My local Boarders has been doing some rearranging and it seems like the mystery section has lost some shelf space, maybe 1/4th of it.

I know there are people on the boards who work in various bookstores that can tell me if its real, or just my imagination!

Anne J

I pretty much gave up trying to buy mysteries at Border's. I started going to our Books-A-Million store about 4 months ago and I'm much happier looking for mysteries there. They don't always have the books I want either but I have a far better chance finding them at BAM than I do at Border's.

Ok that's my 2 cents :)

Not in our store. About the only thing that we do - and has been constant since we opened in 11/07 - is that many times we stock  one copy of a given title, in any genre (exceptions are the classics, like Austen, Steinbeck, Twain, etc.) . This allows the store to carry more titles. We carry approx. 150,000 titles. We would lose thousands of those if we carried multiple titles of every book. New releases that are expected to sell in large numbers we will carry in abundance (50+ copies).  Shelf space is expensive when you add up all the costs of operating a store and to have 5 - 10 copies of a book that is going to languish on the shelf doesn't make sense from a business standpoint.

In most cases, you can ask to have the book ordered and sent to the store for free. If there is a demand for a certain book/author more copies will be ordered and carried.

We have not eliminated the amount of space devoted to any genre. I can name several books I am sick to death of looking at....lol.

I think that section has grown a little bit at mine but it's not as good as it should be IMO. I usually order online unless I have a coupon though.

Ours is the same size.  They just rearranged the store though, and I havbe a hard time finding the new releases and multiple book deals.  But I still love Borders best.  The only other commercial book store in the area is B&N. 

Years ago, my sister managed a BAM, so I used to get her employee discount.  That was cool.  There are no BAMs around here though.

our store is ok- but they dont get any of those more obscure titles that I like, or even some of the older books in a series I want-  I have a an Amazon prime account and love it- I love getting the 2 day free shipping and it really has paid for itself, it keeps me off ebay and out of the store- lol

Our Borders seems to have added a lot more remaindered books lately and another whole shelf of blank books

Keep your eye on those Bargain Books. Many times there are over-runs that come in from the publishers and you will be able to find brand new releases in there or copies of books that are on the shelves at regular price still. I grabbed a copy of the new Joan Crawford bio out of there for $5.99 (before my employee discount) which is on the shelf for $27. Exact same book. Plus, there were copies of The Glass Castle for $3.99, on the shelf for $14.

The blank books are seasonal, to a degree. With the start of school and upcoming holidays (yes, even though 4 months away) they put those out.

In our store we have areas designated specifically to Bargain books and seasonal merchandise so that the regular shelves always hold their own genres. All our calanders are starting to arrive and we have two huge displays of those now.

Nellie...you are right that many of the employees, especially nights & weekends, are there for second jobs. I am. And we will spend as much time as needed to find books for customers (even the ones who are vague  - don't remember the title or author, sometimes not even if it is fiction or non-fiction). It is all about providing good customer service and creating loyalty.  The only thing that sometimes gets to you is spending 30 minutes finding the book they want and then they leave it behind. I had a woman looking for a book - no title, no author - finally figured out what it was she wanted and brought her to the section and handed her the book. She said "Thanks. I wanted to read what it was all about before I requested it from the library".   Arrrgh.

Keep your eye on those Bargain Books. Many times there are over-runs that come in from the publishers and you will be able to find brand new releases in there or copies of books that are on the shelves at regular price still. I grabbed a copy of the new Joan Crawford bio out of there for $5.99 (before my employee discount) which is on the shelf for $27. Exact same book. Plus, there were copies of The Glass Castle for $3.99, on the shelf for $14.

Well that explains some of the books I've found in the bargain-price area!! I thought I was just sneaking out with a good deal! :) lol The best one I found recently was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova back when it was still real new in trade size. It was bargain priced.  I've also found some great paranormals in tradesize that were also still on the regular shelves. I thought someone just boo-boo'ed!

Yup, I've found some excellent books in the Borders bargain priced section.   Unfortunately, my Border displays these books on black metal shelves - and moves those shelves outside of the store during when the weather is nice.  So not only do the books tend to get dirty from exposure to the elements, that black paint somehow seeps up into the bottom of the book around the binding.   Bummer.......

Border's has been having finacial problems which may explain some of the changes.