Why Barnes & Noble Is Copying Local Bookstores It Once Threatened | WSJ The Economics Of

Barnes & Noble grew into a bookselling powerhouse after scaling quickly, thanks to cookie-cutter retail locations. After years of struggling against e-commerce companies like Amazon, the bookstore adopted more of a local strategy, empowering individual stores to decide on inventory and displays.

WSJ explains how that business model has panned out for the bookselling giant.

Photo illustration: Ryan Trefes

Chapters:
0:00 How Barnes & Noble pivoted its business strategy
0:43 The history of Barnes & Noble
2:03 How the bookseller took a hit from digital competitors
3:00 Why the company adopted more of an independent bookstore strategy
5:18 What’s next?

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#BarnesandNoble #Books #WSJ

[calumwilson]

Nothing beats going into an independent or second-hand bookstore. Amazing prices and just a much more magical feel. I'm lucky that Scotland has a fair number of them still

[sclarsen]

Being a Millennial father of 4, it's fascinating to me that my kids usually hate when we go shopping in person. To them it's a huge chore to go shopping in person, something I never would have guessed. I grew up loving going to the mall or any other store in person. However, we recently took them to Barnes & Noble. They absolutely loved going there and were mesmerized by the assortment of books, games, and toys. Based on their reaction to being there, Barnes & Noble is doing something right.

[ampersignia]

Interesting that they mention the romance and manga. When I sold my books to an independent bookstore locally, I asked what they were looking for and they immediately said romance and manga.

[katr]

i like how this new CEO thinks. he thinks about the customers/readers in the area. :) I hope this business grows. I hate the old way it was running; it does not allow the customer to stay and enjoy the environment. I hope they bring tables and chairs to appreciate the ambience too.

[trashboat]

I go to B&N all the time. Whether it’s them or a smaller shop, I love physically going into a store and looking through all the books. I’m happy things are starting to turn around for them. It’s been a bummer seeing them close stores.

[shumoon]

When I think of an independent bookstore, I imagine a cramped dusty shop that very few people visit. Barnes and Noble did something revolutionary in the 1990s: they made bookstores cool. The cafe, the escalators, the dark wood railings, and classical music playing overhead all made going to Barnes an experience.

[NorEaster_Cyclone]

I don't usually like big box stores but Barnes and Noble felt like a temple to books

[razorback]

As a Barnes & Noble bookseller myself and having had the chance to personally meet Mr. Daunt, I can say confidently that this man knows what he's doing and as a whole the store I personally work at and one that he visited, has been doing amazing.

[Aviator]

I love going to Barnes and Noble. Really hope Amazon doesn’t kill this business.

[Blackandblue]

It’s mind-boggling how they are still in business, considering so many buying books online

[blizxengd]

Really interesting to hear them talk about focusing more on the experience of shopping with their new strategy, because I’ve always felt that the ‘old’ Barnes and nobles were much more enjoyable to shop in. The old stores were enchanting and cozy, whereas the new stores feel a tv set, and not in a good way.

[inzainy]

I love the “traditional” Barnes and Noble look, it feels more warm especially with the sounds and smells of the cafe that make me want to grab a drink and book. The new look is more cold and not as comforting.
I do like the localization concept and putting promotions on books that the demographics in that area.

[bruce]

It seems like a lot of physical stores are going toward providing "experience". It is impossible or extremely hard to compete with Amazon on selling commodities like books. So switch over to compete by selling things can't comodify and go away from only providing utility values. Sure Amazon can do exactly the same but then just like checking out different restaurants, people would still want to check out different book stores for different experience.

[c.eb.]

Nothing can beat Borders. It was magical. If you never saw it, you won't know what we lost when the chain folded. It was like a cool neighborhood bookstore sized up to big box store size.

[mnledesm]

I'm a 42 year old male and I hate any type of in-person shopping (malls, grocery, cars) but I love going to bookstores, exploring their selection and maybe sampling the coffee and bakery if they have one in the store.

[tineye]

I’ve seen this in my local store. I am not too ashamed to admit it’s worked on me. Not only are a lot of the featured tables subjects I’m interested in, but they also have handwritten recommendations on the shelves for different books and authors from the staff

[DarkWatcherDS]

Giving the stores their own say and touch on the store they run is a great idea. Makes it feel more personal in a good way and a better experience

[kmaguire]

Worked for B&N from 93-2000. Absolutely awful place to work and still have a lot of bad memories. Hopefully the new CEO prioritizes treating the staff better than the old one did. It was around 95-96 that they started to really homogenize the stores and take away control from the booksellers on displays and promotions so it sounds like at least that part is headed in the right direction.

[residentevillife]

I am glad that despite all the doom and gloom over a decade ago people are very much still in love with physical books

[travasses]

Nothing beats the experience of a bookstore. Going in and walking around, browsing the books. Sitting down and reading a bit of a book that has sparked your interest. I get that buying online can be cheaper and more convenient sometimes, but in my opinion, nothing beats the in store experience