Thanks to Kate at The Neverending Shelf, something awful has been brought to my attention. Instead of donating excess stock to local libraries and other needy organizations, Borders stores is dumping their extra books. As in trash bin. They claim it's cheaper for them to dump the books than donate them. See, my logic synapses are misfiring on that one. Donations = tax credits. They're obviously not returning the books to the publishers for credit so . . . how is it cheaper to toss them?
That's like finding out H&M and Walhell dump their excess stock but they take it an extra step and destroy the stock so dumpster divers can't claim and use any of it. In an economy where people don't have a pot to piss in, why is the largest retailer destroying extra clothes instead of donating them?
Why is Borders destroying valuable books instead of donating them? Why do they just toss them out and then lie to people about it? I bet those 30% off coupons aren't looking so good and that $25 membership fee to Barnes and Nobel is looking a little better, huh?
If you want to get up to date information on this, then join the Tell Borders: Do Not Dumpster Books When Waldenbooks Closes - Donate! page on Facebook. This is just mind-boggling.
EMERALD BLAZE
5 hours ago
10 comments:
They aren't the only ones that do that unless things have changed. I took this class where I would spend some time at I want to say Daltons where I was told to rip covers off of books and to trash them. I was able to keep any books I wanted but the rest were tossed in the dumpster. Or was it Waldens? I know the location in the mall but I always get them confused and sadly I'm no longer near that mall. It is pretty stupid to throw away books like that but it does make me want to go dumpster diving.
That's just awful. At lease leave them on the table for people in the community to pick up if you don't want to spend money donating them.
Whenever I hear about things like this, I don't get it.
I'm sure libraries/organizations would come and pick up the books, for free or work something out.
Borders is just...*shakes head*
I hope they change their minds.
All retailers do this. Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target, etc. They've been doing it for years. They send the cover back to the publisher on paperback books, and throw the rest of the book away. Tradeback/quality paperbacks and hardback books get sent back to the publisher as a complete copy. This is why on many of the smaller paperback books, they have the notice in the front stating that if the cover is missing, then the book is stolen. Now, on the bookstores with Borders that are closing, I'm not entirely sure what they do with those to be honest. I have worked for both Borders and Walmart. I have friends who work for Barnes and Noble. The publishers tell them to strip the covers off. It's not the retailers who have the problem (in this specific instance). Publishers have a limit on the backstock of a book they can hold.
I know!!!! Isn't it just APPALLING?!?
Borders has already arranged for a a donation partner. Its the publishers that need to be held accountable. They were requiring books to be "stripped" and trashed even 20 years ago when I worked at a small indy. The person that mentioned they took the stripped book homes; Thats against publisher policy and is considered stealing which is why most stores won't let employees have them.
This infuriates me, and worse yet, more and more 'corporations' are doing this - claiming everything from 'more cost effective' to 'insurance liability'. The plain truth is that THEY are so afraid that it would cut into their sales!
It makes me so PISSED OFF!!!
BUT - remember, by OUR being aware of such business tactics, the ultimate power lies in WHERE we (each of us) choose to spend our hard earned cash!
If you DON'T approve of someone's business practice, then DO NOT support them - simple as that.
AND bitch your brains out/send letters to protest these wasteful practices. If enough consumers protest, we may see these companies eventually RE-think their selfish policies!
That's such a piss ass practice, I swear. WTF are they thinking? They'd probably get more money if they didn't send the books back and donated their overstock. It hurts. It really does.
Yeah, Borders is weak. Let's point-out Borders as the only target.
How about Barnes and Noble? Wal-Mart? Are you aware that it's in the contract for EVERYONE who distributes mass-market paperbacks? Covers are returned for credit and reported as unsold. Everywhere. Anytime someone "donates" stripped massmarkets, they're returning the covers as unsold AND committing fraud.
That's right; it's fraud to claim the books as destroyed, yet to donate them. Why? Because the bookstore is receiving credit for returning the book. But what about the stripping of covers? That's how magazines and mass-market paperbacks have always been handled; return just the covers, because the publisher can't handle the inventory.
Now, do you really want to go beat-up Harlequin Enterprises, Penguin/Putnam, Conde' Nast, or any other publisher who might issue magazines and mass-market paperbacks for "not allowing" Borders to donate those unsold books?
Do you really think Borders, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Meijer, etc., have a choice?
Of COURSE it's going to cost them money to donate them. They lose-out on unsold credit. If they donate the books, the tax write-off later doesn't help cash flow now.
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