Borders: Pushing Cauldron's book to the max

At Borders for second time this week in a different location. Both stores have her book on the front table as you walk in as well as on the top shelf to the right. Next to her book, Tim Russet's piece of toilet paper.

I feel queasy and head to bathroom. On the way, I pick up one of Borders' book ads/catalogues which feature recommended reading from the store. First page is a full page interview with, guess who? Cauldron.

Quote:

Question: What were your family dinners like growing up?

Cauldron: They were macabre nightly rituals featuring me, my two brothers and our two loving differently gendered parents. We discussed politics and current events in civilized tones and said something called "grace" before eating meals, which sometimes contained meat and after which none of us threw up. Totally weird.

Question: Do you think America needs more of the in-your-face debate style you bring to the table?

Cauldron: No, I think it needs fewer liberals.


Books like Helen Thomas' are way in the back or on the bottom shelves in the stores.

Seems to me Borders is very biased in pushing the right wing point of view and it pisses me off.

I have posted here many times about Bookstores. Displays are determined by sales. I managed a WaldenBooks and we received a printout every week with sales #'s and where the book should be placed for prominent purchase.
Sorry, you may be reading more into it than is there!

inventory in and of itself generates sales. So why give these books premium placement at the expense of others? There seems to be a political agenda beyond simple selling IMHO.

How much retail experience do you have? This is standard, across the board. You put what is selling and what you are advertising and expecting to sell, front and center. That's basic merchandising. I saw it in clothing, handbags, books, furniture, SOP.

Things sell based on where you place them. So why give this book the advantage is my point.

short, easily understood sentences: Borders sells books. Coulter has received massive publicity. Border's is taking advantage of this to sell as many books as they can. If a book by a liberal author gets this kind of publicity you can bet your bottom dollar that said book will be treated precisely the same. Assuming this is a political statement is silly.

on the front table right next to hers?

Everything you are saying is true.

There is one more aspect of this product placement discussion that is maybe not evident unless you have been a buyer (it used to not be part of the Waldenbooks or Borders philosophy to allow local buying--I dunno what its like now but I suspect it hasn't changed...)

The publishers will give deeper discounts (read as bigger profit margins) on specific books that they want to boost sales of. If you agree to certain types of promotional activities (like product placements on "power aisles" and in front windows) they will sometimes offer things like free advertising or even bigger price breaks.

While I do think the decisions about those offers are probably mostly made at a corporate level, I have also seen sales reps do it just to move product.

Regards!


Laura

a big culprit in that regard. You will really see that practice in the grocery business.

:-)

refrain from referring to that she-creep as "cauldron", as that happens to be the name for one of our sacred tools, and she does not deserve to be honoured in that way. thank you.

by the way, will be contacting my borders tomorrow to let them know what I think of them promoting this piece of garbage.

sounds like time for a little artful rearranging of the displays.

today as well. I then went to buy the books I really wanted. By the time I went to the checkout, they had put all of her books back. I left without buying the books I wanted.

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/store_prima.htm. Discreetly slip them into some of her books.

I was in a Border's bookstore (California) two days ago. I walked into the bookstore, took about 10 steps, and actually had to walk around the table that BLOCKED the direct path into the store. What was on the table? A HUGE display of Ann Coulter's book. This was the first book that ANYONE entering the store would see....couldn't believe it.

(I thought of the DUer who was making it his personal mission to pick up her book in the bookstore and "refile" it SOMEWHERE ELSE in the store....in some obscure corner where no one would find it.)

rabid right wing diatribe when we go into B. & N., but this display in Border's was impossible to hide. The only thing that could have been done would've been to throw a sheet over it or knock it over. :-(

With all the publicity it's gotten this week I would absolutely expect it to be front and center on display. Publicity sells. Even bad publicity.

And when you move books you are not hurting corporate, you're annoying the minimum wage worker that has to put it back. There's no way you're going to hide all the Coulter books right now.

Walk into the store, take copy of book from display, rub front of book briefly and gently against seat of pants, replace book on display.

Doesn't actually hurt the book but who's going to buy one once they see a couple people rub them against their butts?

...George's "bathroom" book on Seinfeld.

And after that he literally couldn't give the book away (Rebecca DeMornay recognized the store flag).

that has a good selection of manga.

same display. I tried to find some books from our left leaning authors like Mark Crispin Miller and could find none. I did buy a DVD of "Crash". I also noticed though that her book was marked off 30%, a sign that it's not moving off the shelves and they are trying to unload it.

I usually go to B & N but had to stay away from that section of town yesterday as there was an event happening that I didn't want to get involved in. Border's is in a strip mall away from the main arteries of the city, but I don't go there very often. There's something that turns me off.

Blue but I just looked them up and they're nothing..?? No cash to either party.

But Barnes and Noble is Blue!

http://www.buyblue.org/directory/b

I would be bummed to walk into a book store to see the ugly spawn of Satan's ugly book, too.

At least we're not the type of people that feel the need to read hatemongers.

I found it easily.

Lap Dogs was on another table near the best sellers area. I didn't have to look long for it. I had to ask where the Artemis Fowl books were though.

I bought both of them at Borders, meaning that Coulter's placement right in front of the door didn't sway this consumer (They don't know about me). Besides, a republican crapped his pants after I bought FUBAR. :D

Tell them that you don't mind books of varying points of view, but that you have an increasing impression that the company is deliberately hawking books with a decidedly rightwing point of view. Then point out that Coulter has had a history of misquotes, perhaps some plagiarism, and factual sourcing errors in her books that you feel set a poor example for the public.

You can be understanding about how the bookstore is about making money, but you can also ask them why it is so difficult to find books with other viewpoints. Ask them if they really believe no one buys other books, or if they are comfortable turning away customers who are constantly faced with wingnut books front-and-center as soon as anyone walks into the store. . .

expect much. I contacted them earlier in the week because of another product change they're making--has nothing to do with politics. I was promised a phone or email response and have yet to hear back. Of course, letters may travel to a different area so I will try it.

They put it at the back. Milk is their most-sold product and least profitable, so customers have to walk past the products that are more profitable and less purchased.

It's about moving the merchandise. :shrug: