R.I.P. Borders
July 6th 2011 21:00
What a year it has been. First the floods in Queensland, the earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand, my landlady selling my unit and now Borders is closing down. A whole string of disasters and the year is only halfway through. Maybe the Mayans were right when they said the end of the world is nigh (2012, if you didn’t already know that).
Just as I had just recovered from the closure of the Borders Chatswood and Macquarie Centre stores (not to mention all the other ones that I don’t go to), comes the announcement that all Borders stores will be closed. Gone. Kaput.
It sounds silly but my heart is aching from the loss. Now that I have a busy life, often working twelve hour days, shopping at Borders was one thing I looked forward to each weekend, every weekend for the past ten years.
Now there is truly nowhere to go.
“That’s why I never go into the city,” said Fred who lives in the city fringe. “All my favourite stores have gone. There used to be Borders and HMV and other CD shops. Now all there is is JB Hi-Fi and I’m not going to trek out there just to go to one shop.”
I feel the same which is why I have been going out to the ‘burbs just so I can get my weekly Borders fix.
That said, on the day the Bondi Junction store closure was announced, I went to Borders after work. I had my eye on a particular – yes, you guess it – cat book and I wanted to grab it while I had the chance. There it was, reduced 20%.
While people complain that Borders’s books were overpriced, this was an exception. The price on it was $55, $44 after the discount. I had seen the same book at another bookstore for $99.
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
I used to get my fix at the massive Rouse Hill store that had a tremendous upstairs area that was so comfy. I easily spent hours there. Its a damn shame.
I never thought Borders books were overpriced - I got hooked on the 'buy 5 books and get 60% off' special.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Nice to hear from you again! I thought you had dropped off the face of this earth.
I went past the BJ store last night while I was catching the bus to Bondi beach and I could see all these trailers outside, taking away all the unsold bookshelves. I feel so sad, thinking the bookshelves might end up in landfill.
What a shame.
Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie