Borders will donate unsold books instead of destroying them
Borders Group Inc. employees have been using social media and blogging to build outcry against a common bookstore practice: Removing covers from unsold books and trashing them.
While bookstores have long used the technique with products they can't sell - since the distributors don't want the products back - it's an issue at the Ann Arbor-based Border's as it closes 200 Waldenbooks.
But the company is responding to the pressure. It announced this week that it will donate 50,000 books as it launches an alliance with Gifts in Kind International.
According to a report on the Huffington Post, "The company says the initial donation will be the beginning of a long-term alliance with Gifts In Kind."
But the Huffington Post also reports that some Borders employees feel that's not enough:
"According to Donate, Not Dumpster!, Borders is only planning to donate "non-returnable" goods, which doesn't include most unsold mass-market books. Thus, a hefty sum of books will still be discarded daily."
Borders took online heat for the book destruction as it faced scrutiny for its holiday strategy and resulting sales results.
The company reported last week that its holiday sales fell 13.7 percent, following a third quarter that saw its sales drop 12.7 percent.
Borders stock also fell this week as news of the holiday sales filtered into the marketplace.
According to an AnnArbor.com report from Wednesday, "Borders' market capitalization - the combined value of all of its shares - was about $71 million this morning."
That value fell to $66 million by the close of stock sales on Friday.
Borders Group Inc. employs more than 800 workers at its Ann Arbor headquarters.
Comments
minka
Sun, Feb 7, 2010 : 1:34 p.m.
If you think there is an issue with general reading books, wait until you look at the scam for textbooks. Furthermore, there is no oversight for the accuracy or content of textbooks.
Angela Smith
Sun, Jan 24, 2010 : 9:23 a.m.
I think it is great to hear about a change in thinking about what to do with unsold books and merchandise. Policies exsist for a reason, sure, but companies that are finding (or at least seeking)a way to make them more friendly -- to the environment, to others, etc., is great news.
Ed C
Sun, Jan 24, 2010 : 12:45 a.m.
If Borders or any bookseller strips the cover and reports it to the vendor, they are refunded for the cost of the book. This is a condition that booksellers have to protect themselves against the possibility that the book doesn't sell. If they were to just give the books away, the publisher wouldn't refund the cost. If Borders adopted this policy system-wide for all their returnable paperbacks, they'd probably be bankrupt in the blink of an eye. If you think this policy is wrong, then shine the light on the industry practice itself - don't vilify Borders. (as a disclaimer I most definitely do not work for them.)
zollar
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 3:42 p.m.
Monthly magazines on news/book racks are regularly destroyed/thrown away to make space for the next months copy.
tdw
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 12:46 p.m.
I don't know (and really don't care ) but does'nt the book store have to pay for them anyway? I'm just curious
Doug Boynton
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 12:19 p.m.
If the books aren't sold, the author gets no compensation for his/her work. If someone else reads the book they are, in effect, stealing the author's work. Now, before you say, "libraries," think again...libraries purchase the books, and can be an important source of authors' income. This whole thing isn't unlike people who trade copies of music online. I hate to see a book destroyed, too. But this is fair to the people who created the work...how?
CobaltBlue
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 10:23 a.m.
I miss the real newspaper where there would be real information in a real story, not just rehash, and quoting from previous pieces. This doesn't tell us anything new. More info, please!
Paula Gardner
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.
If you want more information on the industry practice, I encourage you to check out the link to Donate Not Dumpster! in the story. There's a lot of background on the site. There's also a 2008 report by NPR that offers some industry insight: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91461568 I also found this site interesting - it details various costs involved in print publishing. About halfway down is the subhead: "Book Returns" http://ireaderreview.com/2009/05/03/book-cost-analysis-cost-of-physical-book-publishing/
halflight
Sat, Jan 23, 2010 : 9:59 a.m.
This story could do with a little more depth. There's more involved here than Borders' internal policy on the disposal of unsold books. Many publishers require the retailer to destroy unsold books, to prevent those books from diluting demand for the title. So, even if Borders wants to give away unsold books, it has to get a publisher's O.K. before it does-- and we all know how eager publishers are to give away copyrighted works.