Sunday Musings

I am becoming an up-tight book buyer.  For the third week in a row, a local Borders going out of business sale failed to make any impression on me.  They are up to all things 40% off which came out to be roughly a dollar less for a new book bought online.  Don't get me wrong, I love saving a dollar but considering that I buy most my books used for about $5-$6 total or from a publishers remainder or bargain bin for the same price; 40% didn't convince me to buy anything.  Factor in on top of that my limited cash flow, taxes I have to pay in a few months, and the fact that I own thirty or so books I've yet to read and it was surprisingly easy to put back Annabel by Kathleen Winter of which I've read so many good things, Great House by Nicole Krauss of which I don't think anyone has said anything negative, and Before the Flood by Margaret Atwood.  They are all still on the list; only not in the TBR pile.

It would have been a fun purchase I there was a small part of me that was caught up in the moment.  It's rare I have a book buying binge that consist of only women; in truth, it's probably never happened before.  Add in a list that is dominated by Canadians and even I'm a bit confused...  My taste in fiction has certainly changed in the past few years.  

Without getting into to much of the financial aspects of a GOB sale, Borders has some crazy-ass pricing structures.  I understand the need to maintain a certain profit margin but I don't think consumers are as dumb as Borders executives do, or at least; I'm not.  I'll spare you my business discourse and hypotheses of their sales strategies.  I could expand on this in probably no less than ten pages with examples and numbers for support, but trust me: Borders has some crazy-ass pricing structures.

I truly feel sorry for all who are losing their jobs, but the GOB sale only throws into relief why I never shopped at Borders in the first place.