This makes me want to stab Borders management in the eye.
I mean, WTF, Borders? No, really. WTF? I understand your stores are failing and you are losing money and people are buying ebooks. But hello, just quietly fold up and go away rather than selling your soul like this.
I used to like you, Borders. Better than Barnes & Noble, even, and I worked at Barnes & Noble once upon a time. But this is just too much. What’s next? A Dippin’ Dots counter in the store? A ball crawl for the kiddies?
Stab, stab, stab.
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this is so disappointing. even worse than b. dalton’s paint-your-own-pottery station. and did you hear that b&n is up for sale?
Yes! They just closed that huge one in Manhattan, too. And while I love indie bookstores, sadly, they’re always closing. It’s a pretty sad day when even the giant bookstores can no longer stay in business without resorting to things that have nothing to do with books.
Who Builds a Bear, anyway? Why would you do this?
Kids build lots of bears. Mine has done it several times. B-A-B offers birthday parties, and they also host events for Girl Scouts and other kid clubs. I’ve seen teenagers and grandma-types build them, too.
Build-A-Bear is weathering the recession better than one might expect. I wish I could remember where I read this — basically, they saw what was coming and reduced the price of the bears, but not the prices of all the crap you buy to put on the bears. So: Your kid sees a bear at the mall, asks if they can build one, you see the $10 price tag for just the bear, and you think “Sure, why not.” 20 minutes later the bear has a full rollerblading outfit, and you’re out $40.
There’s still not a particularly kid-friendly e-reader, and it’s unlikely to happen soon (i.e., this year). Children’s lit is an area where bookstores can maintain some power, and retail for children generally benefits from cross-pollination. (Have a peek inside a Justice clothes store sometime…a third of the store space is dedicated to stuff you can’t wear.)
It’s also already happening at Borders. YA looks like Twilight-R-Us these days. Doesn’t make it any less depressing (or likely to be more successful…).
Oh, Erin. You have to ruin my rant with reality.
It’s definitely depressing. I don’t know what I would do if I owned a book. The saddest part is, my husband and I talked for years about starting our own used/new bookstore, maybe when we retire. By then, there probably won’t be any brick and mortar stores left.