One of my favorite things in the world to do is to go through a book store, picking up random copies of books that look interesting though I've never been one to actually buy a random book. When it comes to buying, I have to thoroughly look up blog reviews and opinions on forums before I'll actually buy a book, but I'd like to one day have the courage to do so.
Barnes and Noble has a much better selection of speculative fiction books than Borders, at least as far as I've seen and yet Borders has become my favorite store to shop in.
First off, Borders offers a free membership program. No yearly fee here and yet I get great coupons all the time; anywhere from 20 to 40% off any book I choose. Not only that, but they'll order any book I want and ship it to their store, so really they're not that far behind B&N.
I don't work for Borders or anything (promise) and sadly Barnes and Noble will probably far outlast Borders, but I just wanted to explain my preference in addition to posting the latest coupon:
What does everyone else think?
i also prefer borders to b&n (and not only because of the awesome coupons and rewards program they have). the deciding factor: i'm one of those people who have to read at least a few pages before i buy a book and then browse through the chapters to get a "feel" for it. this takes about 10 min. so i usually sit on the floor to do this. long story short, apparently you can't sit on the floor at b&n and read (i was informed by a very snotty employee). i've never ran across this rule in borders.
ReplyDeletei'm very sad about the whole borders situation :'(
I agree. In college I was devoted to B&N. I especially loved finding things in their bargain shelves. Then when they added Starbucks kiosks, it was even better.
ReplyDeleteHowever in the last few years I have become loyal to both Borders and Borders.com. Their rewards club is free, their coupons are plentiful, and their website is quite easy to navigate.
I like Barnes and Noble better, Even though there is a membership fee, with the amount of books I buy it pays for itself within a few months. As for Borders, I still shop there but even with the free membership the rules and limitations regarding their rewards program turn me off.
ReplyDeleteAs for who has the most speculative fantasy, B&N wins hands down. I think it another factor is the atmosphere as well. My Borders Books is near the mall and a few extra miles out of the way where my B&N is less than a mile away and feels like home.
Unfortunately, all of this is moot for me as I live in Korea and use either a small used book store or Kyobo books, both of which have less than a book shelf for English books.
The best part about this post is that we are still concerned about brick and mortar stores and have not gone to the internet for all of our needs just yet.
I have to agree on the Borders being fav store. I enjoy shopping at Borders too, but because the membership is free and I get discounts and earn money off. There are times when our Borders doesn't have the books on the shelves to find, I think because it is a Borders Express. But then there are days the huge truck load must have come in and the shelves are full of amazing books.
ReplyDeleteYet B&N has more books to pick up and look at, which I enjoy doing when looking for a new book. And B&N has a great discussion forum for book clubs.
But over all most of my shopping is done at Borders. Thanks for you thoughts!
Thanks for all the responses. I thought this was a good topic. In the end, I just love to pick up the books and search out what I want. The internet is nice when you know exactly what you want, but the most fun is the hours you can spend in a bookstore.
ReplyDelete