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Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

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Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#51

Post by mangodrunk »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #41

The latest episode of the "Decoder Ring" podcast is about the rise and fall of indie booksellers + Barnes and Noble in NYC through the lens of "The Shop Around the Corner" and "You've Got Mail". In the movies, the (thinly veiled) B&N is the big bad and it examines just why that is and sort of why people were so against it for what now seems like stupid reasons: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decoder-ring/

I will checkout the podcast, thanks for linking it.

To me, B&N is still the big bad, even though a bigger badder entity is out there. To me, indie bookstores are far better than any B&N and amazon because they hire minimum wage workers whereas the indie store is a small business that will give an opportunity to people within the community to run the business the way they want and reaping most of the benefits of the business.

Also, indie bookstores give variety and are (hopefully) different from any other bookstore in varying degress.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#52

Post by mangodrunk »

subhro wrote: post #46

I was under the impression that One of the major reason that B&N suffered for was price. Even if being able to “feel and browse” the bookshelf exists in physical store, how does this work when someone uses B&N as a discovery tool?

I actually do the opposite. I use amazon as a discovery tool and then go to indie bookstores.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#53

Post by sherr »

mackatsol wrote: post #22
toyg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just as “safe bet” - margins are higher on new hardbacks.

I wish we were more like the UK.. there the hardcover, trade and paperback editions all ship at the same time unlike here where you might have to wait a year for the paperback.

I'm in the UK and I don't think that's generally true. You usually have to wait quite a while for the paperback to be released after the hardback is out. Sometimes a year. A pain sometimes but usually something I don't mind living with, as I am never short of things to read. And if the book is good, I might buy the hardback.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#54

Post by crazygringo »

> The carpets were dusty, and the escalators had broken down. A cheap pine table was littered with trinkets and scented candles. A vase was wedged between new titles, its bouquet of sunflowers sagging in brown water.

This is a really bizarre intro. I've been going to the Union Square B&N regularly for years. It's perfectly fine, normal retail condition and as busy as ever.

The carpets are clean, the escalators don't seem to break down any more often than anywhere else, and what does a "cheap" pine table even mean? This article is making it sound like a K-Mart or something.

It just makes it hard for me to trust the rest of the article when the narrative it starts with seems so blatantly prejudiced ("littered" with "trinkets"?), from my first-hand experience.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#55

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

mumblemumble wrote: post #50
specialist wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very interesting point about board games. Thanks. I worked at Starbucks in Store Planning while they were trying to figure out how to makes their stores be a "third place" (early 1990s). Small stages for unplugged sets. Fire places. Big tables for study groups. I'm just a computer guy, but I always felt Starbuck's merchandising strategy sabotaged those efforts. WotC had great success for a short while as board gaming…

Way back in the day, this was ultimately why my high school friends and I went from frequenting Barnes & Noble to frequenting Borders. B&N had the overall nicer environment and a better book selection, but Borders had a halfway decent café. That made going there a better social event: We could grab a table and some coffees and sit around and chat. Anyone who wanted to spend a while browsing the books could do so with…

I'm not sure this model scales if you have all the rental, staffing, and admin costs of a giant bookshop next to your cafe.

Indies can make it work because their costs are relatively small, and if they're good local people get attached to them.

Waterstones in the UK can just about make it work, because they choose not-too-large middle class locations and design their interiors to match.

B&N don't seem to have understood the appeal of a cozy vibe. The stores always feel like a book warehouse that's trying to impress you with its sheer scale rather than somewhere you can chill on your own terms.

So it's hard to imagine the same model working for a big corporate paying for big box/mall floor space.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#56

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

sherr wrote: post #53
mackatsol wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish we were more like the UK.. there the hardcover, trade and paperback editions all ship at the same time unlike here where you might have to wait a year for the paperback.

I'm in the UK and I don't think that's generally true. You usually have to wait quite a while for the paperback to be released after the hardback is out. Sometimes a year. A pain sometimes but usually something I don't mind living with, as I am never short of things to read. And if the book is good, I might buy the hardback.

I've never known it to be true. The industry staggers the editions - i.e. makes readers wait - precisely because there are much bigger margins on hardbacks and trade paperbacks, so they sell first to the enthusiasts and fans who must have the latest X now, and/or want a collectable.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#57

Post by briefcomment »

aksss wrote: post #6

We have one large B&N in town - diverse selection of books and mags, clean, and a sizable quasi-Starbucks cafe with tons of power outlets. I really enjoy it, and frankly compared to our indie bookshops, I prefer it - its volume, sterility, service and anonymity combined with familiarity and an unpretentious attitude. I don't need to see the same homely indie bookmonger making eye contact with me every time I walk in…

What I'm really looking for when I go to a bookstore is a place to relax. I want to sit somewhere comfortable, be able to use my computer, and, when the urge comes, be able to browse books.

To that end, B&Ns with Starbuckses are pretty good. Would love to see an expanded seating area, better seating (arm-chairs, couches), coffee tables instead of just 'meal' tables, good outdoor lighting and/or non-harsh lighting (closer to the red spectrum than the blue), and interesting layouts.

Does anyone else feel the need for something like this in their community? In the city I live in, the only public places that are remotely like this, and allow me to sit for long periods of time someplace comfortable, are Starbuckses and the one B&N. Even other coffee shops don't have the ambience and comfortable seating of some Starbuckses. And our library has incredibly harsh lighting. I'm either stuck at home, at the office, or a Starbucks. If B&N had a large and comfortable alternative, I'd go there every day. Heck, I'd even 'subscribe' to have access to a place like this.

Re: Barnes and Noble’s new plan is to act like an indie bookseller

#58

Post by davidro »

mackatsol wrote: post #22
toyg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just as “safe bet” - margins are higher on new hardbacks.

I wish we were more like the UK.. there the hardcover, trade and paperback editions all ship at the same time unlike here where you might have to wait a year for the paperback.

should have checked my facts. :-)
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