1) They didn't have a successful mail-order business to fall back on to help revenue (people forget that Barnes & Noble has one of the very few successful online bookstores that could compete against Amazon.com).
2) Borders should have sold its own branded name e-book reader to leverage its well-known name, just as Amazon and Barnes & Noble has successfully done.
It's too bad--Borders periodical section was excellent.
BlockBuster Video is next.
In addition, book retailers online offer huge discounts, and I don’t really think people are buying books like they used to. I worked for a specialty retailer, and our book sales dropped about 70% since 2000. Borders also encourages and allows and invites people in to sit and read the books in the store, so what is the sale incentive to pay full price for a book or magazine when you can read it free!
3) It hired and catered to liberals almost exclusively.
I knew I should have gone for the Kindle. :(
I am now debating an e-reader purchase. The two biggest obstacles are: (a) budget when I am burdened with fiscally supporting my mother and brother (b) possible redundancy with the idea of getting a smart phone and/or tablet computer.
Borders biggest mistake was to turn over its on-line book ordering business to Amazon ten years ago. No kidding.
I remember when (mid-late ‘70’s) they were just a smallish store in Ann Arbor just a half block from U of M’s Diag on State St. They expanded into the space next door, or upstairs, or both and I thought “What a neat store!” This was before they moved to their current location around the corner in the old Jacobson’s department store.
I love Half Price Books. Got a couple in the Twin Cities. I think they’re a private company so I have no idea how successful they are.
I just got the Kobo reader that Borders sells. It supports the epub format, so where I am not locked into buying ebooks from them.
Fantastic newsstand although they disappointed me of late in reducing the availability/number of UK papers. Yes the UK papers have web sites but their hard copy editions are still unbeatable for content and design.
I preferred the semi-chaos of Borders to the annoying look-at-this-not-that displays at B&N.
Maybe it’s coincidence but all the Borders I visit are packed with customers.
I’m thinking Facebook and Twitter have something to do with this. Borders was a younger crowd, geek hangout, drink coffee and hope to score kind place. Social media offers other opportunities for hanging out and the initial ice breaking has already happened on the hoping to score crowd.
Sad thing is I much prefer Borders for the brick and mortar store