B&N (More bad on top of ... you know...)

[DiapDealer]

Moderator Notice
Some are flirting dangerously with political commentary in this thread. Cut it out, or take it to the opt-in Politics & Religion section where such conversation is permitted.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I never was much of a mall person, but malls used to be a social center for teenagers and young adults -- like downtowns were before malls. I think what is really killing malls is the same thing that is killing brick an mortar stores in general -- the Internet. Kids' and young adults' social center is now Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and (for some, I guess) Facebook. I don't know them all, but I'm sure there's others. I wasn't much for malls, but I think it was healthier than this isolation of virtual reality.

There is a lot of truth to this, but a lot of kids are also hanging out at places that have stuff to do - Movie theatres, Dave and Busters and the like, or they will hang at someone's house.

Locally, the traditional department store mall is dying, but a less traditional, out door mall are booming. Some of it is knowing your customers. The booming outdoor mall near me is very upscale and caters to the affluent, upscale crowd. It is a mixed use mall with condos and stores and has all the right stores - Whole Food, Apple, Tesla, plus a lot of upscale clothing shops and a high tech movie theater.

There are other outdoor malls that are centered around things like Lowes, Walmart, Costco and the like. It's all about knowing your customer base and what they are looking for.

I suspect that local bookstores that make it tend to have something unique about them that appeals to the local market. Maybe it's a very knowledgeable staff, maybe it's social, maybe it's simply a favorable financial situation.

[SleepyBob]

This reminds me I got some gift cards to use up.

[HLS]

If they advertised the New nook and sold the cases at the same time they may have a much better holiday season sales. It seems like B&N does not even try

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by kcladyz

If they advertised the New nook and sold the cases at the same time they may have a much better holiday season sales. It seems like B&N does not even try

Yeah, they spent however much on developing the device, then used some spare change to advertise it.

I remember the commercial for the original Sook STwG was what convinced me to go check one out.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by filmo

Indoor malls have higher heating cooling costs. I've seen some converted to outdoor malls 30 years ago and many more recently.

A relative works at home online for a major insurance company and just moved from San Francisco to Arizona for lower cost of living and less traffic.

A dying indoor mall in my area was remade as an outlet mall with no roof over the main area between the stores. I wondered why they did that - to me part of the appeal of an indoor mall would be you wouldn't have to deal with putting on and removing a coat, or using an umbrella between stores in inclement weather.

I do like having brick-and-mortar stores for things like clothing and shoes that I need to try on; also for electronics that I would prefer to see in person before buying. As long as the cost isn't outrageously higher than online I'm willing to pay a slightly higher price for the convenience of trying out the goods and being able to take my purchase home right away.

I have to admit I hardly ever go to a physical bookstore anymore even though there is still a Barnes and Noble in the local mall, and an independent bookstore downtown. I do all my reading as ebooks and I get them online.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Some are flirting dangerously with political commentary in this thread. Cut it out, or take it to the opt-in Politics & Religion section where such conversation is permitted.

If you're not living on the edge, you're not living.

[Pizza_Cant_Read]

I don't feel sorry for B&N anymore. Only for the consumers left with fewer options every day. If someone wins a billion dollars in the lottery, you should hook up with Kovid to make an ereader designed with calibre in mind.

Like someone else said, they aren't even trying. Saving money is supposed to be a path towards having more money in the future. Spending money on inventory and staff is an *investment*.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Pizza_Cant_Read

I don't feel sorry for B&N anymore. Only for the consumers left with fewer options every day. If someone wins a billion dollars in the lottery, you should hook up with Kovid to make an ereader designed with calibre in mind.

Like someone else said, they aren't even trying. Saving money is supposed to be a path towards having more money in the future. Spending money on inventory and staff is an *investment*.

They would rather keep on paying dividends to the stockholders until they drain all value from the company. I'm guessing the end game is for Ingram to buy their backend facilities since it is the only thing of value B&N actually owns. They have no IP, the stores are leased, and the stock is all consignment.

And their name is quickly becoming Mudd.

[barryem]

I recently bought a Nook Glowlight 3. If B&N goes under, which is beginning to look likely, I'll never be able to reset that thing again since it gives no way to get past registration. And that's also true for my Nook Glowlight Plus.

I don't care that much about the Glowlight Plus but I do enjoy the Glowlight 3 and I'd hate to be unable to use it for sideloaded books. Maybe I'll have to look into another OS for it while I still can.

Barry

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by barryem

I recently bought a Nook Glowlight 3. If B&N goes under, which is beginning to look likely, I'll never be able to reset that thing again since it gives no way to get past registration. And that's also true for my Nook Glowlight Plus.

I don't care that much about the Glowlight Plus but I do enjoy the Glowlight 3 and I'd hate to be unable to use it for sideloaded books. Maybe I'll have to look into another OS for it while I still can.

Barry

Oh man, I hadn't thought of this. I was seriously considering buying the Glowlight 3, I really like the way it feels in my hand. Bummer.
S

[cromag]

I stopped in to the local Circuit City after they got rid of the experienced personnel. It was so bad I couldn't even laugh.

Anyway, I have an ongoing problem with a Nook subscription, the Asimov's/Analog Combo subscription. Bottom line, I get both magazines for the price of one, so I don't want to let it go. For the second time, now, I have gotten Asimov's on time but no sign of Analog. This happened last December for the Jan/Feb issues, and just happened again for the Mar/Apr issues.

I just got off the phone with B&N customer support. It took 10 minutes to get the service rep to understand my problem. Then, she repeated the problem back to me, confirmed that Analog should have been there, said she didn't know why it wasn't ... and seemed to think I'd accept that as a reasonable answer and hang up.

I insisted on speaking to the manager and, after 10 more minutes, at least got a commitment to have the magazine by Monday. I honestly don't think it will happen, but we'll see. The supervisor seemed surprised when I asked for her name before hanging up.

I can get individual subscriptions at Amazon, but it would cost twice as much. If they continue to screw up, I guess I'll have to.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Gardenman

I went into the B&N closest to me today and the whole nook section was shut down. No tablets and no eink readers. The Nook desk was there but it was being used to store other things. The only thing for sale were covers for the glowlight 3.

which store?

[Gardenman]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gardenman
I went into the B&N closest to me today and the whole nook section was shut down. No tablets and no eink readers. The Nook desk was there but it was being used to store other things. The only thing for sale were covers for the glowlight 3.

Originally Posted by Nate the great

which store?

One in Northern California

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by Gardenman

One in Northern California

thanks!