Barnes & Noble is killing itself

[dgiharris]

Competition is hard. Nothing new here. Consumer markets evolve and to stay competitive, companies need to adapt and make the right decisions.

Book stores are suffering for the same reason that libraries (where books don't cost $40+) are suffering.

The internet has made many of those institutions partially unneeded. What used to be a night of going to there or the Borders to meet with friends over coffee and discuss something you're reading, could easily be done with laptops from a regular coffee shop or at someone's house.

The internet is an absolute game changer with respect to access to information.

Some people still prefer the nostalgia of physical books over e-books and reading on a computer, however...the same is true that some people still prefer to own the physical disc rather than streaming all of their music, but that doesn't negate the impact that Pandora and Spotify have had on the market.

I do business consulting and one of my biggest clients is an aging publisher whose magazine has two feet in the grave and the market is shoveling dirt up to his neck...

but he refuses to change and adapt. He knows what he knows and don't you dare try to confuse him with the facts.

Barnes and Nobles had some serious business problems that I actually tried to address with them, but because they are "corporate" they would not accept unsolicited proposals or consultants.

In many respects, B&N did try to change with the times but in some respects they had some serious dinosaur holdover business models. For instance, they had a HUGE DVD and CD division that was selling movies for $19.95 when those same movies were available from Redbox for a $1 rental. Sorry, they should have learned from Blockbusters that was a losing model.

A big area that I wanted to consult with them on over a decade ago was the ability for them to Print Books on Demand right there in the store. They are "barely" getting around to having this ability and they are rolling it out in a few stores.

Obviously there is going to be a little pushback from Brick and Mortar publishers however B&N needed to work something out with them for mutual benefit. Essentially, being able to Print "any" book right there in the store would be a powerful competitive advantage enabling B&N to compete with Amazon. It would enable book buyers to still derive benefit from going to a brick and mortar store while also still enjoying the physicality of the shopping experience: interacting with others, getting recommendations, seeing physical books at the store...

I had a host of other ideas for B&N over a decade ago, but they couldn't be bothered with unsolicited proposals which is a shame...

 

[MoonlessNight]

Am I the only one who prefers reading something of considerable length in print form? Digital books and articles are nearly impossible to navigate.

Luckily, print on demand is become more widespread and more affordable.

And in many cases it's still quicker than going to an actual bookstore like Barnes and Noble. I don't remember when the last time they actually had the book I wanted in store. Most of the time they will say that they can order it from their warehouse and that I can pick it up next week, but at that point why I am just not ordering it from an online store in the first place?

 

[MoonlessNight]

In many respects, B&N did try to change with the times but in some respects they had some serious dinosaur holdover business models. For instance, they had a HUGE DVD and CD division that was selling movies for $19.95 when those same movies were available from Redbox for a $1 rental. Sorry, they should have learned from Blockbusters that was a losing model.

This model lead to one of the only things I liked about B&N: About once or twice a year they would have a huge sale on DVD's and CD's to clear inventory. Now since the prices were so high to begin with, even with the big discounts the prices were only okay at best. But the selection was great! Since no one ever bought anything from them at full price, you could get all sorts of hard to find or out of print movies and television shows.

Of course, that's hardly a sustainable business model.