Image via WikipediaI have always loved books. For as long as I can remember, I have had several bookshelves loaded with books. A lot of them were from different mail order book clubs. One of my favorite book clubs was a club that featured classic literature. Depending on the type of book it was, the book came in a different colored binding. For example, classic American literature came in a navy blue cover and British novelist were green. There were five different colors.Most of the books that I bought in stores were from small stores at the local malls. The stores themselves were small and didn't have a lot of variety. The first big book store that I experienced was a Borders book store in Rockville, MD. I was mesmerized. There were bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling covering every conceivable subject.
On Monday of this week, I went up to the local Borders here in Bowie, MD. It is not as impressive as the first Border's that I went into. I went to the Borders because we were going to be taking our son back to school and I wanted to pick up a couple DVDs for him to watch at school. At the time, the clerk offered me an upgraded membership to their rewards card for $20. It sounded like a good idea at the time.
Yesterday, Borders filed for bankruptcy. My store in Bowie as well as that first store in Rockville happen to be two of the stores that are closing in my area. There is another store nearby that also is scheduled to be closed. Since I just bought the upgraded membership, I decided to see if I could get a refund. I felt kind of bad about asking for a refund given their circumstance, but the clerk gladly gave me money back. She said that today would be the last day they would be giving refunds.
It is sad when a business that you have frequented is headed down this road. Still, the combination of the economy and new technology has led to the decline of sales in places like Borders. With the rise of eReaders like Kindle and Nook, combined with discount stores like Target and Walmart along with websites like Amazon.com have led to an atmosphere where stores like Borders will struggle.
It is really good that they were willing to give you a refund so easily. For they could have just told you to take your place in line for the bankruptcy proceedings.
ReplyDeleteWe have a Borders here in Springfield, MO, but I have never been in the store, nor am I aware of whether or not it will be closing. My wife worked for a Hastings Superstore, here in Springfield, until it closed several years ago. The chain is headquartered in Amarillo, TX, and I do not believe that they any stores east of the Mississippi.