Barnes & Noble Vs. Borders
Besides carrying books, they also sell a wide selection of music, DVD/video titles and magazines. Going to the store is not necessary when you can find everything and more on the stores website. Besides selling new books, the web offers a selection of over 30 million out of print book titles from its nationwide network of out-of-print, rare and used book dealers. If customers spend $25 dollars at BN.com you get shipping is free, and if you live in Manhattan the site offers same day delivery. You can get free delivery in 3 days or less and they even offer same day delivery in Manhattan at no extra charge
Locating out of print books and selling new books are just two aspects of this company’s profile. Barnes and Noble’s acquired a publishing company in January 2003which offers books not found elsewhere at prices not matched anywhere. The new Barnes & Noble Classics line brings back great literary classics like Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, Anna Karinina and thousands of other titles for as low as $3.95The publishing company has an active list of more than 5,000 owned and distributed titles, and annually publishes and distributes more than 1,100 new titles. BN doesn’t have to depend on outside publishing companies for merchandise, they make their own.
For Barnes and Noble devotees there is a membership club that costs $25 a year and provides members with an additional 10% discount on books, CD’s, DVD’s, bargain books and anything sold in the cafÃ?©’s for a year. If customers forget their membership number, sales associates can locate it by telephone number. To make the membership economically worthwhile, customers need to buy at least 25 books a year, which is a lot for the average reader. On a brighter note, friends and family can share a membership, but the store does not advertise this.
Barnes and Nobles has an impressive record to beat, here are some facts and figures that demonstrate the vastness of this retail giant.
– Barnes & Noble has been ranked the No. 1 retail brand for quality in America for the last four consecutive years by Harris InteractiveÃ?®.
– Barnes & Noble.com is the No. 1 online bookseller for quality according to EquiTrendÃ?® survey by Harris InteractiveÃ?®.
– Barnes & Noble is the second-largest coffeehouse in the United States. (Quite an impressive feat for a bookstore)
-The retail stores and the online operations combined sell almost 445 million books per year.
– Last year, Barnes & Noble hosted more than 100,000 community events in thr stores.
– Bestsellers account for only 3% of sales, and more than 50,000 small publishers and university presses are a growing percentage of the business.
When evaluating a company an important factor to consider is the treatment of its employees. Barnes and Nobles offers employees an impressive array of health benefits that includes, major medical and hospitalization, vision Care, preventive care, well baby care and dental care. The medical benefits are paralleled by substantial financial benefits that offer life insurance, business travel accident insurance, short and long term disability Insurance and a 401-K plan with full vesting. Other notable benefits include tuition assistance, book loan program and transit benefits. Most employees with whom I’ve spoken to have sung the praises of the company and credit their employee loyalty to it.
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, Borders Group, Inc., is a publicly held Fortune 500 company with annual sales of $4 billion. The stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BGP. Borders Group operates over 475 Borders superstores in the U.S.; 56 Borders stores outside the U.S., located primarily in the U.K. and the Pacific Rim; 33 Books etc. stores throughout Great Britain. Borders employs more than35,000 employees worldwide. The chain sells a variety of merchandise which includes books, music, movies and stationary. There are more than 1,200 Borders stores around the world, although I personally find it difficult to find them without first researching their location.
Barnes and Nobles seems ubiquitous while Borders stores can appear isolated and few and far between. Borders stores contain a caf�©, but the purpose of them seems more to compete with Barnes and Nobles than to really offer customers a better experience. Return policies are more lient at Borders than at Barnes and Nobles, although they require a photo ID for returns. Borders also has a customer loyalty program but it is free to join. Members earn holiday savings rewards every time they shop, exclusive savings weekly, and the opportunity to earn personal shopping days every month. While the Borders program is less expensive than BN, the perks are not as impressive and the features of it are slightly confusing.
Unlike BN.com, Borders does not operate its own retail site, customers can buy merchandise from Borders via Amazon.com. Technically the process is as easy as buying directly from the bookseller, but some customers might mind the third party involvement. Similarly to B&N, Borders/Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25. However, with the paucity of Borders stores free shipping seems more like a no brainer than a perk.
Employees are protected when it comes to leading healthy and productive lives. The company offers the same medical benefits as Barnes and Nobles to full and part time employees but also supplies employees with a fitness center discount and health care flexible spending accounts. Border’s is not only concerned with their employees, they are concerned with the families of their employees. To illustrate this belief, Borders progressive policies and benefit offerings include: domestic partner benefits, adoption assistance, family medical leave and emergency assistance and bereavement program makes working at Borders right for many reasons. The perks don’t stop there though, Borders rewards employees and supplement their pay by providing access to discounts on a variety of products and services. They include discounts through 1-800-FLOWERS, Group-Rate Tickets to Events, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile Hotspot Discounts. Daimler Chrysler Vehicle Discounts, Auto Insurance Discounts and Homeowners Insurance Discounts. Borders Group also helps employees plan for their future by offering: -Employee Savings Plan with Company Match -Employee and Dependent Life Insurance -Long-Term Care Insurance -Scholarship Assistance Through the Borders Group Foundation.
Overall, Barnes and Nobles vs. Borders, for a shopping experience Barnes and Nobles is the clear winner. The store atmosphere is more inviting and pleasant, they have more retail locations, the online site is user friendly and they have more merchandise and a wider variety of titles. Borders does not have enough stores to properly compete with mega giant BN. The prices are higher at Borders, even the average paperback is $15.00. In my experiences, whenever I am in a Borders and need sales assistance, I can never find an employee to help me. It’s almost like the store is on automatic pilot. There are a few computer terminals so that customers can check the location and quantity of books, but it feels too much like self service at the gas station. Barnes and Nobles seems to have more sales associates in their stores to help customers find books and order books. In terms of employee appreciation and protection Borders clearly wins the competition. To shop I would suggest visiting Barnes and Nobles, if you are looking for a job I would recommend Borders, that’s if there is one located near you.
