Borders Bookshop in the UK - Page 2

HarryT · 11-23-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

that's a shock - it was open this morning ....

The web site is up, but if try to add anything to your basket it says "Sorry - this item is current unavailable for purchase".

Patricia · 11-23-2009, 11:55 AM

There's a Borders in Cardiff, which I visit fairly often. Also one in Oxford, which is rather good. I like them because they usually have a wide selection of magazines and journals, as well as books. And they have a wider selection than Waterstone's I think. Certainly they have American detective stories that Waterstone's doesn't carry.

Crowl · 11-23-2009, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suecsi

I think they are mainly in the South (but then I rarely venture north of the Watford gap)

They didn't seem particularly common in the south either when I was still living in the uk, not really sure how they could have been uk's favourite as every town where I saw one also had a waterstones too and those also tended to be bigger.

the_callant · 11-23-2009, 05:47 PM

The only Borders I've been in in the UK is one in Inverness, and it was much larger than the Waterstones branch there. I will be sorry to see them go as I agree with the view that they offer the real competition to Waterstones. W H Smiths is to diverse and lacks focus to be a serious rival.

Bilbo1967 · 11-23-2009, 05:51 PM

The Borders in Solihull has been in the throes of a closing down sale for the last few weeks so I should maybe have seen this coming.

Patricia · 11-23-2009, 05:56 PM

As you say, W H Smiths has given up any pretence of selling books other than bestsellers.
Waterstone's has taken over other chains, such as Dillon's, Ottaker's etc. Ten years ago, it used to allow the staff in each store to choose some of the books, so there was quite an interesting selection. Now it is all done centrally and the stores are disappointingly homogenous.
I shall be sorry to see Borders go.

Croker · 11-23-2009, 07:10 PM

There's a Borders here in Liverpool, too, at the Speke Retail Park. Pretty big store, too, incorporating a Starbucks, and a Games/DVD section. I shall be sad to see them go, if only because it leaves the market more or less entirely to Waterstones, which is never a good thing...and I say that as someone who bought their Sony Reader from Waterstones!

garygibsonsf · 11-24-2009, 01:34 AM

I worked for about a year in the Glasgow Borders when it opened and it was frickin' huge. Occupied pretty much an entire city centre block, a building that had previously housed a bank.

That was years ago, but since then they've opened many smaller stores dotted around parts of Glasgow. I have no idea exactly how they run their business - I was but a lowly bookseller - but somehow I'm not surprised to hear they're going down and, er, I always preferred Waterstones, which to my understanding had a much better internal working culture, at least at the time.

The attitude seemed to me to be 'we will dominate and devour', an approach which one would assume would entail some fairly big financial risks, but maybe that's an attitude endemic to all businesses. They came in hard, taking over Books Etc and Paperchase, then seem to my admittedly untrained eye to have stalled at the first sign of recession.
To be honest, my equally uninformed opinion is that the big box bookstores like the Borders in Glasgow or elsewhere have pretty much had their day.

HarryT · 11-24-2009, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patricia

Ten years ago, it used to allow the staff in each store to choose some of the books, so there was quite an interesting selection.

They still seem to do that in Waterstones Manchester - at least as far as recommending books in the shop is concerned.

astra · 11-24-2009, 08:18 AM

I think I have seen on in Brighton and one in London, but favourite Bookstore? They had to make themselves a bit more visible to achieve the title.

poshm · 11-24-2009, 08:37 AM

Well it is one of my favourite bookstores being that they have such a great selection which makes stores like WHSmiths look like absolute rubbish in comparison. And being that many of the individual book stores have gone bust it is depressing to think the big chains are also going the same way.

I mean I love the Internet but it isn't the same as being able to browse in a good book shop. I do many impulse buys in bricks and mortar shops and not online.

HarryT · 11-24-2009, 12:40 PM

BBC News story on the subject:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8376394.stm

Apparently, Borders has 45 stores across the UK. I don't know how many Waterstones has, but it must be many times that.

Riocaz · 11-24-2009, 01:18 PM

According to wiki waterstones has/had 303 stores in 2009

Rumpelteazer · 11-24-2009, 02:34 PM

There is/was a Borders in the Bullring in Birmingham which had a good selection of books, they had more horror than both the Waterstones stores nearby.

A couple of years ago the one on Oxford Street in London had a wide range of horror books, also by relatively unknown writers but when I went there earlier this year they only had the books written by big authors.

bbusybookworm · 11-25-2009, 05:31 AM

My Sister and I used to spend Ages in the Borders Bookstore in Brighton when we were living there for studies. With a limited budget, and a limited selection (At leats of what we wanted to read) in the Library, it was our favourite hangout after school.

We used to head over there usually after Dinner (Though would often give the Curry at the Dorm a miss and gradb a £1 Pizza outside) and spend a good 3-4 hours there 3 to 4 days a week.

The staff used to be very friendly, and with the cafe there offering unlimited refils of coffee for £1.50 it was nice place to spend an evening. Watersones was the only serious competitor there, and it was no where as accommodation of people reading there then, and usually had less choice and was more expensive to boot.

I'll be sad to see them go, thoug I can understand part of the reason they are in trouble. With So few store compared to Waterstones who has learned from them and has copied a lot of the successful trimming, its hard to competitive. And with Amazon usually being cheaper and having a wider selection available then any physical store its stooped a lot of people like me (Pre Ebook Reader that is) from making a special trip to get rarely available imports. I used to make a point of visiting the Oxford street or Birmingham stores when I went there to pick up new books, but once I started using Amazon regularly (And Especially after they introduced Super Saver Delivery) couldn't be bothered.

Having said that, I'm probably going to Visit the Oxford Street store the day after (Can I call it a Pilgrimage

) as I'm in London for a couple of days and I'll be down that way anyway (Got to do some shopping

)

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11-23-2009, 11:55 AM	#17
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	There's a Borders in Cardiff, which I visit fairly often. Also one in Oxford, which is rather good. I like them because they usually have a wide selection of magazines and journals, as well as books. And they have a wider selection than Waterstone's I think. Certainly they have American detective stories that Waterstone's doesn't carry.

11-23-2009, 05:47 PM	#19
the_callant Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 94 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scottish Borders Device: Kindle Oasis/Kindle Scribe/Kindle PW Signature	The only Borders I've been in in the UK is one in Inverness, and it was much larger than the Waterstones branch there. I will be sorry to see them go as I agree with the view that they offer the real competition to Waterstones. W H Smiths is to diverse and lacks focus to be a serious rival.

11-23-2009, 05:51 PM	#20
Bilbo1967 Not scared! Posts: 13,424 Karma: 81011643 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Midlands, UK Device: Kindle Paperwhite 10, Huawei M5 10	The Borders in Solihull has been in the throes of a closing down sale for the last few weeks so I should maybe have seen this coming.

11-23-2009, 05:56 PM	#21
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	As you say, W H Smiths has given up any pretence of selling books other than bestsellers. Waterstone's has taken over other chains, such as Dillon's, Ottaker's etc. Ten years ago, it used to allow the staff in each store to choose some of the books, so there was quite an interesting selection. Now it is all done centrally and the stores are disappointingly homogenous. I shall be sorry to see Borders go.

11-23-2009, 07:10 PM	#22
Croker Connoisseur Posts: 94 Karma: 630 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kobo Libra Colour, obv.	There's a Borders here in Liverpool, too, at the Speke Retail Park. Pretty big store, too, incorporating a Starbucks, and a Games/DVD section. I shall be sad to see them go, if only because it leaves the market more or less entirely to Waterstones, which is never a good thing...and I say that as someone who bought their Sony Reader from Waterstones!

11-24-2009, 01:34 AM	#23
garygibsonsf Addict Posts: 321 Karma: 432192 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite	I worked for about a year in the Glasgow Borders when it opened and it was frickin' huge. Occupied pretty much an entire city centre block, a building that had previously housed a bank. That was years ago, but since then they've opened many smaller stores dotted around parts of Glasgow. I have no idea exactly how they run their business - I was but a lowly bookseller - but somehow I'm not surprised to hear they're going down and, er, I always preferred Waterstones, which to my understanding had a much better internal working culture, at least at the time. The attitude seemed to me to be 'we will dominate and devour', an approach which one would assume would entail some fairly big financial risks, but maybe that's an attitude endemic to all businesses. They came in hard, taking over Books Etc and Paperchase, then seem to my admittedly untrained eye to have stalled at the first sign of recession. To be honest, my equally uninformed opinion is that the big box bookstores like the Borders in Glasgow or elsewhere have pretty much had their day.

11-24-2009, 08:18 AM	#25
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I think I have seen on in Brighton and one in London, but favourite Bookstore? They had to make themselves a bit more visible to achieve the title.

11-24-2009, 08:37 AM	#26
poshm Fanatic Posts: 581 Karma: 1003580 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cambs, UK Device: PocketBook 360, Sony Reader Touch, Ipod touch & Kindle 2	Well it is one of my favourite bookstores being that they have such a great selection which makes stores like WHSmiths look like absolute rubbish in comparison. And being that many of the individual book stores have gone bust it is depressing to think the big chains are also going the same way. I mean I love the Internet but it isn't the same as being able to browse in a good book shop. I do many impulse buys in bricks and mortar shops and not online.

11-24-2009, 12:40 PM	#27
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	BBC News story on the subject: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8376394.stm Apparently, Borders has 45 stores across the UK. I don't know how many Waterstones has, but it must be many times that.

11-24-2009, 01:18 PM	#28
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	According to wiki waterstones has/had 303 stores in 2009

11-24-2009, 02:34 PM	#29
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,401 Karma: 27919658 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	There is/was a Borders in the Bullring in Birmingham which had a good selection of books, they had more horror than both the Waterstones stores nearby. A couple of years ago the one on Oxford Street in London had a wide range of horror books, also by relatively unknown writers but when I went there earlier this year they only had the books written by big authors.

11-25-2009, 05:31 AM	#30
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 1,027 Karma: 10080 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Earth Device: iPad, MotoXStyle, OnePlusOne	My Sister and I used to spend Ages in the Borders Bookstore in Brighton when we were living there for studies. With a limited budget, and a limited selection (At leats of what we wanted to read) in the Library, it was our favourite hangout after school. We used to head over there usually after Dinner (Though would often give the Curry at the Dorm a miss and gradb a £1 Pizza outside) and spend a good 3-4 hours there 3 to 4 days a week. The staff used to be very friendly, and with the cafe there offering unlimited refils of coffee for £1.50 it was nice place to spend an evening. Watersones was the only serious competitor there, and it was no where as accommodation of people reading there then, and usually had less choice and was more expensive to boot. I'll be sad to see them go, thoug I can understand part of the reason they are in trouble. With So few store compared to Waterstones who has learned from them and has copied a lot of the successful trimming, its hard to competitive. And with Amazon usually being cheaper and having a wider selection available then any physical store its stooped a lot of people like me (Pre Ebook Reader that is) from making a special trip to get rarely available imports. I used to make a point of visiting the Oxford street or Birmingham stores when I went there to pick up new books, but once I started using Amazon regularly (And Especially after they introduced Super Saver Delivery) couldn't be bothered. Having said that, I'm probably going to Visit the Oxford Street store the day after (Can I call it a Pilgrimage ) as I'm in London for a couple of days and I'll be down that way anyway (Got to do some shopping )