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Post by msdemos on Jul 30, 2018 18:24:43 GMT
In our area (Milwaukee, WI), we have exactly ONE major book chain left (other than Half Price Books, which, obviously, deals (almost) exclusively in used books)....... Barnes & Noble. While I find myself hoping against hope that they will be around forever, everything I hear, and read, generally points to the same conclusion.......that they (B&N) might (or might not!) hang around for a while, but eventually, they will not make it, unless something changes with the present state of the retail world, and current consumer shopping trends. Does anybody else live in a part of the country where they still have multiple book store chains (I once visited a "Books A Million" store while in the northeast.....are they still around?)? Or, do you happen to have any book stores that may not be a chain (or that are only regional), but are relatively large enough to rival the offerings of a typical Barnes & Noble store (or are at least decent in size) ? Just curious if the current state of retail book stores (that sell mostly new books) is as dire everywhere else, as it is here........  SAVE FERRIS |
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Post by wickedkittiesmom on Jul 30, 2018 18:54:01 GMT
This was a nightmare that is coming true. I'm originally from the Chicago area and one of my favorite past times was browsing the many privately owned bookstores in the area, they were just bookstores, no coffee or pastries or other things. There was a Chicago chain, Kroch and Brentanos that I also loved. They did sell some gifts, i.e. fancy globes, pens, etc. When I lived in Albuquerque, NM, I saw the demise of Borders. I now live in the Mobile, Al. area., I know of 2 chains still open, Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million but I haven't visited them. I now have to rely on Amazon for my books and I'm beginning to worry that printed, bound books will disappear in my lifetime.
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bess1971s
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Post by bess1971s on Jul 31, 2018 17:09:54 GMT
It's slowly becoming a reality and it breaks my heart. Same goes for the demise of record stores. So much for browsing.
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Post by Ass_E9 on Jul 31, 2018 18:04:57 GMT
Does anybody else live in a part of the country where they still have multiple book store chains (I once visited a "Books A Million" store while in the northeast.....are they still around?)? SAVE FERRIS  |
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Post by Ass_E9 on Jul 31, 2018 19:08:42 GMT
When I lived in Albuquerque, NM, I saw the demise of Borders. |
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Post by CoolJGS☺ on Aug 1, 2018 16:53:35 GMT
In our area (Milwaukee, WI), we have exactly ONE major book chain left (other than Half Price Books, which, obviously, deals (almost) exclusively in used books).......Barnes & Noble.While I find myself hoping against hope that they will be around forever, everything I hear, and read, generally points to the same conclusion.......that they (B&N) might (or might not!) hang around for a while, but eventually, they will not make it, unless something changes with the present state of the retail world, and current consumer shopping trends. Does anybody else live in a part of the country where they still have multiple book store chains (I once visited a "Books A Million" store while in the northeast.....are they still around?)? Or, do you happen to have any book stores that may not be a chain (or that are only regional), but are relatively large enough to rival the offerings of a typical Barnes & Noble store (or are at least decent in size) ? Just curious if the current state of retail book stores (that sell mostly new books) is as dire everywhere else, as it is here........ SAVE FERRIS Half Priced Books has a large selection of new books now in my town.
I think more than any other bookstore they understand the environment they compete in.
We have quite a few mom and pop bookstores as well as my favorite bookstore ever - Joseph Beth which is a large independent store with a couple of other locations.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 22:50:09 GMT
There's a paradox here that I'm as guilty of as the next person. We like bookstores, but we also like to pay the lowest cost possible for our purchases.
It's like when someone rang my doorbell and tried to talk me into signing up for milk delivery because some guy was starting up as a milkman on a local route. Well, that's very quaint, but why would I pay at least double price for smaller quantities of milk, versus going to the store? Home delivery of groceries is making a comeback, but at the macro on-demand level.
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Post by marianne48 on Aug 2, 2018 2:31:49 GMT
I've already gotten used to the fact that bookstores are now virtually a thing of the past. There's only one, Barnes & Noble, within a 10-mile radius of my home; 20 years or so ago, there was a Borders, Brentanos, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks. There were also two or three privately owned retail bookstores, and several used bookstores with prices comparable to those found online today. There was even one within walking distance of my home, housed in a 200+ year-old building which was formerly an inn which was visited by George Washington and his pals back in the day. While these stores didn't always have what I came to look for, I usually made an unexpected discovery of some book or author of whom I'd never heard. All of these disappeared; even the old inn had to close down permanently due to flooding damage. I'm afraid the activity of browsing aimlessly through a bookstore is lost to history at this point.  |
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Post by OldSamVimes on Aug 2, 2018 11:26:18 GMT
What?
I didn't hear about book stores closing.
Oh well, at least I can still go out and rent a movie right?
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Post by wickedkittiesmom on Aug 2, 2018 11:48:55 GMT
 What? I didn't hear about book stores closing. Oh well, at least I can still go out and rent a movie right? Ha Ha |
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Post by louise on Aug 2, 2018 16:24:19 GMT
BOokshops don't seem to be doing too badly in the UK. Waterstones have opened several new branches lately. There are also charity bookshops which seem to be quite popular, there are three in Canterbury, where I live.
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Post by Terrapin Station on Aug 2, 2018 16:30:59 GMT
I can't remember the last time I bought something at a book store. I've browsed . . . and then noted books to get on my kindle. I've done the vast majority of my shopping online for a long time. And it's been at least 20 years since I regularly bought books in a bookstore. Same with music, videos, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 0:59:12 GMT
For second hand books, it's the reverse. You want to examine the copy in the store to decide if you want to buy it. I've had too many ordered online that have arrived in worse condition than advertised.
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Post by simplemoviecommenter on Aug 3, 2018 6:25:01 GMT
I'm horrified.
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