didn't seem to carry anything other than best sellers - if you wanted anything even remotely out of the ordinary, you had to order it. Borders never really met my needs, so I quit going there. You've got to have something special to survive in today's economy and Borders just didn't have it at my location.

# Posted By JoycetheReader | 8/15/11 6:25 AM

Raymond Roses's article is right on target!!!! I worked in a Waldenbooks/Borders store for 20 years until it closed in 2008. For at least half of those years, as it was clear to see that the company was heading in the wrong direction, We kept saying, "Why don't they just ask us???". Our store was a wonderful neighborhood store that was sorely missed by the community it served. HAPPY ENDING...A new Independent book store opened a year ago across the street from the old Borders and is doing very well! I am working there and am overjoyed to be selling books to the customers who had become an important part of my extended family.
Now we can wrap gifts to our customer's delight!

# Posted By Sara | 8/15/11 9:01 AM

I was saddened by the closing of Borders. My home is located 2 blocks from a Borders store that closed back in May. Now every time I pass by the building I miss the store. It was an ideal place for me to see new books, look at them then decide to buy them. I spent $100-125 a month at the store. I enjoyed talking to the staff and being able to relax in the store. I live 5 miles from a Barnes and Noble store. But the B&N store does not have the same warmth that I found at Borders.

# Posted By Ariel | 8/15/11 9:05 AM

I never went to Borders but I agree thet B&N are going in the same direction. Walked out just last week and ordered from my Indie store onlin.
It is sad that so many Retail stores of all kinds are closing their doors because they are not tuned to the customer but to the bottom line.
I have never understood the theory of cutting from the bottom of the employees when everyone knows if you do not have a good foundation the place will collapse. Customers walk out of stores everyday without spending their money because there is no one to telling them what to buy. I know because I am one of them.

# Posted By Sally Gawne | 8/30/11 10:05 PM

I loved Borders and everything about it. It was sooo much better than B & N. I spent a lot of time there and am missing it very much....sigh.

# Posted By Sherry Topp | 9/3/11 12:48 PM

I went to grad school in Ann Arbor and used to love browsing the original Border's on State Street. It was such a pleasure to find unusual books that I might not have known about otherwise, and being in a university town meant that they had wonderful, knowledgeable emplyees who really felt a dedication to the store and its goals. Sadly, all that went far south when Border's decided to expand, cater to the popular market, and compete with other big chains. I,live ina realatively rural area now, so I will still miss the Border's that was half an hour away. Despite its drawbacks, it was on of the few decentg bookstores within driving distance. I don't know where I will go now, since the best bookstore in DC also closed a few years ago.

# Posted By Deborah | 9/9/11 12:57 PM

The intimacy of the small independent bookstore is sadly a thing of the past. I used to be able to walk into a local store where the employees were required to read and knew their customers. They knew my taste level and could always come up with half a dozen obscure books that weren't making the best sellers list ala Danielle Steele. It is for this reason, I'm so grateful for a source like BookBrowse. Many people rely on me for recommendations for good reading material. Just this week someone asked me where I find out about so many books and my answer is very simple. Thank you BookBrowse for filling the gap left behind by those wonderful, knowledgable small book stores!

# Posted By iris fuller | 9/16/11 11:55 AM

Comments (Please click on the link above to post a comment. Your comment will not appear until approved.)

[Subscribe to Comments]