The Pen Is Not Mightier Than The Fire Sale
Borders Books & Music closed for good (at least in my region of this Earth) back at the end of September. Depending on one's perspective, it signaled a number of things. For some, it was a sign that digital content is becoming far too popular to ignore and Borders simply fell behind the curve. For others, it was yet another business that over extended itself and lived outside of it's means…another business to feel the cold, dead hand of the free market choke the last breath from it's proverbial lungs. For the rest, it was a dire warning of a societal shift away from sharpening one's mind through the power of the written word.
While I was definitely disappointed to see the book selling giant fall by it's own alleged hand, I wasted no time at all in joining the other vultures in picking apart the remains. From the first official announcement of a storewide sell-off to the final moments preceding the lights being turned off for the final time, I walked the perimeter of the store seeking prime reading at a bargain basement price. I even took to Facebook at the outset to comment on the vultures that were plucking the exposed meat from the bones as I stood amongst them, eager to pluck away with the horde.
Over the following weeks, I paid numerous visits to Borders seeking the remainders of worthwhile inventory. Anything from Humor to Classic Literature, I returned to the scene routinely in hopes of scoring big for less and less out-of-pocket expense. I won't lie. I got bargains on top of bargains in the wake of the livelihoods of others. In my mind, I could take some strange sense of solace in convincing myself that I spent my money there with great vigor before the untimely collapse.
Amongst the pile of books I acquired for 80% off the cover price was Arianna Huffington's post-recession best seller Third World America. It was one of those books that I had an interest in reading, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it enough to pay full cover to read. Aside from my own personal feelings concerning the Huffington Post magnate's seeming desire to run a gossip site that does news as a secondary feature, I had already read Matt Taibbi's brilliant and alarming Griftopia. Overall, I had my doubts that Miss Huffington's cautionary tale would offer up any new information on the world's current financial crisis. However, for $4.79 retail, I was able to get the book at hobo apocalypse prices.
After months of sitting in my "to read" pile, I was finally able to start Third World America. At about 45 pages in, I can safely say that it's written in such a way as to hold my interest, but I get the distinct feeling that I'm not going to feel like I read anything new when it is finally over. Having said that, I did some reflection on the means by which I ended up owning this particular book.
The aim of this book, to the best of my knowledge, is to inform the public at large about the various actions that resulted in an economy in shambles and a middle class that is shriveling into oblivion. At best, this information has a target audience that it seeks to either persuade or reinforce. The thought that crossed my mind while reading this was the economic climate that this book was released under. At a time when many seem to be very short on recreational spending money, Third World America is in the store at full price. Though I'm certain the book has sold well enough, the timing seems bad given the alleged importance of the information. Amidst it all, I was able to get myself a copy in a store that was flatlining. In a way, the tales of woe that I would eventually read about in it's pages were occurring before my eyes at Borders. A store full of people like myself were about to be tossed out where hopes of finding a decent wage are fleeting at best.
I still pass the empty storefront every night on my way home. The giant Borders sign still rests above the doors peering into another barren retail space. Eventually, some new corporate entity will occupy that space. Most likely, it will be yet another "new" retail chain specializing in bath goods, discount designer clothes or overpriced mid-level furniture packaged with some wacky twist such as salespersons dressed like clowns or mimes. Meanwhile, new books will continue to be written and more new sparkly vampire stories sold. Despite their missteps, both obvious and unknown, Borders' existence in the face of competition gave the impression that not only were enough people reading to warrant more than one major reseller, but that people were finding solace from a world growing ever more harsh from a good book. With Borders now officially gone, the world just feels a little more harsh…minus the solace.
While I was definitely disappointed to see the book selling giant fall by it's own alleged hand, I wasted no time at all in joining the other vultures in picking apart the remains. From the first official announcement of a storewide sell-off to the final moments preceding the lights being turned off for the final time, I walked the perimeter of the store seeking prime reading at a bargain basement price. I even took to Facebook at the outset to comment on the vultures that were plucking the exposed meat from the bones as I stood amongst them, eager to pluck away with the horde.
Over the following weeks, I paid numerous visits to Borders seeking the remainders of worthwhile inventory. Anything from Humor to Classic Literature, I returned to the scene routinely in hopes of scoring big for less and less out-of-pocket expense. I won't lie. I got bargains on top of bargains in the wake of the livelihoods of others. In my mind, I could take some strange sense of solace in convincing myself that I spent my money there with great vigor before the untimely collapse.
Amongst the pile of books I acquired for 80% off the cover price was Arianna Huffington's post-recession best seller Third World America. It was one of those books that I had an interest in reading, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it enough to pay full cover to read. Aside from my own personal feelings concerning the Huffington Post magnate's seeming desire to run a gossip site that does news as a secondary feature, I had already read Matt Taibbi's brilliant and alarming Griftopia. Overall, I had my doubts that Miss Huffington's cautionary tale would offer up any new information on the world's current financial crisis. However, for $4.79 retail, I was able to get the book at hobo apocalypse prices. After months of sitting in my "to read" pile, I was finally able to start Third World America. At about 45 pages in, I can safely say that it's written in such a way as to hold my interest, but I get the distinct feeling that I'm not going to feel like I read anything new when it is finally over. Having said that, I did some reflection on the means by which I ended up owning this particular book.
The aim of this book, to the best of my knowledge, is to inform the public at large about the various actions that resulted in an economy in shambles and a middle class that is shriveling into oblivion. At best, this information has a target audience that it seeks to either persuade or reinforce. The thought that crossed my mind while reading this was the economic climate that this book was released under. At a time when many seem to be very short on recreational spending money, Third World America is in the store at full price. Though I'm certain the book has sold well enough, the timing seems bad given the alleged importance of the information. Amidst it all, I was able to get myself a copy in a store that was flatlining. In a way, the tales of woe that I would eventually read about in it's pages were occurring before my eyes at Borders. A store full of people like myself were about to be tossed out where hopes of finding a decent wage are fleeting at best.
I still pass the empty storefront every night on my way home. The giant Borders sign still rests above the doors peering into another barren retail space. Eventually, some new corporate entity will occupy that space. Most likely, it will be yet another "new" retail chain specializing in bath goods, discount designer clothes or overpriced mid-level furniture packaged with some wacky twist such as salespersons dressed like clowns or mimes. Meanwhile, new books will continue to be written and more new sparkly vampire stories sold. Despite their missteps, both obvious and unknown, Borders' existence in the face of competition gave the impression that not only were enough people reading to warrant more than one major reseller, but that people were finding solace from a world growing ever more harsh from a good book. With Borders now officially gone, the world just feels a little more harsh…minus the solace.
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