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For those of you who have followed my blog for some time now, you know that I used to work as a manager at a bookstore for about 10+ years. I have since been a very part-time bookseller since I was laid off 2 1/2 years ago. I have never said what company I worked for because I wished to be anonymous, considering i still worked for the company.
With the recent news of Borders Bookstores going into complete liquidation, I feel this is the right time to share with you all that Borders was the company that I worked for.
I share this with you all because of the intense grief I feel about it all. For the last two days since the announcement, not surprising to those in the field, I have spent many moments reminiscing with old co-workers, friends and fans about our experiences with working at
our wonderful bookstores.
Everyone has their favorite bookstore and Borders may not be it for many but it was 13 years of learning for me with wonderful people of similar nature.
I am saddened by the turn of events and wish luck to the 1000s of employees
who are going to be out of a job.
If you happen to be near a Borders store and wish to shop, be kind. Liquidators take over and it becomes a mean, flee market, crazy type sale where customers elbow you out of the way and outbid each other. Unfortunate. But the Borders employees are still behind those registers.
I will be one of them. They will be sad, tired and not wanting to "haggle" with you because you might be too cheap to pay $1.00 for the latest Janet Evanovich. (sigh)
And, please, if you have an opinion against Borders, refrain from "I told you sos". bleh.
A fallen bookstore is a fallen bookstore and it hurts us all...all booksellers alike.
This is a huge blow to the book industry and I am too sad to write anymore.
Peace.
red headed book child
16 comments:
My heart goes out to you and all the other Borders employees out there during this time. It is sad. Terribly so.
I am so sad to see my local Borders close. I have spent so so many happy hours browsing and buying in that store. The folks who work there greet me as an old friend. I went in today and used my last two gift cards. I could sense a change in the air - and it broke my heart. I doubt I will go back - i have no desire to see a place I love so much dismantled.
I have so many happy memories with Borders, I feel your pain. I shared my feelings earlier this week too... I'm going to have to go in and pay my respects soon.
I'm damn sad that all the Borders are closing. I go to the one in Coon Rapids/Andover. I loved going there to shop. For me they always had a wide selection of books compared to other store and some of the nicest sales people, always wanting to help you.
Not that I hate BN, but I did prefer Borders over them. But I guess once my store is closed I'll end up going back to them.
((HUGS))
It is sad when any business fails. Hugs and this made me want to use my GC sooner. HUgs
This makes me SO sad. I was never lucky enough to have a Borders near me but I always visited it when I was out of town. It's really not fair that Borders has to close. I'm going to have to visit one before it closes.
I'm so sorry. Our local Border's closed in the spring. Each time we stopped by it was crowded and I remember thinking that if that many people had shopped there beforehand maybe things wouldn't have gone so far.
So sorry :(
Oh sweetie. How sad.
Great advice on being kind to the employees. Sometimes those places turn into mayhem and it's easy to get swept up into that.
My condolences. I've been on the inside during a retail "fire sale," and you're dead on in how you describe it. Hopefully customers will find bargains, but remember not to gloat at a funeral.
It's disheartening as a reader to hear about a bookstore of all places to close down, but even more so simply as a person to see so many employees lose their jobs. Ugh. SO sad. :(
I'm so sad and sorry for you and all the other Borders employees. Borders was always my go-to place for books, and when I was in HS and college, all I ever wanted for Christmas and my birthday was a Borders gift certificate.
I'm sure the next days will be hard for you and all your co-workers - hang in there. :(
I'm really sorry to you and everyone at Borders. I was an assistant manager at Waldenbooks when it closed, so I know how you feel. Customers can definitely get pushy during those final days...
I am really depressed about Borders closing. There's only one in my area, but it was my bookstore of choice, even though B&N was closer to me. I loved being a Borders Rewards Plus member. I loved going there to drink coffee with my sister and buy books. I'm SO SAD that when new books come out that I'm waiting for, I won't be able to make a trip to Borders to pick it up.
Anyways, I'm in mourning with you, and wish you best of luck.
I'm so sorry, Michelle. I know it's hard when a favorite store closes, but do be the one that you've loved working for, that makes it even harder. Hang in there. =O)
I'm heartborken by this. I've never been a regular shopper, at least not for years, of Borders. I think it's sad though and a huge loss to the bookish community.
I understand about the fire sale crap though. My roomate was a manager of Wilson's Leather when it went out of buisness and he told me quite a few stories of how people acted.
This is so sad! I have heard of Borders and how people love it, even though I live in another country. My thoughts go out to all the people who are out of jobs, and also to those who loved the bookstore.
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