How's business? None of yours.

[uberreiniger]

Companies that will probably go out of business this year.

I post this because Trans World Media, the company behind F.Y.E. record stores also owns Streetside Records whose demise you probably wish I'd shut up about.

I'm not surprised about Borders. Their sections are tiny and their inventory always sucks. They're able to get me in the store by throwing 40% off coupons at me right and left, but what's the point of doing that if they never have anything I want and I always leave empty handed? Still, I used to like going in there and now it's going to be one more place I won't be able to go into anymore.

Quiznos is a big surprise. I love their food, but yes they are very expensive it and as a result I don't eat there nearly as much as I'd like. I never would have used the word "upscale" to describe them, but yeah they do sell good food at a steep price.

What seriously upsets me in the article are the words "Book readership declining in general." Aside from the general woe you'd expect from me on that topic, at the same time I'm like WHY? You may as well stay home and read. With everything fucking closing it's not like there's anything else to do.

Comments

[the-jenny-of-oz.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine not reading, though I certainly don't get as much of the leisure variety as I'd like. It's funny, reading used to feel like a way of starting conversations with people: If I read "Brave New World" I get to have discussions with other people who've read it. Now, I see reading as exploring uncharted cultural territory. One might have a rare jewel but certainly not a talking point.

Yeah, I'm surprised about Quiznos too.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I'm finding most of my friends don't enjoy analyzing fiction as much as I do so I get what you're saying about not finding talking points. It's frustrating.

[thelastmehina.livejournal.com]

It's sad about Blockbuster, I know someone who does IT work in their corporate offices, and another friend was set to become a store manager. I guess Blockbuster has been trying to come out with a set-top box, sort of like AppleTV, but just couldn't make it happen quickly enough.

Borders, too. The stores near where I live were usually pretty well stocked, and I used to love going to the one in Santa Barbara, which was three huge stories. I think eReaders are going to really contribute to the fall of the bookstore chain, which is kind of sad. One of my favorite ways to kill an hour is wandering around in a bookstore.

And F.Y.E. was great for non-music toys, too.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I'll miss Blockbuster. I guess they deserve serious kudos for holding on as long as they have.

Bookstore wandering is my hour-killing weapon of choice. I can't stress it enough: I'm going to be spending a lot more time at home from now on.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Bookstore wandering is my hour-killing weapon of choice.

This!

[redstar826.livejournal.com]

I'd be sad to see Borders go, because one of their stores near me is actually pretty awesome. And because they are a Michigan company, they are the dominant chain in my area. The nearest Barnes and Nobles is probably at least a 30-40 minute drive from my house. But uh, I really don't need to buy any more books.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Me too. As is, I've got my reading catalogue already set up for this year. I think I literally have enough books I haven't read to keep me going for a year at the rate I read.

[redstar826.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I own enough to tide me over for a year, but I have enough to keep me busy for a while. And, I'm really lucky because most of the libraries in the metro detroit area are part of a shared network so I can request books from any of them and have them sent to my local library for me to pick up.

[batchix.livejournal.com]

that story's full of shit for the most part. yes, these companies are doing poorly, but they were kind of haphazardly arranged to begin with. Book reading isn't declining, PHYSICAL book reading is declining. most of the voracious readers i know have an e-reader of some kind. Not to mention most people shop on amazon because the stock at FYE and Borders really stinks most of the time, at least it does out here on the west coast. THey carry the latest and greatest and that's it. :/


i'm actually surprised there are any streetside records. i thought they were all closed when the ones in manhattan and delmar closed yeas ago. o.o

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

The Streetside in Manhattan flat-out sucked and it deserved to close. The latest and greatest indeed. There is (was?) an FYE in one of the malls on the Kansas side here and its stock was pretty good. It's a long drive to get there though so I haven't been in years.

Borders closing disappoints me but doesn't surprise me. Their stock is just so limited. What did they think was going to happen?

Getting an e-reader just isn't a priority with me. Maybe some day but it's pretty far down on my wish list of toys at the moment.

[batchix.livejournal.com]

same with me. :/ granted, i buy a lot of art books and that's just not the same on an e-reader.

remember D's dad trying to make all those ebooks? I don't think he does that anymore. right now his thing is leading people around fort riley for hunting parties. He actually makes really good money and enjoys it, i'm glad one of his schemes finally worked out.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

That is good that one of his hairbrained schemes finally paid off. I never heard of his whole e-books scheme again after that night he drove us back to Manhattan after the wreck and we were basically his captive audience.

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I kind of liked Borders for manga (except of course for the people sitting on the damn floor reading, but that's another story.)

If all bookstores go this way I'll be sad because I'll miss just browsing through the titles.

Also I need an e-reader already. At first I was resiting them entirely and then I was been waiting for the price to go down but it's starting to be a necessity even for me.

I haven't been in a Blockbuster in years, so no loss there to me.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

No real desire for an e-reader. Of course, I said that about mp3 players and look how well that turned out. But I guess since my books are released in e-book form I should really stand by my product.

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I kept saying I would wait at least until books started being released only in e-reader format but as that seems to already be happening I'd better start saving up.

[fadedsecret.livejournal.com]

I love wandering the book store though usually end up buying books I dont actually get to read v_v

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Yeah me too :(

[celesma.livejournal.com]

I'd love to do more shopping at Border's but it's always too expensive for me. One Borders near where I live was closing and was having a fifty percent off sale, which got me excited until I realized that most of the books were still over $15... eh, maybe that's reasonable and I'm just too cheap. :/

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

No, it's reasonable. The only way I'll buy anything there is with a coupon and then it still feels like I haven't saved as much as I should have.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I agree about Quiznos. Toasty tasty, but too expensive overall. I prefer Planet Sub here locally.

I think the "book readership declining in general" refers to something discovered last year; e-books finally outsold hardcovers at Amazon. None of which accounts for libraries, second hand book stores, or paperback sales, of course... if anything, books seem to be more popular than ever. Maybe it's just the people I know, though.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

It would make sense that they would sell better at Amazon... why wait for it to be shipped, right? But yeah, whenever I hit the second hand book shop business always seems to be booming there. Ditto for the library.

I love Planet Sub but it's hard to get to for us. The closest one we have is in Zona Rosa.

[sravakavarn.livejournal.com]

Books are very popular, but readership seems to be more selective. I've looked at those numbers and they are literally all over the place, I think its because people are consuming print in ways that make it harder to see how it is being utilized.

Anyway, as for the other companies, none of those surprise me. All of them I predicted would be gone already: border's business model sucks, blockbuster's does too, why does FYE still exist--all of the stores like it have already gone, etc.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Borders business model does suck. They're pushing the coupons really hard right now to get business in, but the savings doesn't really deliver what it promises. People will gleefully save 40% on a paperback, but Borders prefers to stock trade paperbacks which are hefty in price even with the discount. Their CD selection is still okay, but way overpriced. 40% off will net you a CD for still a dollar more than the nearest big box chain. Ooookay. I don't understand and can't account for their lack of inventory though. Barnes & Noble's selection isn't what it used to be, but the most poorly stocked B&N I've ever set foot in still mops the floor of the most well-stocked Borders I've ever been in. You should at least try to keep up with your main competitor, I'd think.

Of course, if they've been stiffing publishers on payments it starts to make more sense...

I don't know how Trans World was making it either, but they gave no sign of being in trouble and the local Streetside always did good business when I was there so the end was still shocking.

[donkeyjon.livejournal.com]

Also, not to continue the doom and gloom too much, but game stores are still closing at an alarming rate. We just don't see many young gamers coming in to replace the older ones who give up on the hobby. And for every GameStop which is making a killing, there's a tabletop game store that's struggling to keep its head above water.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

To be fair there are a lot of tabletop game stores that lose potential customers by ignoring them when they walk in because the store is actually just a clubhouse for them and their six friends who hang out there every day.

[donkeyjon.livejournal.com]

Man, I hate those. They can all close. :)