4 ms·

When Borders came to Singapore, it became the bookstore with probably the best selection of books in stock. It easily became my favorite place to browse and bu

When Borders came to Singapore, it became the bookstore with probably the best selection of books in stock. It easily became my favorite place to browse and buy books. Two recent incidents stood out which made me realized that Borders was in trouble before I became aware about all the news of it really being in trouble. They replaced their information counter with a computerized system that failed miserably in helping me locate a book I wanted. The book in question was Carlos Ruiz Zafón's 'The Angel's Game'. My friend had shared about the book over dinner and some of us had decided to get a copy. We went down, searched for it using the computerized system, was informed that the book was available (at least that's what the system seem to be saying). It could not be found anywhere on the shelves (where the system said it was supposed to be); more importantly, none of the staff could help us. In short, the new information counter was useless. In the early days, the information counter was run by people who knew and loved books. The proof of that was: 1. They could always help locate the book physically. 2. If the book wasn't in stock, they would also be spot on in recommending a similar book that would interest me. It was the second point that got me buying a couple of extra books. The lost of knowledgeable counter staff in hindsight was indicative of a culture shift in Borders from that of being a place where people passionate about books gathered to a place where shit got sold and it just so happened to be books. The second incident was noticing that valuable store space was being used to sell toys and kitchenware. Yes, kitchenware in a bookstore. In the end, I got 'The Angel's Game' and Carlos Ruiz Zafon's 'The Shadow of The Wind' at a local store http://www.booksactually.com/ http://www.booksactually.com/. I recommend this store to anyone who love books and is in Singapore. Clear showcase of how domain knowledge and intimate customer relations can help a local institution compete against the scale and supposedly lower prices of steam rolling multinational companies.

jseliger 16y ago
This is doubly funny because both _The Angel's Game_ and _The Shadow of the Wind_ take place in or around Sempere and Sons, a small bookshop in early 20th C Barcelona. The proprietor is always a "Senor Sempere" who is integrated with the neighborhood and understands its needs; much of the appeal of the shop is, of course, the books, but it's the Sempere(s) working there who make it different. Words like "integrated with the community" have been so debased by politicians and others that they barely mean anything, but if they still did, they would apply here. The depictions of Sempere and Sons are certainly romanticized, but they still point to a desire for knowing someone who really, deeply knows books. If Borders once had that desire or those kinds of people on staff (even in corporate), the OP in the Atlantic indicates they no longer do.
- iantimothy 16y ago
  Haha. Yes! Growing up with the ubiquity of libraries and books, I found it quaint that finding a book was something considered difficult enough that it was a job of professionals and that a premium was paid for the effort to locate the book. I can imagine how quaint I would look when sharing with my children about the process of physically browsing to find hidden gems; "Dad, you mean you didn't find books liked by your friends from your Facebook wall?" Which of the two books did you prefer?

jseliger 16y ago

This is doubly funny because both _The Angel's Game_ and _The Shadow of the Wind_ take place in or around Sempere and Sons, a small bookshop in early 20th C Barcelona. The proprietor is always a "Senor Sempere" who is integrated with the neighborhood and understands its needs; much of the appeal of the shop is, of course, the books, but it's the Sempere(s) working there who make it different. Words like "integrated with the community" have been so debased by politicians and others that they barely mean anything, but if they still did, they would apply here. The depictions of Sempere and Sons are certainly romanticized, but they still point to a desire for knowing someone who really, deeply knows books. If Borders once had that desire or those kinds of people on staff (even in corporate), the OP in the Atlantic indicates they no longer do.

iantimothy 16y ago
Haha. Yes! Growing up with the ubiquity of libraries and books, I found it quaint that finding a book was something considered difficult enough that it was a job of professionals and that a premium was paid for the effort to locate the book. I can imagine how quaint I would look when sharing with my children about the process of physically browsing to find hidden gems; "Dad, you mean you didn't find books liked by your friends from your Facebook wall?" Which of the two books did you prefer?