Employees at Bankrupt Borders Chain Maintain Sense of Humor
Employees at Bankrupt Borders Chain Maintain Sense of Humor
Posted 04/05/2011 at 4:18am
| by Paul Lilly
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It's been a tough year for Borders and its employees. Competition from the the likes of Amazon and Barnes & Noble have made it difficult for Borders to turn a profilt, and as a result, Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in February. That's no laughing matter if you're a Borders employee, just don't accuse the book chain of losing its sense of humor.
A Consumerist reader living in Chicago sent in a photo of a local Borders store with a sign telling customers where they can go to use a bathroom. "Try Amazon," it says. Amazon, of course, doesn't have a physical presence, unless you count warehouses.
While Amazon and Barnes & Noble fight over digital and physical book sales, Borders has been forced to shutter 30 percent of its stores just to stay afloat.
Image Credit: The Consumerist
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Archtard
April 06, 2011 at 7:33am
Replacing text books with eReaders sounds like a horrible idea and a good idea at the same time. If they are not bullet proof and chained to the kids I'm sure they will be breaking or going missing all the time. Although for the more responsible students it would be nice, I hated packing all those damn text books as a kid.
In college however; an eReader just would not work. I cannot tell you how many times I have had 4-5 books open on my desk and all with highlights and underlines throughout the books. Not to mention all the articles I printed from PDF files because it is easier to highlight and manage them physically than having them all open on my computer screen.
For recreational reading I can see the appeal, but like some of you I prefer a book I can feel, smell, and not have to worry if the battery is charged... and I am sick of looking at LCD screens after work and long weekends of video gaming.
Nimrod
April 05, 2011 at 7:51pm
The sign should read "No low prices, check Amazon" They have a storing closing where i live and even with their rip off closing sale their shit is STILL more expensive than it is on Amazone. So screw them.
schneider1492
April 05, 2011 at 10:44am
I would love to see books come with a free digital copy just like a lot of movies. I see both sides of the issue.
for me its hard to hold a book open in my hand for long periods of time, about 6 years ago I broke one of the bones in my hand. Ive read more on my phone in the last 6 months than I have on paper in the last 2 years.
Deviate
April 05, 2011 at 9:29am
As far as the digital book sales goes, I think it sucks that a good old fashion book is "obsoleted" by society. For music sales (or piracy for that matter) to have gone digital is one thing, and everyone saw that coming a very long time ago. But books? I'm a tech enthusiast. I work in IT, and I like technology. But I guess only to an extent, because I personally think "E-Readers" are dumb and impractical. If I'm reading a book, I don't want to have to worry about my battery dying, or dropping/breaking it, losing it, etc. Nor do I want to be staring at LCD anymore than I already am constantly working with computers. And I don't agree with replacing textbooks in schools with e-readers either. Maybe it's just me. I'm 28 and too old fashioned for my own good.
JohnP
April 05, 2011 at 11:25am
Heh, I am 58 and LOVE e-book readers. I have been too long buried in books. I am an avid reader (a book every couple of days- retired). I switch from my SONY Reader to library books and back constantly. I have read 4-500 page books in one sitting with an e-book reader so they definitely work, even with my progressive bifocals. Holding a heavy book sucks compared to the lightweight reader but pressing my thumb to the switch or swiping the page gets old too.
There are books that just do not wok in a e-book, photo heavy books, lots of illustrations, etc. Those will be around for quite a while, but books with just text work extremely well.
The nice thing will be that folks that like real books will have plenty to choose from as folks like me give up thier tree pulp to used bookstores and libraries...
andresau
April 05, 2011 at 10:25am
I totally agree with you - This may or may not have anything to do with your comment, but there's nothing like the feel and smell of a new hard cover book in your hands. I too think "E-Readers" are a ridiculous idea. I'm 22 and also too old fashioned for my own good. I couldn't have said it better myself Deviate.
Deviate
April 05, 2011 at 11:57am
I definitely prefer the feel of an actual book in my hands in most circumstances. However, I do agree with what JohnP mentioned regarding some books working in electronic format and others that just do not. That's a good point, because a novel or something that's solely story based or is straight text makes much more sense for something like an e-reader. However, most of the things that I read are technical books or in textbook fashion with visuals/diagrams/illustraions. Those do NOT work whatsoever in an e-reader. And it wouldn't be as easy to quick reference, even though I do most of that on the internet while on the job.
I thought I was the only weirdo that loved the smell of a book, lol.
bling581
April 05, 2011 at 9:56am
*Sigh*
Because there are no Amazon stores, thus no bathrooms to use.
mysterymantis
April 05, 2011 at 5:22am
Oh that is hilarious.
I don't know what side of the fence I am on for this sort of thinking. I'm a hobbiest, and enjoy several aspects of my hobbies, including the social side of it. I've witnessed several of my favorite hang outs go down thanks to people finding better deals online. I can't blame people for wanting their luxeries at a lower price. I don't even hold it against them. It just sucks that we are heading into a more impersonal world thanks to technology.
I will admit that I think it is a bit unfair that amazon gets to dodge state taxes, while brick and mortars have that in addition to the increased overhead. And then they are literally closing down warehouses just to exit from states that are about to force them to pay taxes. But hey, that's the world of business. And it evolves way faster than the government is prepared to deal with.
JohnP
April 05, 2011 at 11:32am
No one "skips" paying state taxes as it it required that you list them on your tax return (good luck with that state auditors!). This non collection of state taxes precedes the internet by 30 years. I used to go to NYC and buy a camera and they would ship the empty box back to my house to avoid the tax.
And books are just one of thousands of commodities that benefit from an online presence. I grew up in a small town that there was NO bookstore within 50 miles of me. I would have given a lot to be able to tap into the riches available to anyone online these days. No, this is a GOOD thing!
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