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This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only.

 

Empty Borders, November 2011 - Photography Club at UC Davis

Location (store #211)
500 1st Street #1, in the Davis Commons
Last day of business
September 16th, 2011
Phone
(530) 750-3723
Website
Borders in Davis
Borders.com
Perpetual 20% off coupon

Borders Books, Music, Cafe was the largest bookstore in the city, located downtown in the Davis Commons. The store opened in 1997. They had a Seattle's Best coffee shop with ample studying space, although using it for studying was not recommended by many due to the crowded nature and the occasionally enforced time limit on tables. Borders signed a licensing agreement with Seattle's Best Coffee in August of 2004 to add Seattle's Best Coffee Cafes to their stores. The cafes were managed and operated by Borders employees.

Of particular note was their large manga section. Their role playing section was woefully out of date, unsorted and appeared to be a fairly random selection. Some books appeared in Science Fiction/Fantasy despite being pure rulebooks. Also of particular interest was their diminutive philosophy section, which was slowly being eclipsed by the religious and self-help sections. The porn and erotica section was skimpy, with little beyond Playboy, Playgirl, and Penthouse. It had a great selection of art review magazines, but not nearly as many as Newsbeat.

Borders began offering free WiFi from Verizon in October 2009. However, the WiFi connections at Borders was fraught with problems. You might have experienced the need to reauthenticate several times per minute. Connections were sometimes reasonably fast, but often horribly slow - possibly because of people using too much of the connection' bandwidth from their laptops. It was not a recommended service.

Borders shuffled its inventory frequently, throwing out books (sans front covers) at the rate of about 1/2 cubic meter / week, and magazines at about double that rate. This made the dumpsters behind the store particularly fruitful. The employees were tolerant, although they would prefer that you not pick through the garbage during business hours and asked that you return the books to the dumpster when you were done browsing through them. Keep in mind that authors and publishers are not paid for books that are thrown out. Most authors (and even most publishers) want them read regardless of how you get them, but if you have the money, supporting the arts means buying a book.

You could have come and enjoy or participated in the open mic every first Friday of the month.

The closing of Borders

The last day of the Borders liquidation was September 16th, 2011. Now the store is closed for good.

Some closing events:

  • Judge approves Borders liquidation bid: link
  • Borders Books announced on Monday, July 18, 2011 that they will be liquidating and closing all stores. There were no bidders for the company, other than liquidators, after a deal with a private equity investor was rejected by creditors. The Borders chain will close for good. This letter from the CEO discusses the company's demise.
  • The cafe closed, and "closed forever," before the rest of the store. Most of the computers throughout the store were permanently shut down as well. As for the rest, it's just a matter of time. On July 21, an employee stated that she had no idea when the store would close down, but she made a guess of September.
  • Another employee said that the liquidators would be arriving the next day on the 22nd. He said that the 21st is officially the last day that Borders will exist as Borders. It has been verified that liquidation sales will begin on the 22nd with up to 40% off on the entire store's inventory and fixtures. Borders gift cards will still be accepted throughout the sale.
  • Just after the liquidation began, closing time at the store was posted as 9:30PM. It used to be 10PM Monday through Saturday before the liquidation.
  • Here's a bit more information as it pertains to the Davis location.
  • Borders filed for bankruptcy on February 16th, 2011 link. Borders has been hit hard by low priced book sales and e-books from Amazon, and unlike Barnes and Noble, Borders has failed to develop a viable e-reader strategy. Borders has also been unable to pay publishers, resulting in an inability to obtain new inventory.

The former Borders location was temporarily occupied by Spirit Halloween after Borders closed until just after Halloween. It is now occupied by Whole Foods Market.

Local controversy

Because it is owned by Borders Group, Inc., some look down upon it for taking money away from the Davis economy and encroaching upon the several independent booksellers in town; some even voiced their concerns about this as a threat to the local bookstores to the City Council. Although profits from the business go back to the company, sales tax revenues benefit Davis and Yolo County. Since Borders opened, the The Avid Reader for Younger Readers, a branch of The Avid Reader, closed and the inventory merged back into the main store's loft.

Owners of the existing independent bookstores reported significant drop in business when Borders opened in 1997, which they have not regained. Gayle's Books went out of business soon after the arrival of Borders. Bogey's Books closed January 2008. The Next Chapter chose to close and move to Woodland before Borders opened, but subsequently closed there in 2008.

Borders stores were popular in the beginning due to the selection in their superstores. Independent book stores could not compete with the sheer number of books that Borders had on their shelves. Borders provided a huge store with comfortable chairs and a cozy environment to browse and hang out. Libraries on the other hand had books that you could browse, but the decor is often described as cold and institutional, with the exception of the Davis Public Library which is actually quite awesome and arguably nicer than Borders in terms of comfort and atmosphere, if you care to check it out. There are no cafes in libraries and talking and socializing is discouraged, with exceptions such as the Davis Public Library which has indoor vending machines (if memory serves correctly) and places to socialize quietly. Borders was a place where people would go to socialize also and meet or have a coffee, but it was, by and large, a commercial experience. The chain bookstores actually influenced libraries to adapt with the times over the years. Libraries added carpeting, plush chairs, sofas, and nicer decor similar to Borders and Barnes and Noble to attract more people to the library.

Libraries often do not carry the latest books (citation needed lol). However, you could always browse the latest books and magazines at Borders. By and large, the Davis Public is purposely avoided by the upper middle class, some of which are germophobes and suffer from the delusion that public libraries are all full of frenzied hobos who grind their unhygienic private parts against the reading materials.

Actually, over 10 years ago there was a man who used to repeatedly indecently expose himself in one of the libraries on campus.

Barnes & Noble Purchases the Trademarks of Borders

Barnes and Noble bought most of the trademarks of Borders such as the Borders name as well as the Waldenbooks and Brentano's names. Barnes and Noble also purchased the customer list of Borders. If you had a Borders Rewards Plus Membership, Barnes & Noble contacted you by email to notify you of a free Barnes & Noble Membership valid until 1/31/2012. You received free express shipping on online orders $25 and up, 40% off hardcover bestsellers, and 10% of almost everything else in the store.

If you wanted to opt out and not have your information transferred to Barnes & Noble you could have visited http://www.barnesandnoble.com/borders and opted out by October 29, 2011.

Comments:

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2005-12-06 17:09:41   Borders also has a few angry homeless people, who will yell at you to shut up if you're standing nearby and talking. They hang out there at around 2 in the morning. —IsaacHamlen-Gomez

2006-08-04 13:56:51   "Giant (and continually expanding) manga section"? It's a rather small and narrow selection, of popular titles, i.e. typical shojo fluff and generic shonen action titles. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, shojo fluff and shonen action can be good.) It isn't continually expanding either. It seems as of late that they aren't really restocking the selections. However, it must be noted that fewer and fewer people browse and purchase the books. This may be partly in response to Borders permatagging the books. People hate buying permatagged books, because it's akin to buying a torn book. —MatthewTom

2006-08-10 17:26:55   Does anyone know what happened to the guy who used to run the Borders open mic night? I think he was a local guy. Chris something (I think). Is he still doing anything like that in the area? —SimonWheeler

2006-12-21 20:29:38   regarding putting hard tacks in the manga: I work at Borders, and I actually agree with the comment about it, and have registered this disagreement (and that of customers) with the manager, so he is aware. But, there is a justification for it. Basically, those things take a walk more than almost anything in the store. It's a fairly common occurrence to be looking for a specific volume that the computer says we have but no one can find it anywhere. And with all the casual reading that goes on with the manga the soft tacks simply fall out. So the only real solution to curb the theft of these things is to permatag. That said however, we are more than happy to special order a mint copy of a volume for you. I agree it sucks, but it’s just the reality of it. —AaGg

2007-01-16 01:04:30   I was saddened to walk into Borders Sunday night after my adventures at Pluto's, only to hear the closing announcement. —GreggAlexander

2007-02-28 18:49:31   All the new shelves make it very cramped and hard to navigate the space. Ask an employee to find something; the computers don't work for shit. —BriannaBetancourt

2007-06-04 05:59:33   The black kiosk computers are junk. The ones in the music are good for previewing a CD before you buy it, but don't try to search. Use any of the other computers and you should be fine. Or, you can ask one of the friendly staff! Keep an eye out for the persistently pissed-off manager, though. If he's not trying to flirt with you, he'll treat you like you're bothering him.—Frankenbunny

2007-06-08 14:24:18   Being a former employee of Borders, I'm happy to respond to any comments or answer any questions that anyone might have. Be it negative or positive comments and/or questions, I'm here to help. Don't worry though. I'm not blind to the faults that the company may or may not have. But unnecessary slander need not apply (unless you really want to, cause really, this is the internet).

I would respond to every comment that has preceded my own but being finals week, I don't intend to expend this much time...however, if you take their word for it as law, then you really should reconsider how the internet sways you so easily (thats not to say any one of these comments is wrong or right in any manner). —SunjeetBaadkar

2007-06-08 15:05:59   Hey Sunjeet, I have a question. Those magnetic strips you guys stick into books, I've torn the inside of many-a-book (mostly mangas) trying to remove them. Can you guys figure out where to put them so they don't tear when pulled off (back to manga, putting them on the inside cover almost guarantees a torn cover)? When I used to work at Crown Books way back in the day, we had similar strips. Only difference was that they didn't stick to anything, we just pressed them into the book and they wouldn't fall out. —JesseSingh

2007-06-08 20:35:23   Well Jesse, the reason they use the hard tacks is just that: so they can not be removed easily. Its a sad reality, but the manga section is stolen from at an alarming rate. The manga reading population may be all well and good, but with a large number of people interested, there is a significant number willing to steal. We are forced to use the hard tacks to deter this behavior. The best way to get around this issue is to use the Special Order system (despite the common misconception: there is no extra charge for ordering) and get a fresh, clean, never been read copy. Although you will not be able to read it in store, it allows collectors to purchase a "tackless" copy. The main downside is that you will have to wait a few more days for it to arrive, but in the end everyone goes home happy. —SunjeetBaadkar

2007-06-08 20:40:02   And on a side note: Borders is a retail store that primarily sells books (not to be confused with a bookstore). Despite the habit most people seem to have, they are not a library. Although they generally tolerate people reading for short times, they don't usually tolerate them reading in the aisles. The manga section was notorious for this when they'd have a dozen+ people huddled in the section (a year ago, it was impossible to walk through that area). Its gotten better since they've started making an issue of it, but now readers are going to all corners of the store to read. They are fine with this and understand. However, the problem that now occurs is readers shoving the books into the shelves when they are done, no matter where in the store they are (though this is true of any place that sells books). Please, if you are done with an item (manga or otherwise), please give it to a bookseller, cashier, or just leave it at the info desk. Heck, leave it on the floor if you'd like...its much better than depriving others from reading it as well. —SunjeetBaadkar

2007-09-19 15:35:51   I'd like to see more lit-arts events; poetry readings, author signings, etc. —JamesJobe

2007-10-08 23:18:26   If you go to the Information Desk, you'll find flyers advertising what's going in Borders every month. Open Mic welcomes poets, author events happen at least once or twice a month and there's a band or two playing every month or so. On October 26th, Borders is having a Halloween costume contest for adults and kids. —booklover

2007-10-28 10:15:21   I came in here to pick up a Sac News & Review because my friend (Substansia Jones) was featured in it last week. ONE GIRL was an utter snatch and simply didn't want to stop talking to her friend long enough to help me. I was not very happy. The young woman at the register, as well as the young man and the manager who eventually told me where I could get a paper were extremely nice and helpful. Had these people not been so nice, I would never have returned to the store. Instead, going there today to pick up a gift.

Keep in mind every store tends to have at least one jerk employee, but overall, this is a nice place. —Casey

2008-01-18 16:17:23   I personally really enjoy borders. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and we have never had any issues at this store. —DavisMan56

2008-02-12 05:58:13   I go to Borders about twice a month to pick up a few British car/motorcycle magazines, and I usually buy a book or four that catch my eye, so I end up spending between $50-$150 a visit. After I gather my purchases, my girlfriend and I generally grab things to read and hang out for an hour or two, and it's usually manga for me. I've never had a problem before; the staff have pretty much always been helpful and more than friendly. Last night, though, one of the managers on duty decided to humiliate us by singling me out publicly in the cafe area, starting off with "You KNOW we don't allow you to read MANGA in the store" (imagine the sneer yourself, since I didn't take a picture) and continuing to "I'll take all of those now", as if I was a ten-year old who got caught stealing. She gave me a corporate-line apology after I tried to get a different manager to talk to at the register, so I guess I'll forget my thoughts of flaming righteous boycott, but thinking about it now still makes me want to scream and punch someone. Happy shopping! —EugThinks

2008-02-12 05:59   To increase your chances of getting hired on at Borders, avoid being too honest on the "personality profiling" section of the application. If you let on that you have leadership potential, your application won't pass the first round. Longtime managers are acutely aware that anyone with genuine leadership ability (or a modicum of assertiveness, anti-authoritarianism, imagination, etc.) won't tolerate the work conditions for long: shelving monotony, oft dreary custodial duties, customer relations tediousness, and rote memory/regurgitation of "corporate culture" slogans ("Would you like to receive our online newsletter?" . . . ) are par for the course. —ZN

2008-02-20 00:47:11   Why would you suggest people apply for a job at Borders if you think the job is so tedious and awful? I enjoy shopping here. I find the employees friendly, funny and they actually seem to like working there. They're always laughing and smiling, usually with customers. I've seen some of them there for several years now. It may be a corporation with job defined duties like "custodial" and "rote memorizing" but what job doesn't have that? I feel sorry for the employees having to clean up the public restrooms at this store. If I have to walk into the ladies room and see blood or feces sprayed on the wall one more time... Public does not mean "no boundaries" and "do what you like" ladies. Last I looked, it was a retail business like any other trying to stay in business. It ain't your home or a library folks! —booklover

  • For the aspiring working-class, a bookstore job is the top of the retail food-chain, especially if you have academic aspirations. I used to work at Border's, so . . . —ZN

2008-06-10 21:56:01   Why the hell would I return the books to the dumpster? Borders threw them out, they forfeited their right to tell me what to do with them. What a stupid idea. What a waste. —TobinJones

  • I think they mean don't leave them all strewn about the dumpster area when you're done browsing. —pxl

2008-06-13 13:26:35   If you sit down to study/read for over fifteen minutes, they will ask you to leave. —jrendler

2008-06-26 00:33:31   As a BookLOVER, I find it amazing that folks that visit Borders and Barnes and Noble use them as a library. It's almost like vistors feel entitled to sit for hours and read, stack books all over the place leaving a huge-ass mess and then complain that staff trys to run it as a business or a retail store. It's no wonder that you perceive the staff as unfriendly or bitchy. I like a bookstore to be organized, alphabetized and free of parasites sitting in the aisles blocking the areas where I want to BUY books. It's a retail store, not a study hall. If I buy one more book/magazine at Borders with crumbs or coffee stains on the back... —booklover

  • Amen! The thing I find funny is how at bigger stores like the ones you mentioned, people never ask if its ok to read in the store; they just assume. However, if you go to smaller, independent bookstores, people usually ask if its ok before doing so. I wonder if people do so because they don't care about the "big box" stores or if they know its not ok, but just have more respect for the smaller indy stores? —SunjeetBaadkar
  • "It's almost like visitors feel entitled to sit for hours and read." Yeah we do. Some of us just know how to treat books. booklover seems to be a Borders employee, and as such, her/is comments come off as that much more offensive. I have NEVER been into a bookstore that wont allow you to browse the books on the shelves. I guess if a particular corporation is focused on selling as many books as possible, without regard for the quality of the books, they would want people to get in, buy lots of books without reading them first, and get out before there's any loss of efficiency in this capitalist transaction. If ANY bookstore employee interrupted my reading to tell me "this isn't a library," even if they called themselves a booklover, I'd tell them where to go and never buy from there again. —PxlAted
    • I'm in the middle on this (and don't let my current employment distract my point) and agree that people should be allowed to browse as needed (in fact, at my store, we encourage people to sit in the store as long as they want and just read; we get a lot of regulars that do just that as well as study or play chess or whatever and have never told anyone to leave just for anything). I do, however, agree with the first point made about visitors leaving stacks of books all over the place, but then again, I'm not the type to be grabbing more books than I can hold with a single hand unless I intend on buying them all. Or worse, people shoving the books back into the wrong place just because they are in a hurry to go somewhere else and don't want to admit to the bookstore employees that they don't remember where the book they pulled goes. That is my biggest pet peeve because it deprives others of being able to enjoy the book just for the sake of a previous patron's not wanting to admit having a bad memory or being too lazy. But this is just me ranting... —SunjeetBaadkar

2008-07-21 23:32:39   Sorry, not an employee. But I am a book collector/lover who loves Borders. I checked out the new Borders.com where I can get my books without coffee stains or chocolate stained fingerprints. I will spend my money there. I stick to my original point, it's not a library, it's RETAIL. —booklover

2008-09-02 03:48:18   This comment of Borders and B&N not being libraries (which they're not) brings up a good point, though: where is there a library to read comic books at? :D

On a more relevant note—I've just moved to Davis and haven't been to Borders yet. How big is it relative to, say, the one in northern Sacramento? When I've driven by it going to and from the campus while I lived in Sac, it seemed somewhat small. —RobertM525

  • Depends on the system. I know some library systems do carry comic books (right next to the magazines). Do any of the many local libraries?
    • The Davis Public Library actually has quite an impressive collection of comics and manga (they're in the young adult section), and an even larger collection is available through the interlibrary loan system. Also, if there's a title you want that they don't have, you can request they purchase it. In my experience, they are relatively quick to purchase new items. The popular series tend to always be checked out, I found it easiest to use the online system to reserve them.

2008-09-20 17:40:07   It's funny how the police are always there on time to hand out tickets. The only time I really needed the cops was when this angry teen tried to attack me and my mom at the sale section set up outside Borders. Luckily, two guys confronted this angry heckler who kept calling me the 'N' word (which didn't make sense, cuz I was asian). Eventually, one of the bystanders called the cops. Do things happen happen that often (I don't know if I should go back again)? By the way, thanks for the two guys who stood up for me. —ronlad33

2009-05-24 17:29:42   They took out a majority of their chairs, (cause everyone was just reading books but not buying any), so it becomes uncomfortable after a while. —aaron.smith

2009-06-25 20:16:25   The selection here seems to be shrinking very fast, at the same time that prices for books have doubled. It's getting harder and harder to find new authors I want to read here, and I have to pay much more when I do. Amazon may be the only option soon. :-( —IDoNotExist

2009-07-04 11:15:59   As mentioned previously, the selection at borders is indeed shrinking rapidly. There are signs in the store saying that they are rearranging it, but they also seem to be dumping much of their inventory. Here's a few sad scenes from the store: —IDoNotExist

  • I'm pretty sure they are just re-arranging stuff and books are moved to the back temporarily. I haven't seen prices double, I'm pretty sure that they can't price the book higher than on the cover or sleeve, and if they could it would be financial suicide. If you are signed up for their email list, they very frequently send 30-50% off coupons. —KellyM

Ironically, the Business Bestsellers section has no books at all. Perhaps this is a sad statement on the current economy? Lonely books with few friends on the shelves

2009-09-11 10:05:30   I come here all the time to read, although at times I do feel a bit guilty for doing so because I never buy anything. Then again who has the luxury to buy a $30 hardcover (without the risk of starving for a week)? —AvidSpots

2009-09-15 13:16:08   There are small cockroaches in the puffy brown seats (reading area) by the window. Not sure if this is Seattles's Best Coffee's area or Borders. —Alex

  • It is both. Although it is sort of two seperate company names, the SBC staff is cross-trained and also is able to work as the floor staff (who also takes care of things). However, when it comes to cleaning, there is an actual cleaning crew that is not affiliated with the Borders staff that comes in every night to clean. Roaches in the chairs is most likely the result of clumsy customers dropping crumbs and other food substances on the chair in the process of consuming whatever product they just bought from SBC. Most customers don't like to fess up to their mistakes and move on quite quickly without a second thought. The cleaning crew does not regularly clean the chairs as they mostly specialize in carpets and windows (and the bathrooms). The SBC staff deals with the cafe area (which consists of the serving area and kitchen, not the customer area). If sometimes like this occurs, it would be prudent to let a manager know as they will be the ones who will actually take action and have the cleaning crew take care of it. Although I work for their competition in this town, I speak from the point of view of a business person. Change doesn't happen unless someone speaks up. —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-10-02 22:52:26   Free WiFi may be coming to Borders... http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jL5GVif0PRMM1DD6R25pcVLJyaagD9B187AG0 —IDoNotExist

2009-11-13 14:18:34   Who doesn't love Borders? Although this Borders is smaller than ones I'm used to, I still enjoy coming here to get some work done or to browse through the new books. It seems that almost every time I go, I somehow end up purchasing at least one item. They have the best Christmas cards this year! —sjpacheco

2009-11-17 20:53:13   Borders WiFi drops connections every few minutes. Sometimes, as infrequently as ever 15 or 20. Sometimes as frequently as every 1 or 2. It seems to depend on how often you access a web page. Other services such as IM or mail do not reset the clock (if there is one.) —IDoNotExist

2009-11-20 14:49:58   Anyone knows why they kept moving the shelves by the children's area? We have a hard time finding stuff over there! Also the IKEA kids chairs are nice, but they really doesn't withstand kids leaning backwards (not to mention when adults sit on them..). Suggest getting some sturdy wooden chairs.. also sometimes I see (comic?) reading people monopolizing the chairs at the children's section while the kids sit on the floor :( —val

2010-01-20 21:49:54   Current 30% off and $10 off $30 coupons valid till 1/25 —LeeY

2010-03-11 17:05:32   Borders is not a library, it is a retail store. The only reason the store is disorganized (at all) is because of the customers that come in and toss books around act like they own the place. And the kids. And the parents who don't know how to get their kids to behave in a public place. And the self-entitled tweens/teens. Treat the store like a Macy's instead of a KMart and your shopping experience will improve.

Despite the customers — great store, staff, and service (when it's available) —chknzgd137

2010-06-04 16:33:58   I agree that parents need to take responsibility of their kids - the kids section is a mess half the time with books, toys scattered around. Kudos to the staff though, for picking up the slacks! Maybe there should be a sign "gently reminding" people to put the books/toys back to where they belong. I love the new seating arrangement where the sofas are in front of the cafe, while the tables and chairs are right by the windows. —LeeY

2010-08-30 12:28:19   Borders has become a bit of a community gathering spot over the years, and yes, some people treat it like their own private livingroom, but in these times when Borders has struggled to keep from going under it seems they should should maintain a high level of customer service. On Sunday 8/29/10 my wife and I went to Jamba Juice and then into Borders, as we have for years. Within 3min. I was approached by a clerk who told me that I couldn't bring in outside food or beverages into the store. What? Is that really smart in these times? I told her that seemed rather counter-productive to be excluding customers from their store. The clerk said that people drinking Jamba Juice had spilled and ruined their carpets. I was rather surprised to say the least. One of my favorite Davis past-times gone!

I'm not questioning their right to do this, but it just seems ro be supremely stupid move on their part. If they were really worried about people spilling, they better close their coffee shop with all their gooey treats.

Has anyone else experienced this issue lately?

I'm hoping this was just a rogue employee. —zippity

2010-09-01 18:34:26   I will never go to Borders again! I bought a drink and plugged my laptop charger into one of the FEW outlets in the store. An extremely rude employee came over and told me that was "not allowed." At first I thought this was a ridiculous rule so I mentioned that if they offer free WiFi isn't it expected that they have outlets to charge the computers that will be using that WiFi? She then told me I was going to need to leave the store. I grab a drink from borders before I go to work almost everyday, and I will now be going elsewhere for that and any books. So disappointing. —AggieJ

2010-09-20 02:42:11   I work at Borders currently and as for the "no outside food or drinks" rule, I have to say it just has to be enforced. A couple days ago somebody (whether on accident or not) spilled (actually the cup looked like it had exploded in some way) Jamba Juice in the Politics & History section, causing several books to be damaged as well as the floor to be stained. People constantly leave Habit Burger cups with cold drinks in them, which leave water on the shelves for books to be damaged further. To me, this is a perfectly understandable policy. —ZeroZero

2010-10-05 22:06:03   I've experienced the no food or drinks rule there too, but I find it completely reasonable. Before it's like people just dump their outside trash in Borders, ruining the books and expecting the poor minimum wage workers to clean up after them. The store has a great atmosphere and the employee's are really friendly to me, especially the cafe workers. They make a delicious hot cocoa! —NorCalFoodLover

2011-04-09 08:58:06   It's official; I'd like to see this Borders go out of business. My girlfriend and I, being perpetually broke college grads in this tough economy, like to go out and do free/cheap stuff in town as much as possible. One of our go-to outings is to head to a bookstore for some recreational reading, but the Borders employees love to give us a hard time. We've been scolded for sitting on the floor instead of the stools, blocking access to the books, taking off our sandals, and yes, recently, for bringing in outside food. We always clean up after ourselves, we're quiet, we find corners of the store where customers are unlikely to go, and we never bother anyone, which is more than I can say for half their customers, particularly high schoolers. They do everything in their power to make our visits to their store as unpleasant as possible, compounded by the fact that their bathrooms are always disgusting.

Listen, I know it's a bookstore and not a library. But a store should never make you feel unwelcome when you're minding your own business. Don't they have bigger things to worry about? If I find a book that I legitimately like, I'm GOING to buy it. Maybe I'd do so more often if their prices weren't ridiculously high.

I'm sticking to Avid Reader from now on. —AdamV

2011-04-15 13:52:10   @AdamV

1. I've never seen a book at the Avid Reader for less than the recommended retail price. 2. You just admitted that you do, indeed, block access to books. It is a STORE with the intention of selling books to customers. Thus, blocking the books is somewhat rude. 3. Taking off your shoes is a hygiene issue, so your complaints about the bathrooms is thus void since it doesn't seem that you care about hygiene anyway. Considering people have actually shat on the carpet there at Borders before. 4. Finding a seat at Borders is ridiculously easy and the staff have never bothered me when sitting properly on a stool or in the cafe.

And 5. You'd really like the equally "poor" college grads AND students who work at Borders to lose their jobs because you can't be bothered to follow rules that all or most retail stores enforce? —ZeroZero

2011-06-30 23:04:47   they should have peet's coffee instead of seattle's best. —jayhsu

2011-07-05 18:10:35   @Zero Zero

I don't recall saying that the employees don't have the right to enforce their policies. I'm pretty sure I said that I wish they weren't so rude about it. Expensive though their books may be, the employees at Avid Reader have never made me feel as unwelcome as those at Borders. They make me feel like a guest and not a parasite. Is it too much to ask that Borders follow suit? I didn't say that I WAS blocking books. I said that they SCOLDED me for blocking the books. Which I wasn't. Why would I get angry at them if I know I'm in the wrong?

I don't want to get into the details of hygiene with you here, but being shoeless in a part of the bookstore that ISN'T the coffee shop isn't analogous to my hands coming in contact with the filth in the bathroom. It's just not. And you're dumb for thinking it is. Also for thinking that finding seating is easy. Also for thinking that I, someone who makes less than $10,000 a year, can be personally responsible for costing a retail employee their job. Think before you post. —AdamV

2011-07-16 08:08:36   Sounds like a parasite to me, and you are bothering people whether you think so or not. Wanting a business whose purpose is to make money to provide you free entertainment while you violate rules? FU — get out of my store you are bad for business, in addition to not buying anything. As a customer I'd be less likely to shop and spend money at a store where barefoot tards are sitting on the floor taking up space and rummaging through new items for sale, but you never thought about that did you— selfish, and sounds grimy. Get out of the 60's man, it's 2011. How the hell do you have a computer or internet connection, or am I, the public, paying for that too? —RichardL

  • "Barefoot, sitting on the floor, chillin'" lol, somehow I think of 300: Madness? This... IS... CALIFORNIA! Or maybe he was reading Lord of the Rings in there and wanted to feel more immersed in the Shire chapters? :P

2011-07-18 15:28:59   Announced plans to liquidate and close all stores, including Davis. —justincox22

  • It was the barefeet that drove them out of business, meh. —MichaelGatto

2011-07-18 19:51:23   I bought a LOT of DVDs here circa 2000- they had a great selection and most of them were at least $5 below list price, on par with Best Buy's pricing (and I'd rather support a company like Borders than Best Buy.) A couple years later prices started creeping back up, AND they cut their selection, so it stopped being my go-to place then. Sorry Borders, but you brought this on yourselves. —AlanSmithee

2011-07-18 21:51:51   It was a nice bookstore, I guess, but I remember when they were one of the very few local businesses that wouldn't let me put up anti-war flyers on their bulletin board several years ago. You get big businesses and you get soullessness. —ScottMeehleib

  • Actually I've seen plenty of anti-war stuff on their bulletin board and they have that small Davis publication full of anti-war, anti-government etc. for distribution. So...dunno what your problem was but it was most likely a managerial individual (and thus highly subject to change) policy, not big business at all. — OY
    • All I know is my own personal experience. I asked the guy at the center information desk (older guy with glasses who worked there for years) if I could post a very plain, text-only flyer, and he explained that he'd have to pass it onto management for review. He also expressed that it was extremely unlikely that it would be approved because Borders is picky about not wanting to be seen as supporting one view or another (even though I have no idea how allowing a flyer implies support). He even claimed that he personally agreed with me, but he had seen things like that shot down in the past. I went back a few days later, and it still hadn't been posted. Maybe the guy just forgot to pass it on, but in any case, I didn't feel like pressing the issue, and it was the only place in Davis where I remember having that sort of experience. Maybe the flyers you saw were placed without permission, or maybe the management later had a change of heart. I dunno. Anyway, I believe it's an issue with "big businesses" to be excessively concerned with public image neutrality in the first place. The vast majority of places in Davis let employees make decisions about this sort of thing, and they almost all immediately say yes every time. They don't have to defer to management at all unless it's a big business, in my experience. The Co-op was another rare exception where I had to talk to a shift leader, but he immediately granted permission without even looking at the thing. -SM

2011-07-19 00:13:42   Looks like Davis is quickly becoming a ghost town... —Wes-P

2011-07-19 14:23:31   RIP to Borders, it was a very nice place to just chill out, especially on hot summer days. I bought a lot of books for the children i work with from there. They had a lot of great sales and I didn't feel bothered or intimidated there. I wonder what they will build in that space now. Does anyone know if they are gonna do anything with the space? —Sandlot3

2011-07-19 14:30:44   I was at Borders this morning and one of the staff said they don't know when the Davis store will close. —jsbmeb

2011-07-22 00:24:54   I will really miss Border's. It was often the only place to take my daughter in Davis when it was either raining or too hot to be outside. However, did anyone else notice that they always had the latest right-wing autobiography just as you entered the door? I rarely spent money in Border's unless I received a 40% off coupon by email. It was a good place to browse books and then buy them online. There is something special about being able to hang out and browse in bookstores and record/CD shops. It is a pity that future generations won't have this opportunity. I was walking around Orchard Parks and the domes (both of which are slated to be demolished) and I had to admit that things never get any better (at least in this country) they only get worse. Since I was born in the mid 70's I have seen so many wonderful things disappear and they have been replaced with things that I could really do without. —bradjones

  • "It was a good place to browse books and then buy them online." <- I'm surprised people did not expect them to go out of business sooner. —hankim
    • Haha! I didn't even notice how weird that comes across until you pointed it out. Come to think of it, it's also funny how people like this are shamelessly lamenting that they will no longer have a place to bring their kids and read for hours without buying anything... HEY FOLKS, there is a magical place called the library that was actually created expressly for this purpose!! Stores, on the other hand, are for buying things, mmmm kay? —ScottMeehleib

2011-07-22 12:15:09   As of the 22nd, the "up to 40%" sale prices aren't particularly compelling—for the books I wanted Amazon still had a lower price before sales tax. The genre sections are only 10%-20% off. Their best deal might be Blurays that are marked at 40%, but Borders has never had a wide Bluray selection. —AndrewPotter

2011-07-22 12:36:14   Well I know we all had our various complaints, but I'm still sad to see it go. I wonder who will be filling Borders shoes next in that location? —KristenM

2011-07-26 21:08:30   Stopped by this evening. Closing hours were posted as 9:30 pm. The cashier line was long and the discounts were 20-30 percent. —JimStewart

2011-07-28 11:08:39   I went by to see if I could pick up a couple of Microsoft Server 2008 books cheap. Pathetically, even with the 20% discount they are still cheaper on Amazon. —JimStewart

2011-08-11 00:33:32   Was anyone else there when they had those cool $1 racks? Most of the stuff in there was crap, but I found some really cute YA novels for my sister and a cool Kill Bill-style vamp/horror novel for me! —nutmeg

2011-09-17 14:34:44   Any speculation or news about what will be going in the Borders space now? It's a pretty big storefront. —PhoebeAyers

  • I heard that a clothing store chain has taken strong interest. Don't know the name though. —ScottMeehleib
    • "Ross: Dress for Less" has already taken over a few vacated Borders locations in Southern California, and it'd probably do very, very well in Davis with a location like that (heck, in pretty much any location in town). -ES

2011-11-07 12:57:51   "Done Deal: Whole Foods is Coming to Town" http://davis.patch.com/articles/done-deal-whole-foods-is-coming-to-town —AnthonyValenzuela

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