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Borders Bookstore |
Mark |
Posted on: June 13th, 2006, 2:59pm |
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Maximum Member


Well I'm mildly concerned anyway...
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On Sunday I went into Perth for the Settlers tournament, and while there popped into the new Borders bookstore that opened a week or so ago.
Wow.
For starting stock in the SF/Fantasy section they have ordered a minimum of 1 copy of every book by every good author you can think of...! I found several books by some of my favourite authors that I didn't even know were in paperback yet, or that I thought were out of print decades ago (including a Heinlein short story collection I've never seen any record of before!).
They've stocked all my favourite US authors who don't have distributors in Australia, including David Weber*.
The prices are all the same or a couple of dollars cheaper than Dymocks, and way cheaper than buying online. As you walk in this paradise of books, the smell of the Gloria Jeans franchise that sits in the middle of the store wafts delicious aromas of coffee and toast around you, until you can't resist sitting down and buying something delicious.
They don't yet have a loyalty program, but you can register for their mailing list at the checkout. The promo material claims they will be sending discounts and specials to the list. When I registered I received an e-coupon to print out that gives a 20% discount to the next book I buy**.
I can see Borders is going to take a big bite out of the business I do with Dymocks and Online bookstores. It is already my favourite bookstore.
Regards Mark
*This saved me some US$26 as there is a new David Weber short story compilation with Eric Flint, that is just a subset of some short stories he published in Changer of Worlds series. Without being able to open the book and check it out in the store I would likely have bought it online next time I went book buying.
**As it expires on the 4/7/06 if anybody wants it, email me off-list. |
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leece |
Posted on: June 13th, 2006, 4:54pm |
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So where is this Mecca of books? |
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Mark |
Posted on: June 15th, 2006, 8:57am |
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Well I'm mildly concerned anyway...
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Borders is a couple of doors up from London Court, where Lincraft used to be.
Cheers Mark |
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arcadiagt5 |
Posted on: June 15th, 2006, 9:01am |
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I'm smiling. That alone should scare you.
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Have you tried Fantastic Planet run by Stephen Dedman & Elaine Kemp?
I don't know if the range is as good, but you probably won't get any better advice anywhere in Perth...and they should be able to order anything you need. |
If you cannot see the causal relationship between "I have chocolate" and "Life is Good", you simply aren't trying hard enough. Pirates of the Burley Griffin |
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Poss |
Posted on: June 17th, 2006, 10:02am |
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I have fond memories of Borders Bookshop in York (the one in Yorkshire). Nice coffee, huuuuuge muffins and comfy chairs.
Pity it's a US conglomerate. Still, books, coffee and muffins - what more could anyone want? |
"Never let a technophobe with a screwdriver near a piece of machinery that refuses to cooperate."
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Mark |
Posted on: June 17th, 2006, 7:23pm |
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Maximum Member


Well I'm mildly concerned anyway...
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I like the people at Fantastic Planet, but depending on how well Borders maintains its SF stocks I think they are going to be in trouble.
The only books I've ever bought there have been US titles not published in Australia, and Borders seems to stock these at prices cheaper than I think Fantasic can sell at a profit. Loyalty is tough when you are paying a $2-$3 premium.
The only niche they might be able to fill is Hardcovers maybe, as Borders only seems to stock Hardcovers of new releases.
Mark. |
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Krisjohn |
Posted on: March 16th, 2007, 8:25am |
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So I just type a message here and it shows up some
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leece |
Posted on: March 16th, 2007, 10:07am |
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Krisjohn |
Posted on: March 16th, 2007, 11:42am |
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So I just type a message here and it shows up some
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Hmm, finding a time when I know I'm going into the city is trickier than I thought. I know I'll be in there tonight or tomorrow, but I won't know which until about 5pm this evening.
For reference, here are their opening hours:
Monday - Thursday 08:30 am to 07:00 pm Friday 08:30 am to 09:00 pm Saturday 09:00 am to 05:00 pm Sunday 12:00 pm to 06:00 pm
Is there a good time to go into the city? |
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leece |
Posted on: March 16th, 2007, 1:49pm |
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Well we've got gaming tonight and Weird Al tomorrow, so that counts us out.  |
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Krisjohn |
Posted on: March 18th, 2007, 7:53pm |
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So I just type a message here and it shows up some
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I popped into Borders on Saturday. They're not very gaming friendly. Only one table appeared to be suitable for any sort of gaming, but the place was too busy for that to be realistic. Basically, the only thing you can do at the tables is consume your Gloria Jean's coffee-like product. (When asked for an iced coffee with skim milk, at another GJ's, we were told "it's pre-mixed". Eww.) The music, also, was awful.
So, that's out.
Which is a shame, because I found out that Tactics doesn't have their gaming rooms out the back available anymore. They're used for storage 
However, there's a new development on Hay Street called "The Basement" with a bunch of interesting stores. There's an open area just screaming out for some gaming tables. I didn't ask, but if my plans for GO3 prove that the city is a convenient option for the odd Sunday's activity, I'll check on them again and see what they're planning. |
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leece |
Posted on: March 19th, 2007, 9:34am |
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Interesting. Thanks for your hard work krisjohn, keep us posted! |
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