Borders closing

[uk_wildcat]

I got an email last night stating that my local Borders store is closing. Everything is supposed to be liquidated at 20-40% off. Just wondering if anyone has been to a sale in their area and if it is worth it to go now, or wait until they are really trying to get rid of everything and mark it down more? I have the Borders rewards program that I paid to join, so I get an additional % off, so I am thinking I could get some great deals before all the good stuff is gone.

 

[pintamino]

I heard markdowns won't go super low at Borders - unsold stock will be returned to publishers to help relieve some of the debt Borders is in to them.

 

[si-am]

I went to mine last weekend and the only things 40% off were magazines. I bought a ton of those since they were cheap and it's something I enjoy but usually don't buy.

Books were 20%, so it really wasn't cheap enough to entice me to buy anything else.

 

[BigDaddyWill]

I went to the one in the Northgate area of Cincinnati last week...20% off is still a good deal...if you wait too long everything will be picked over. We are most likely going back tomorrow.

Will

 

[Nayan]

Liquidation sales are not 'sales':

http://consumerist.com/2011/02/scenes-from-the-last-days-of-some-borders.html

Here's an article on why you should never buy at these types of sales:

http://consumerist.com/2011/02/dont-rush-into-buying-stuff-at-liquidation-sales.html

 

[abcboys]

We stopped at our local one going out of sale and it was NUTS inside!! You would have though it was a 90% off sale. The line went from the front all the way to the back of the store. I saw a relative there in line and he waited over 45 minutes in the checkout line. I'm not waiting in that long of a line for less than 50% off!! Of course this was a saturday so I'm sure its probably not that busy during the week but like someone else said its get to be picked over.

 

[MissBritt]

ours had 20-40% signs out, too. nothing i've been dying to buy that i can't wait for just in case it drops lower.

 

[mcbj]

We stopped at our local one going out of sale and it was NUTS inside!! You would have though it was a 90% off sale. The line went from the front all the way to the back of the store. I saw a relative there in line and he waited over 45 minutes in the checkout line. I'm not waiting in that long of a line for less than 50% off!! Of course this was a saturday so I'm sure its probably not that busy during the week but like someone else said its get to be picked over.

My brother went to one in Columbus, OH on Monday afternoon to check out the Lego and American Girl stuff and it was already very picked over. He said there were about 80 people in line to pay.

 

[redcubfan]

Last weekend we went to the one in Tulsa that's closing, and if my kids hadn't found a couple of books they wanted, I never would've waited in line that long. And, honestly, there wasn't anything there I thought was exceptionally priced except for calendars...they were all $1. They didn't accept any Borders Rewards coupons or allow any educator discounts either. (I had hoped to get some books for my classroom.)

 

[CTdiznymom]

Ours has been saved.

 

[chisnpeke]

Went last night to one near us closing and it was a mess. The lines were ridiculous and nothing was that great of a deal.

 

[MissAndrea]

We stopped at our local one going out of sale and it was NUTS inside!! You would have though it was a 90% off sale. The line went from the front all the way to the back of the store. I saw a relative there in line and he waited over 45 minutes in the checkout line. I'm not waiting in that long of a line for less than 50% off!! Of course this was a saturday so I'm sure its probably not that busy during the week but like someone else said its get to be picked over.

This was our experience!! I only went inside because I actually needed a book right now and was willing to pay full price (although they ended up not having it). I have NO idea why everyone thinks 20% off is a good deal. You can save more than that buying them online any day of the week!!! It looked like Black Friday in there....30 min+ wait, line all the way to the back of the store. I just don't get it.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Mine last weekend was the same way. It was insane. We went in while we waited for our time at a restaurant. If there were this many people in before the OOB sale then they wouldn't be going OOB. 20% I would have all the time from them with coupons I got in email . It was sad. We did buy a few things, but there was no line upstairs at all! We checked out really quick. I would never have stood on that line!

 

[bigmama67]

I went to a Borders today. Waited in line over 1/2 hour to check out (poor DD was in the stroller and she had had ENOUGH!) I figured I would spend up to $100 and got a bunch of stuff for $61!

- Harry Potter cardboard building set w/Harry figurine...never seen anything like it before
- Elmo Treasury storybook
- Rosita storybook with read-along CD (DD's name is Rosa and there is hardly ANYTHING with Rosita so I grabbed it)
- Draw Me A Star by Eric Carle
- Calvin & Hobbes anthology (DS' new love!)
- DK "Silly Sentences" game (I'm going into teaching Early Childhood)

20% off (plus my 10% off for Borders Rewards) was a bit underwhelming, but I think I did well. I may hit a different one during the week just to see if they have the DK math game for that age level. Didn't really see anything else I wanted.

 

[cluvsdisney]

A friend went to one closing in PA and the only discount was on magazines which were 40% off.

 

[Yoshi]

Liquidation sales are not 'sales':

http://consumerist.com/2011/02/scenes-from-the-last-days-of-some-borders.html

Here's an article on why you should never buy at these types of sales:

http://consumerist.com/2011/02/dont-rush-into-buying-stuff-at-liquidation-sales.html

I agree with those articles, it amazes me to see a store closing and stuff is 10% off and the store is jammed.


Circuit City was the exception since they didn't raise clearance prices back to MSRP (at least for video games) so games were very cheap. I managed to get some games for $10 - $15 that were $30 - $40 elsewhere.

 

[Planogirl]

Our nearest Borders is closing and had just about everything marked down 20%. There were a few books that I wanted anyway so I went to Borders and got them there. The line was long but it moved quickly so I didn't wait long. The staff was quite friendly and helpful too.

I like to order from Amazon but we've had trouble getting our orders thanks to terrible mail service. I prefer to get as much as I can locally for that reason.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I like to order from Amazon but we've had trouble getting our orders thanks to terrible mail service.

That is odd. I order from Amazon all the time and 98% of the time my items are sent via UPS, the rest of the time FedEx or very small delivery services, never via USPS. Do you have a PO box, or are you in an area with no other delivery options?

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

This is a list of all the stores that are closing. Supposedly items are 20% off and will go up to 75% off closer to time the store will actually close.

http://media.bordersstores.com/pdf/Borders_Reorg_Closure_ListupdatedFeb18[1].pdf