The Move That Doomed Borders Bookstores
With a bankruptcy filing almost certainly in the Borders bookstore chain’s immediate future, LA Times writer Stephen Ceasar recently spent some time at the Glendale location (pictured), chatting with customers. One was there to unload a gift card before it became obsolete, while another told the reporter she appreciated the serene, less crowded atmosphere than that of the nearby Barnes & Noble.
The real trouble for Borders, as Ceasar points out, started exactly a decade ago, when the company’s executives made a decision that today seems unfathomable:
In 2001, just as Internet commerce was beginning to thrive, Borders made the mistake of turning its online sales over to Amazon, a competitor, which gained vital customer information such as purchasing habits.
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