You win Big Box Store!

[Blueberry]

The independant bookstore I work at is closing down.
We just can't compete anymore. The whole book industry is having problems, the labour costs in my province are sky high and Big Box Bookstores don't help. The oldest store in Canada, 186 years in the Maritimes, closed last month.
We're the biggest independant bookstore in the city, 3 floors of over a million titles, a restaurant, and right in the city core. The biggest independant after us is only half the size of one of our floors. We're now telling people when we close, they should go to the Other Independant Bookstore.
The owner was just bawling when she was trying to tell us. She couldn't even say it, just starting crying and we all knew.
The manager was here at the beginning, he was a general labourer who put up the lights and the shelves. He worked his way up to manager and now has to tear down what he helped put up.
The first vulture who complains that we're closing and where are they going to buy their books now is getting a whole lot of sarcasm spit back at them.
'Ooo soo sorry we're closing, that you have to buy your books elsewhere even though you never bought them here until we were closing. And I'm just sooo sorry that you will have to get books elsewhere while I just lost my job, which is obviously not a big deal to you.'
The manager said I didn't need to be nice to people anymore. Mean people, anyways.
On the last day, I think we should put up a big sign in the window:
SCREW YOU BIG BOX! VIVE LE OTHER INDEPENDANT BOOKSTORE!
So yah, support the independants if you can!

[AnaKhouri]

I also work at an independent so I definitely sympathize. We are known for great customer service, and recently I have noticed a trend of people coming in, having us look up all the information they need, and then saying they will 'get back to us' about ordering the book they want...I just KNOW they are using us and actually buying the book at Amazon or someplace.

I also constantly deal with people whining that our prices are too high and they can get XX title at 40% off at Barnes & Noble or wherever...we don't set the prices, you geniuses, and we can't sell at a deep discount because we are independent. Get that through your cheap-ass skulls!

When (not if, when) my bookstore is forced to close I know people will whine about it, because we are something of a local hangout. Well, if they don't support the store it will close. Funny how people can't see the causality there.

I'm really sorry about your situation. Be mean to nasty customers for all of us here at CS!!

[marasbaras]

And then those same SCs complain because THEIR jobs are shipped overseas.

Americans and Canadians need to wake the hell up ... if you want to keep your jobs, stop shopping at big box stores. Just stop it.

[powerboy]

My last job was at an independent Anime shop. No I do not like Anime, but my buddy was owner and he hired me when I needed a job.

Back on Topic. We had to close down because of Bog box marts. it sucks, it honestly sucks. We could have been huge, but when we were doing good. Big Box Mart lowered their prices, so that our customers would go to them. We were higher on some product, but that was because we would have rarer series.

[iradney]

I support independent shops whenever I can. Only problem is, in South Africa, independent shops tend to deal niche markets and as such, have an exhorbitant price mark up

[Dips]

Based on other stories I've read here, you're in for a lot of insincere expressions of sympathy from people who did nothing to help you stay in business.

[wagegoth]

Blueberry, I'm so very sorry. I wish you, and everyone else from the store, the best for the future.


We have a small, independent bookstore in town that we shop at quite a bit. It stays in business by also carrying used books. It's actually about 2/3 used books. The senior staff has worked there for years and she really wants to buy it and do a lot with it, but the owner is set in his ways and it's his excuse to get out of the house, so he won't give it up. I'm afraid it's slowly going to choke on its own dust.

When the local comic store closed, I did take advantage of some of the markdowns to get some books I had put off buying, but as one of the employees said, "I don't mind; you shopped here before regularly, not like these vultures," nodding toward some people digging through the 70% toys.

[FuzzyKitten99]

I would love to give more of my money to smaller, independent stores. But my budget dictates otherwise. With my husband being the breadwinner, and my two PT jobs bringing in just enough to support us, and our two young boys, we have to really make our money work for us. This means getting the lowest prices possible on household stuff and groceries. Now that our state government just voted to raise taxes and fees, including sales tax, for an overall $7 BILLION increase, making us the 7th in the highest taxed state per capita. So my local government is pretty much giving us no choice but to shop cheaper stores.

If I can afford to spend a little more, I will go to the smaller stores. But for now, it is SuperWalMart for us. Mostly because it eliminates the need to stop at two stores. With two young kids in tow, it is a GodSend to eliminate a stop. Parents, you know what I am talking about!

The bigger stores are not all bad. They employ 10x the people that the smaller stores do. They usually offer more benefits and usually a higher starting wage. If that store were to go out of business, how is your neighborhood impacted vs. a mom&pop shop with a handful of employees? More people out of work, means a bigger strain on the local economy. Unfortunately, most people pick lower price over sentiment.

[flyinghi]

As a fellow Maritimer I have to say that its a shame that most of our independant business that have been around longer then anyone can remember are now being bought out or forced to close do to the big multi-nationals moving in

[tropicsgoddess]

I'm so sorry to hear that Blueberry. Best of luck to you and and all the other staff members of your store. It's such a sad thing to see all the independents closing because of all the big boxes taking over.

[Rapscallion]

Been there in the fruit and veg trade. Very few individual stores in any regards exist any more. It's tragic.

Rapscallion

[Igorina]

I am sorry to hear this. I hope something comes along for you and your fellow employees.

When I can find them, I tend to shop at independent bookstores. I find them to be excellant places to browse and discover something new.

Sadly, where I'm at now is not fertile ground for indepedent bookstores.

[Blueberry]

As a fellow Maritimer I have to say that its a shame that most of our independant business that have been around longer then anyone can remember are now being bought out or forced to close do to the big multi-nationals moving in

Actually I'm in Western Canada. If you google 'Western Canada, independant bookstore, closing' you'll probably find my store quite quickly. It is really big news here right now and even the CBC reported it.
I have also figured out a nice way to say 'We're closing because you're all cheap bastards' to customers who act sad that the store is closing but have never bought anything and then ask why it's closing and when do the sales start.
We were thinking we would go to Big Box Bookstore, and quietly start bumping off their employees. Then one of us would show up the next day, ready to work and completely knowledgable about the book industry. Then, once we were in control, we would mutiny and declare Big Box to be Newly Independant.

The bigger stores are not all bad. They employ 10x the people that the smaller stores do. They usually offer more benefits and usually a higher starting wage. If that store were to go out of business, how is your neighborhood impacted vs. a mom&pop shop with a handful of employees? More people out of work, means a bigger strain on the local economy. Unfortunately, most people pick lower price over sentiment.

We employ at least 50 people, which includes our restaurant. Wages were also raised last year to try to hire more people, higher than Big Box offers.
We are so well trained and our book knowledge so highly regarded that Big Box stores would call MY store to ask US to look for a book they couldn't find!! One of their locations must have us on speed dial since they call almost every day! We even have among our staff a former Big Box manager! She says that Big Box was awful to work for, low wages, no training, a warehouse style atmosphere, micro managing and they could only order books that were in their warehouses. We even have customers who are confused since they went to Big Box, were told a book was out of print, and come and find it on our shelves.
Big box stores are not always bad, but they could stand to be a bit more, say independant in their thinking and not always be so focused on the dollar.

[Andara Bledin]

Then, once we were in control, we would mutiny and declare Big Box to be Newly Independant.

Oooh... Nice plan.

Have you designed your flag yet?

^-.-^

[powerboy]

We had a local bookstore around here that was awesome. I would go in every chance I had to check out the magic section and the wrestling magazines. And also some other books. When they shut down, it was a big deal in my town. I went in the last day that they were open and asked them why they were closing. They said it was because of Barnes & Noble.