Borders Bookstore: A Merchandise Display Problem

Michael Chaim, general manager of the Borders Bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin, was proud of his store. Located in a city that has one of the highest levels of book purchases per capita, Chaim felt Borders' selection; services and location near the 40,000-student university served the community well. Even with competitive pressure from the newly opened Barnes & Noble on the west side of town, his bookstore/caf was often a busy place.

Chaim was taken aback when an article in a widely read alternative newspaper criticized the bookstore's merchandise arrangement as being prejudiced. The store carries a large selection of literature and poetry, but it separates some specialty categories, such as African American literature, gay and lesbian literature and feminist literature, from the general literature and poetry sections. In part, this arrangement reflects Borders' college town roots in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where specialty collections were established to match course offerings.

The article described this arrangement as "ghettoizing" authors who were not white males, though some female authors were in the general literature and poetry sections. The article and some follow-up letters to the newspaper's editor derided Borders for the few "nontraditional" authors who made it into the general literature collection.

They felt that these African American, homosexual, Native American, and other nontraditional writers probably would not have been separated from the general collection had the management known the literature better. While Madison is known as a very liberal community, Chaim thought the accusation was unfair. He strongly believed that he was doing his customers a service in highlighting authors and literary genres that might be overlooked in a large, nondifferentiated collection. More immediately, he knew that he should respond to the article's accusations.

Discussion Questions

1. Although Chaim has several options, one is to duplicate the titles that could be shelved in either the general literature collection or a specialty collection. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this tactic?

2. The Borders store described in this case is in a college town. How should the merchandise be arranged in a different location, such as a suburban residential location or a more urban setting?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Duplicating Titles Advantages Accessibility Duplicating titles in both the general literature collection and special... View the full answer