Quote:
Originally Posted by michaelmiller
I always found Borders store layout a lot better than Waterstones, but their prices a lot more expensive than both Waterstones and WH Smith. I would browse Borders noting all the new books then buy them elsewhere at a better price.
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I'm not sure if Waterstones cheaper - we've had one in Dundee for years and I can count on one hand how many visits I'm made since Borders opened here and and don't need to use a single digit to do so - but we (my Mother and I) often browse the large selection and then leave off purchasing until we check prices elsewhere.
Still can't figure how the books with only US/Canada prices on them are the same price in pounds as dollars. I find that the books obviously from the prices printed on the back as imported are marked as $6.99 or $7.99 and the store just replaces the dollar sign with a pound and take £6.99/£7.99. But I digress.
Borders have the best selection for us and has introduced us to a lot of new authors but their prices - like all bookstores in our area - are generally the full price marked on the reverse. And shopping online especially through stores like Amazon can save you up to a third of the price sometimes more. Hence they get the business.
Not so say I haven't poured a lot of money into our local stores, I have, we have as our store stocks a lot of local books that are difficult to find elsewhere. Also the stock at WH Smith was alright but only seem to stock major authors like Nora Roberts and Stephanie Laurens - not to say they are not good authors but sometimes you want to try someone new and the selection just isn't there and what is there is limited.
Also our Borders has the books laid out and clearly marked, no need to trawl through all fiction to find a new book in a particular genre. Our Waterstones has all fiction intertwined under author name. Alright if you're going for a particular book but no good if your browsing for a new author to peruse.
Our Borders store is pretty diverse, while there is a lot of books to window shop, including a well stocked child's library which is handy for my three young nephews, there are also a nice selection of gifts - some quite unusual - and every magazine you could need and a large selection of cut price DVD's, an outlet of the game store and also a Starbuck's on the upper level of the store.
We often spend at least a hour to hour and a half browsing through all areas, having a cup of iced coffee and relaxing. I find the layout quite refreshing when you consider the cramp outlets of WHSmith and Waterstones we have available. Easy to find what you want and not too crammed that you feel claustrophobic.
A real shame if we loose it as it is only around three years old and cost two million to build at the time according to reports when it opened. They actually built the two storey building in what at the time was a new commercial park. Basically a long line of major retailers in the city centre area. It's a good area to shop and local enough to walk if you don't have a car or rely on public transport. We waited patiently - or rather impatiently to be honest - while the shop was built as we knew what was being built and our area badly needed a bookstore as we had only one small Waterstone outlet after our Ottakar's closed down.