The Watchtower of Destruction: The Ferrett's Journal - Oh Guys, Guys
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09:28 am
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Oh Guys, Guys
I like Borders. I used to work for Borders. I want Borders to succeed. But they're not going to with terrible, cookie-cutter generic advertisements like this:
It's really the period that gets me here. They're introducing a real bookstore. Online. Because, you know, before this day no bookstore had ever been revealed to the public, and certainly not one that's been kicking their ass on Wall Street for the past eight years.
I suspect, based on a decade-old knowledge of Borders corporate culture, that they're still clinging to the idea that electronic old Amazon is just some floaty thing in space, cold and ugly, while Borders actually has the mystical power of books that they pile in rooms and sell to the public. When I worked at Borders HQ, there was this slightly-snobby idea that other people could sell objects, to be sure, but to sell books involved a certain panache. Selling books was a secret lore for erudite people, involving an intellect you couldn't hone upon something as tawdry as the latest U2 CD or a box of detergent, and folks who visited a bookstore were special inheritors of our prized knowledge.
So I suspect when they say "real," it's a dig at Amazon - "They sell iced tea and PS3s and gardening supplies! But us! We're a bookstore! Love us!"
But if you don't buy into the specialness of the concept that physical booksellers are the guardians of secret knowledge - as I suspect most of you don't - then this advertisement seems to be tapdancing in the corner, squeezed against the wall by the ass of the large elephant in the room. They're a bookstore. Online. So what? We have one of those, and most of us buy shit from it already. How are you different?
Got news for you, chumley - Amazon.com does the job so well, we already suspect you of being incompetent. They're the guys who have the mystical knowledge of how to sell things online, and you? There is a big learning curve. Before you're out of the gate, I wonder about your selection, your convenience, and your security, and you haven't told me a damn thing about your new bookstore - online - that differentiates you.
You might as well have sent me an email that said, "ADVERTISEMENT. PLEASE GIVE US MONEY."
Plus, you're slow-rolling the coupon. In a world where I have to hack through my spam filter to get at the real mail, do you not realize that "valuable coupons" fall like rain from the sky? Can you give me a hint as to what this valuable coupon - online - might consist of? Because if it's like a 20% discount at your store, which I already vaguely suspect of being second-rate, then I'm going to be pissed.
Dudes, just be honest. Tell me what you've got that makes you different from Amazon. The fact that you don't either indicates that a) you don't really have a clue as to how tough selling things online is, b) you don't really know why you're different from Amazon at all, or c) both. And that worries me.
Loves to my homeys at Borders, man, but just... Do better than this. Please.
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Selling books was a secret lore for erudite people, involving an intellect you couldn't hone upon something as tawdry as the latest U2 CD or a box of detergent, and folks who visited a bookstore were special inheritors of our prized knowledge.
Wow, that's the best description I think I've ever heard of what I've called the mass ritual suicide of independent bookstores.
I just had an issue with Borders. I ordered two books online, to pick up at my local Borders store. I received a notice that they shipped, but never anything saying I could pick them up. However, the books had arrived at the store on 6/13. I gave them a few days, then went by to get pick them up. I was informed by the manager that they received no customer orders at all. And that I have to wait longer, obviously. I waited yet another week, and called, and was again informed that they've received no customer orders. I told them I had the tracking info which shows it being delivered 6/13, etc etc. It took two more calls before someone finally offered to just get the books from what they have on the shelves in order to fulfill the order. It was just frustrating, having people tell me there was nothing I could do aside from wait.
That was the end of my rant. :)
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/21323477/845215) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) groblek |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 04:14 pm (UTC) |
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Yeah, an experience like that got me to take all my special-orders to the local independent bookstore, where they'd have the books for me by the end of the week, and actually bother to call and let me know they'd received it, rather than my never hearing from them.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/339930/17081) | | From: | plinko |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 01:41 pm (UTC) |
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And dude...what's up with the graphics? A curtain... Okay, I get a stage curtain. But what's with the dots? It looks like your theater is growing some sort of bacterial culture... THIS DOES NOT ENTICE ME TO BUY BOOKS.
Are those supposed to be reminiscent of champagne bubbles? Like, to signify that this is an important event?
As someone who formerly worked at Borders HQ (from 2000-2005 in the marketing dept., including a stint for the coupon group) this just makes me sad. Especially since back in 2002, BGI decided that they couldn't compete with Amazon & partnered with them to have an online bookstore. Then there were 3 different "regime" changes at the HQ, wherein the people brought in worked for Coca-Cola, Jewel-Osco, and GM. So, I'm not even sure Borders is truely a "bookstore" anymore, because for the past 10 years, they haven't run it like one. Basically, the ship is sinking, and has been for some time.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/44746800/524323) | | From: | jdotmi |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 01:49 pm (UTC) |
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2001. It was announced in April. Some Wednesday in April at that. It was annoying.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/33961341/3640767) | | From: | merle_ |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 01:47 pm (UTC) |
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So I suspect when they say "real," it's a dig at Amazon - "They sell iced tea and PS3s and gardening supplies! But us! We're a bookstore! Love us!"
But.. but.. Borders sells iced tea, CDs, DVDs, ...
Okay. They don't sell gardening supplies, I'll give you that.
Borders did at one point. Ahh the Smith and Hawken promotions of a few years ago. Because when you think Borders you think gardening gloves and hand trowels!
Ha. I just deleted that email (and coupon) after briefly skimming and figuring out it holds no special value whatsoever.
| | From: | jdotmi |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 01:48 pm (UTC) |
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That has got to be the blandest ad I've seen us put out. Let's see how much else I can say without my boss killing me. :-p
Amazon is Borders biggest competitor. As in, "who cares about B&N". Well, okay, maybe not quite that extreme, but you get the idea. It gets stressed at the big company meetings all the time. Borders made the mistake of giving Borders.com to Amazon back in 2001 (I know, I worked for borders.com at the time -_-, nothing like coming in to an emergency meeting that was called the afternoon before and having co-workers with copies of the NYT with the CEO of Amazon and Borders shaking hands on the front cover) and to say we've been kicking ourselves for it is an understatement. :-p Of course, the people in charge of that decision are no longer with the company, so take that as you will.
The "real" phrase isn't a dig at Amazon. The goal on the site design is to make the site feel like a bricks and mortar bookstore as opposed to just a web boutique. Did you see the old Borders.com before Amazon had it? Oy. Really. It was painful in the "please kill me" meaning of the phrase. I like our new site. It needs a lot of work to catch up to Amazon, but the base is solid. It just needs the content and polish to finish it up. Hopefully that's all in place soon so they can have the actual Grand Opening of the site.
so, what division are you in?
This is funny in a sad kind of way because to me, Borders and B&N were the nasty big box bookstores that drove my beloved independents out of business. So Borders' present problems mostly make me think things like Live by the sword, die by the sword and many other karmic sayings.
Everything you wrote in your post went through my mind the minute I saw that ad, before I even read your post. Holy bad idea.
I'm thoroughly enjoying your Clarion posts.
Someone I work with gave me Borders gift cards for Christmas - I just tried to use them a few weeks ago to order books online.
I had to re-do the order 3 times because the shopping cart was malfunctioning and I couldn't check out. I gave up and tried again the next day.
If I didn't have a gift card I would of just given up and gone to Amazon (or even better - my local library since I'm trying to not buy books I'm only going to read once and then forget about) - but I had the damn gift card I had to use.
That being said - that ad is pathetic, and I'm glad I turned off HTML emails so I don't even have to look at it because the mess of text and links I get instead is about as appealing as that ad.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/62283567/6957709) | | From: | kmg_365 |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 02:24 pm (UTC) |
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I think whoever designed the ad needs to be kicked squaw in the nutz. Seriosuly. What the fuck is with the istockphoto curtain and the polka dots?
I certainly hope someone paid them to design the ad.
I hope Borders succeed only because it is nice to have an alternative to Amazon.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/8334510/378722) | | From: | mb2u |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 02:30 pm (UTC) |
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Locally, I like Borders better than B&N. And since Dallas has NO independent bookstores...
I like the Borders website for one thing-to see if a book is in stock at a local store so they can hold it for me until I get there. If I can't get it locally I'll probably order from Amazon.
I'm a bit confused... it says 'introducing a real bookstore, online!' like no non-electronic bookstore has ever created an online version of itself before.
If I remember correctly, B&N has had an online store for a while, and up here in Canada, Chapters/Indigo has an online retailer that's a near separate entity.
up here in Canada, Chapters/Indigo has an online retailer that's a near separate entity.
Yeah, that was my first thought. "But... Chapters. And doesn't B&N have a website?" Very ineffective campaign, indeed.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/8136901/205440) | | From: | reannon |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 02:53 pm (UTC) |
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This is a sneeeeaky way to edge out that they no longer work with Amazon. Until very recently, Borders was teamed with Amazon in a strange conjoined-twin arrangement that let you buy from Borders using your Amazon sign-in and wish list and so on, basically letting Amazon be its online store. They announced last year that they would end that arrangement, thus launching their own online bookstore. This is while they're dumping the U.K. stores and closing half the Waldenbookses because ain't nobody buying books this year.
| | From: | jdotmi |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 02:58 pm (UTC) |
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If you don't sell food or gas or clothing you're pretty well screwed at this point. Nobody is buying anything else. And clothing better be cheap or you're still screwed.
When did you work at corporate? I was in Benefits back in... 94-ish when they merged that section of Borders & Walden. *twitch*
However, the redesign to borders.com is rather snazzy in some ways. (yes, they just want your money)
I too, like Borders, (though I never worked for them.) But you're right that Amazon does a great job of selling books, DVDs and audio CDs. With things like the "Wish List" and a selection that cannot be beat, Borders has a long way to go to make me abandon Amazon.
As an Ann Arbor native, I still have a bit of a soft spot for Borders - hometown pride and all that.
But as an employee of their "biggest competitor" - speaking for myself, of course, not the company - I'm guessing that Borders doesn't even fully appreciate how steep the learning curve is.
I'm oddly amused that this post is immediately followed on my friends list by yendi's daily amazon deals
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/52490643/1279911) | | From: | kilbia |
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| Date: | July 16th, 2008 06:04 pm (UTC) |
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I'm offended at the "real bookstore online" sentiment because Powell's City of Books in Portland has been online for quite some time. I love it, even if it's occasionally a crapshoot trying to buy the used books - somebody apparently beat me to the last copy of War for the Oaks.
Yeah, I got that in my email this morning. I had to check the date to make sure that I hadn't accidentally time-traveled back to 1997 or something. *sigh*
Well, it worked on me- I'm poor, have free time and also have a huge list of books I want to get, so I guess I'm their target demographic. Right before I scrolled down to see this entry I went to their site to get the code for the 30% off coupon, and entered in my email address for their sweepstakes thing and got another 40% off (can't be combined, unfortunately). I didn't even notice the other text. I did notice, however, that I'm getting errors all over their site... so they're definitely falling short of the 'real bookstore online' standard. Not so short, though, that I'm going to refuse 30%-40% off.
Ooh. I'm in Canada, but it would be tempting to get them to send books to my NY friend to send to me. Is that discount on top of the already-standard online discount that amazon gives?
What irritates me is that while they're always offering these stupid coupons, I can still get most of the same EXACT products (books, comics, etc) on Amazon, for cheaper. Borders discounts don't compete with Amazon's prices. PERIOD. Particularly because Amazon also lets you get takes-a-while free shipping while Borders makes you pay for it.
BAH, humbug.
(I just got a giftcard so I had to use it. I heavily prefer Amazon. Obviously. The coupons suck.)
Fricken h, man, Powell's Books website is far more awesome than this. Powell's is not a union-bustin' shop either, and they have writers come and talk at their various stores and heir websites list when those events are (I don't recall Borders ever wanting an actual author to darken its doors) and BTW they archive all their awesome newsletter columns and reviews as an archive on the website, of course--and they don't spend a hundredth of one per cent of the cost that Amazon lavishes into their website.
It doesn't necessarily take a lot of $ to do a decent job of offering content worth looking at. It takes interest in your topic.
this slightly-snobby idea that other people could sell objects, to be sure, but to sell books involved a certain panache. Selling books was a secret lore for erudite people, involving an intellect you couldn't hone upon something as tawdry as the latest U2 CD or a box of detergent, and folks who visited a bookstore were special inheritors of our prized knowledge.
Thank you for the laugh. It's nice to know that the sharp line between corporate and front line exists in the competition as well. You sure as hell don't feel that way after about the hundredth customer who is completely flummoxed when you know exactly where that new Oprah favorite is without looking in the computer. We don't exactly stand around comparing Tolstoy and Dostoevsky all freaking day. Instead we come up with positive not overtly negative things to say about the latest Nicholas Sparks offering "Gee, no, I haven't had a chance to read that yet..."
Don't get me wrong, I love my bookstore (especially when I read about working for Walmart) and I have some great customers and even better coworkers, but, well, you don't have to have a master's degree in literature to do well at the job.
i think the point of the "real" bookstore online thing is the gimmicky shelf simulating thing they've got going on with the site. it's alright. i remember seeing it when the site was still in beta and knowing what they were going for, and thinking it was gimmicky back then.
i've worked for borders for three years, but you know what? the only appeal i have for using borders.com versus amazon is my employee discount. |
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