Sunday 27 December 2009

RIP Borders :'-(



Ye will be severely missed. Especially now that the post-Christmas sales are on and I'd love to spend all my Christmas money on you.

Those of you not from the UK and haven't heard the news, all Borders shops across Britain were closed last week after the company went bust.

It was so strange walking past the Cardiff branch last week on my way to work.

Every day the posters on the windows screamed something new: "6 DAYS LEFT! UP TO 30% OFF!" "4 DAYS LEFT! 50% OFF!" "LAST DAY! 90% OFF! ALL FURNITURE FOR SALE!"

That's right. Even the shelves, chairs, and tables were being carted out by customers.

I popped in there one day last week to have a quick look around. It was manic! Everyone had gone nuts and all the books, DVDs, and CDs were in complete disarray.

Perhaps worst of all was the staff. They didn't bother to tidy or organise anything. Why should they?

I asked one staff member where the religion section was. He didn't even look at me. Just said, in a disinterested tone, "Should be upstairs if there's anything left."

I asked two boys at the till what would happen to them once the shop closed down. One said bitterly, "Nothing. We're on the dole for Christmas." The other attempted a light-hearted joke by saying, "I'm going to sell all my stuff and join a cult."

As sad as I am about not being able to go into my favourite place to buy books at bargain prices, I really do feel for the Borders staff. No-one deserves to lose their job on the 23rd December.

Especially when (having had personal experience with this) all jobs that start at the beginning of January would have already been interviewed for in late November/early December.

I hope they're okay and have friends and families there for them.

Months ago, Gordon Brown said the recession was officially over. What a joke.


 

11 comments:

Amanda said...

Borders has never been my favorite store. Over here, it's way overpriced - you can get books far cheaper at every other store. However, they do have good coupons periodically and I sort of live for those. Sorry to hear yours is closing. :(

Rich Mom, Rich Dad. Poor Mom, Poor Dad. said...

I agree with Amanda. I was more of a Barnes and Noble and a few other bookstores shopper due to Borders being more expensive. It still blows to see ANY store close down as that means less jobs, less for the economy to boost and less people employed. I am sure they will find something, may take them longer but they will. Sad indeed.

Unknown said...

:( RIP that's so sad - I LOVE our Borders, over here in the USA it's a great place and often even after joining the B&N club I get cheaper prices at Borders :( I am so sorry!

The Bookworm said...

I didnt know Borders was going out of business :( Thats sad that the workers are losing thier jobs, especially around the holidays.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Susan said...

It's sad when any bookstore closes! I'm sorry to hear about your Borders :( I love the one closest to me. Although I do shop at Half-Price Books and at the Friends of the Library sales, Borders is my favorite place for new books.

serendipity_viv said...

I am not really a big fan of Borders, but any book shop shutting is such a loss. I felt the same when Methvuen shut down last year. I am a big Waterstones fan and hope they never shut down.

Natascha De Marco said...

This makes me so sad :( I love Borders

William Malmborg said...

Thankfully it looks like the US ones will stay in business, but for a while it seemed on the verge of closing down too. I still remember when the first one opened by me. I was so surprised to see a store that had a drink stand inside of it. None of the other bookstores around had that and it just seemed so cool. I do agree with many other posters about liking other stores a little better, however. I always felt the Barnes and Noble was a little more cozy.

Lauren said...

I think it's absolutely terrible that Borders has shut down here. I recently moved to a town that had both a great Borders store and a great Waterstones, and weirdly that was one of the things I was counting among the plus points for the move. I like choice, and I wasn't used to living close to a Borders. Now it's gone I'm making a concerted effort to check out more of the small independent bookstores because much as I love Waterstones, I think buyers should value their options.

I did go into Borders twice in its final days, but the second time I didn't buy anything. It felt like graverobbing, and I hated seeing the staff have to basically work in hellish chaos shortly before finding themselves jobless at Christmas.

Jenny said...

This is so sad! I've bought so many books from the Borders on Charing Cross Road - they were always having sales on their kids' books. :(:(:(

Lilue said...

Thas is so sad.. I dont think the Borders here in Malaysia is affected though. I dont always buy from Borders, but i do love their store...