On her blog, Johanna Draper Carlson passes along a rumor that Borders is considering dropping single-issue comics.
She quotes her source as saying the Borders Group is conducting a feasability study to determine what impact removing monthly comics from its 1,200 stores would have on the company’s bottom line.
If I were to guess, I’d say not a lot. As blogger Dorian Wright points out in the comments section, the comics racks at Borders and Waldenbooks seem to attract more browsers than buyers. Of course, that’s anecdotal.
September 1st, 2006 at 9:52 am
Of the 3 Borders I’ve been to none have had single-issue comics. All have multiple trades though. One has a manga section that is quite possibly the biggest section of any single “genre” in the store.
September 1st, 2006 at 10:04 am
If the Borders that I stop in is any indication, the monthly racks themselves communicate that these comics are unimportant. There never seems to be any organization of titles (alphabetically, by publisher, genre, whatever) and it also seems iffy whether the comics in the rack will be the current ones. I would definitely buy monthly comics at Borders pretty regularly (it’s conveniently located for me), especially if I haven’t been able to make it to my local comic store recently, but these factors combined with their limited range of monthlies make it a better idea to go to my LCS
September 1st, 2006 at 10:28 am
Our local Walden Books just turned into a Borders Express, and I can’t really say if they have a rack there or not. But the rack always made the comics less appealing and with the browsers pulling the books in and out of them, it hardly makes the comics worth buying.
I do frequent Book A Million at least once a week and the Manga aisle keeps getting bigger, and the graphic novel and comic sections smaller. And if sales on the monthlies are any indication of what’s on the rack, what is the purpose anyway?
September 1st, 2006 at 10:50 am
The Borders I visit generally puts out the comics about 3 weeks after they’re released. They have a highly variable selection, so unless you’re buying one of the very big titles you can’t trust that they’ll be there. Of course most of the lower selling comics aren’t there at all.
If they put out the comics on time and a had more reliable selection I’d be perfectly willing to buy from them at least some of my comics rather than having to go to the nearest comic store which is much farther away.
September 1st, 2006 at 11:23 am
This is sad. They should do an pull list, I bet if they did a little work they could make lots more money… I agree with the 3rd comment above.
That being said, I do see lots of people reading the comics in the Border’s store by me.
September 1st, 2006 at 11:24 am
The comics rack at borders is always clutted and disorganized, they are usually in poor condition from people like me browsing them instead of buying them… Actually it sounds a lot like how I keep my comics at home. Why don’t they just buy my comics?
September 1st, 2006 at 11:46 am
That would be like WalMart to stop selling Marvel Legends. People might actualy have to return to their local comic shop.
September 1st, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Limiting options when buying comics isn’t the best way to boost sales.
I don’t buy Marvel Legneds from my comic shop because they charge $20 each. If Wal-Mart stopped carrying them, I would probably go online. If websites stopped carrying them, I would probably ask “Is this worth $20?”
September 1st, 2006 at 8:20 pm
I work magazines at Borders.
First of all, we put out the comics 3 weeks later because that’s when we get them. Usually within a day of receiving them.
Second, only the characters most people know about are going to be carried on a regular basis. That means Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Archie. If you’re looking for mature or obscure titles, you won’t find them here.
Third – a pull list? People don’t even come in to pick up their special orders half the time. Plus, we have no control over what comics show up at the store. What do I do if 5 people want a comic and 4 show up?
Finally, comics are magazines. And all magazines in bookstores are heavily browsed, rarely purchased. Sure there are some exceptions (Playboy, Oprah, etc.) but most of the time people just want something to spill their coffee on.
September 1st, 2006 at 9:43 pm
I like buying comics at Borders when I’m in one. It’s convenient. I don’t give a shit if they’ve been handled previously, and I realize that a big box bookstore is only going to have a limited range of offerings in any one section. Pristine funnybooks and a full range of offerings is what a comic book shop is for.
I would be sad to see them go.
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:19 am
The Borders I have been to have their comics out the Monday following release. But they basically have them in spinner racks where the comics are savaged by their storage format. So it is no wonder no one buys tattered comics at full price
September 6th, 2006 at 1:56 am
Borders is where I read all the books I can’t afford to buy.