"My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores."
Personally, rave, I think that just might be why I like B&N so much. I'm not big on e-books at all (I picked up a batch over the past few weeks, only because it was the only way I could get the books, as they're unavailable in print. E-books, for all the marvel they are, are dependent on tech to be viewable. If you've got a problem with your Kindle or iPhone or computer, you're SOL. Books don't break down, even when they fall apart. On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Kelwyn <ravena...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110381/clearance-sale-barnes-noble-didnt-evolve-enough?mod=career-leadership > > How did Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS - News) fall so far so fast? > > The giant bookstore chain, whose superstores once struck fear into the > hearts of independent booksellers everywhere, put itself up for sale this > month, rendering it the corporate equivalent of the remaindered books it > sells at a discount. > > The company said it made the move because its shares are undervalued, but > to me there was an air of desperation about it. > > The simple explanation for Barnes & Noble's decline is the Internet, which > spawned Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN - News), e-readers and digital books. But > that didn't have to be the end for B&N, which had a dominant market position > and should have out-Amazoned Amazon, leveraging its brand and innovating > when it began marketing and selling books online. > > I know exactly when B&N lost me as a customer. Some years ago, to compete > with Amazon, B&N began offering free same-day delivery in Manhattan if you > placed your order over the Internet by 11 a.m. I did so several times -- and > not once did the books arrive when promised. Everything I have ordered from > Amazon has arrived on time or earlier. Then came Amazon's game-changing > Kindle, and instant delivery. Nothing I've read about B&N's belated rival > Nook has tempted me to try it. > > My hunch is that B&N never really embraced the Internet or e-books, tied as > it was to the old-fashioned world of physical books and stores. As B&N > focused on managing decline, a much more nimble Amazon could concentrate > exclusively on the new world it was forming. B&N needed to destroy its > business model to prevail. Now it is probably too late. There is a lesson > for all businesses here. > > > -- "If all the world's a stage and we are merely players, who the bloody hell wrote the script?" -- Charles E Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQUxw9aUVik
