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Barnes & Noble reported their sales from the 2017 holiday quarter, and the news is not good.
B&N today reported holiday sales for the nine-week holiday period ending December 30, 2017. Total sales for the holiday period were $953 million, declining 6.4% as compared to the prior year. Comparable store sales also declined 6.4% for the holiday period, while online sales declined 4.5%.
Entering December, the Company was encouraged by the comparable store sales improvements throughout the second quarter and into November. However, sales trends softened in December, primarily due to lower traffic.
The Company's book business declined 4.5%, outperforming the overall comparable store sales performance. Declines in the gift, music and DVD categories accounted for nearly half of the comparable store sales decrease. The Company said it remains focused on executing its strategic turnaround plan, which includes an aggressive expense management program.
The keywords are "aggressive expense management program," which translates to "lowering" the cost of employees, and closing and downsizing stores.
Previously: Barnes & Noble Pivots to Books
(Score: 4, Informative) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday January 09 2018, @02:55PM
I'm mid 50's and have neck and joint pain. anything I do, these days, often has some bit of pain to it (arthritis never goes away once you get it). holding a book, moving my neck or even my bad eyes to read the thing takes effort and at the end of the day, I'm tired from the day job and reading paper books is the last thing I want.
I do find it easier to read screens, though. generated light vs reflected light. dark term windows and green or amber text helps me see better and I can control the font size and window size.
I did read a lot when I was younger, but physically, it takes effort and sometimes a mild amount of pain.
besides, almost anything technical is out of date once its printed. to stay current and employed I need to spend all my spare time maintaining my tech background; pleasure reading of fiction does not fit into my schedule. I can just barely stay current as it is, in tech; and that's with all my spare time reading up on tech articles and similar subjects.
finally, books take up a lot of space, get dusty over time and cost real money to have to pack and move (I'm in an apartment and so I'm often moving every few years). boxes of books are NO FUN to move.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."