Borders' actual plan revealed - hiding disposal of books from public view

Donate, Not Dumspter wrote on January 5 at 8:35am:

Tim, thanks for your continued coverage of this story. Contrary to the latest e-mail you received from Borders spokesperson Mary Davis, if this 1/1 post from an employee on the iworkatborders LiveJournal blog is accurate (and it's echoed by other employees' comments in response to the post), Borders' actual plan for dealing with this issue is pretty astonishing:

http://community.livejournal.com/iworkatborders/573771.html

They've instructed employees to keep stripping covers and sending them, along with the rest of the stripped books, back to the publishers in separate boxes! Wow.

The company is still ordering their employees to destroy books, but hiding their disposal from public view (where the books might be found by TV news crews in store dumpsters), letting the publishers finish the dirty work. Furthermore, they're putting a real burden on the already overworked employees of the closing Waldenbooks stores, creating enormous pressure on them to dumpster some books anyway to save time and labor (again, read the employee comments on the above post).

Needless to say, this is not a development that inspires confidence in Borders. Until Borders stands up and publicly pledges to do the right thing, this campaign will continue.

Tim Baker: I will forward the link to Ms. Davis and see how she responds. Believe me - I never meant to imply that the situation was resolved. I simply wanted to extend Borders the courtesy of believing what they said. If it turns out to be untrue - it will only look that much worse for them. (January 5 at 8:37am)

Borders' reply to e-mail from librarian: We sincerely expect to have virtually no product left

Sarah Moxley Kincade wrote on January 4, 2010 at 9:47am:

borders' reply to my email (i work at a public library and thought i'd use that for possible influence)

12/11/2009

Dear Parnell Memorial Library,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Waldenbooks store stock. We agree that donating books is a worthy concept. However, we do not expect to have any remaining product to donate once we complete clearance sales at the 200 Waldenbooks stores that we plan to close in January 2010. To explain, we have retained the services of an outside firm that specializes in store closings/clearance sales. This firm has structured a process for these sales that involves discounting, moving product that is not selling to higher volume stores and consolidating inventory. Through this process, we sincerely expect to have virtually no product left our goal is to sell everything. Therefore, we do not expect to have product to donate or to dispose of.

I hope this addresses your concerns. Thank you again for writing. I hope this is helpful. If you should have any other questions or comments, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Sincerely, Layla Customer Care 100 Phoenix Dr Ann Arbor, MI 48108

Borders: any product that remains...will not be discarded

Tim Baker wrote on January 1 at 12:11pm: I received a VERY ENCOURAGING e-mail from Borders yesterday. Check it out:

I received an e-mail from Ms. Mary Davis in the Corporate Affairs division of Borders Inc.

You may remember the last e-mail Ms. Davis sent to me in which she attempted to absolve Borders of any culpability in the whole "book dumpstering" fiasco.

In my opinion that e-mail was nothing less than corporate propaganda and many readers felt the same way.

This new e-mail though, like the New Year, seems to be full of promise and positive energy – see for yourself...

Hi again, Mr. Baker:

As a follow up to my (last) email, I want to provide you an update on where we stand with our product disposition practices. In my previous email, I stated that we are not disposing of any product as a result of closing approximately 180 Waldenbooks stores nationwide, and that we’ve retained a firm that specializes in closing/clearance sales and is highly successful at selling through virtually all inventory. I want to emphasize that any product that remains at stores that are closing will be transferred to other stores to be sold or will be donated to organizations in need, and will not be discarded.

Further, we have convened a cross-functional group of Borders Home Office employees who are looking at our product disposition practices in our remaining stores with the goal of finding a way to donate non returnable product to organizations in need and/or dispose of the product we do not donate in an environmentally friendly way. Concurrent with this, we are beginning the process of working with others within the industry to examine our collective product disposition practices.

I hope that you will consider our position for any future articles you write for Examiner.com and any posts you make on Facebook.

Thank you and Happy New Year.

Mary Davis

How Borders' PR has evolved since this campaign began Nov. 30

Donate, Not Dumpster wrote on December 26, 2009 at 7:17am:

It's been interesting to watch Borders' PR evolve since this campaign began on Nov. 30. In her response to the below (12/24) post, Borders spokesperson Mary Davis makes it clear why Borders needs to stop trying to stonewall this issue until the store closings are over, and put out a press release pledging to work with publishers to find a way to donate the unsold books instead of destroying them.

"We will not be disposing of product as a result of the Waldenbooks store closures" is a noble sentiment, but it's hard to believe there's no possibility some books will remain unsold. It also glosses over the fact that many of the books they will be "returning" to publishers for credit will actually be stripped of covers and dumpstered. Why can't Borders use this opportunity to take a stand against its own industry's wasteful practices, and work something out so that they can be donated instead? The company needs to figure out a plan, issue a press release, and then we'll stand up and cheer Borders for doing the right thing.

It's also a contradiction of Davis' own words in response to a story about this campaign (published Dec. 16): "Please know until that team vets this issue and we decide appropriate next steps, we will hold off disposing whatever small amount of product that would normally be discarded."

http://image.examiner.com/x-32254-Orlando-Writing-Examiner~y2009m12d16-Borders-Responds-to-the-Dumpstering-Issue

It's a little like a hall of mirrors. The first responses from the company clearly stated "we do not expect to have product to donate or to dispose of" once clearance sales at the closing stores are over. Now that nearly 3,000 concerned book lovers are watching, they've admitted some books were going to be trashed all along!

In fact, the more detail Borders gives in their responses to folks who care about this issue, the more questions are raised as to whether they're committed to doing anything about it before the (now 180) Waldenbooks stores close.

After HuffPo ran a story on this campaign two weeks ago, Waldenbooks VP Pat Wynn said in response that Borders "will reconvene an existing team that we have on this issue to address it fully." Yet below, Davis describes the team this way:

"we've put together a group of individuals here at our corporate headquarters to take a look at our product disposal practices overall and see what can be done to benefit communities, while still meeting our business needs. It will take some time to examine this issue..."

This is corporate speak for, "we might do something, we might not. It depends on how big of a PR problem these pesky people who are trying to save the books become."

If Borders is serious about examining this issue to the benefit of communities, they can donate "whatever small amount of product that would normally be discarded" to local nonprofits. The company’s customers, employees, and book lovers everywhere will thank them for it.

Borders spokesperson Mary Davis: we will not be disposing of product

Mary McCarthy Davis: Hi everyone, This is Mary Davis with Borders. I think I have written to some of you who have contacted the company over the last few weeks.

Just want to provide a clarification to what Justin says above. We are keeping open about 20 stores within our Waldenbooks Specialty Retail chain that were slated to close by the end of January. I think Justin's post may lead many to think that all of the stores that were slated to close are staying open, but again, that is not the case, we will keep open roughly 20.

As I have said to those who have emailed -- and we've posted here on this page -- that we will not be disposing of product as a result of the Waldenbooks store closures. We have hired an outside firm that specializes in clearance sales and we have put procedures in place that will allow us to sell through all product. In the meantime, however, we've put together a group of individuals here at our corporate headquarters to take a look at our product disposal practices overall and see what can be done to benefit communities, while still meeting our business needs. It will take some time to examine this issue, but suffice it to say that your emails and posts here on this page are not at all being ignored. I hope you have a nice holiday. (December 24, 2009 at 11:39am)

No need to worry about tossing out books!

Justin B. Kelly: Just a little update in case people are unaware! Waldenbooks just found out they are staying open for business!!! :) so alas, no need to worry about tossing out books! (December 24, 2009 at 10:27am)

Borders throws away magazines, mass market books and Paperchase items that remain unsold

Jim Forst: Borders throws away magazines, mass market books and Paperchase items that remain unsold. They accuse employees of trying to make a buck if they bring up the word "donation". This same company wants your sympathy saying "they can't cut costs anymore". This is proof that they have potential financial solutions but remain antiquated in their thinking about how to run a corporation in this modern day and age. Keep throwing away all this product and run yourselves into the ground. (December 21, 2009 at 6:30am)

Borders has got to be destroying the rainforest by now

Emma Mangiapane: Borders has got to be destroying the rainforest by now with the thousands of boxes of stripped books and magazines that I had to watch being NOT EVEN RECYCLED but just thrown in the dumpster with all the other garbage, in the 4 years that I spent working for the company from which I recently departed from in disgust. They could make so much more of a difference in the world by donating those books that are stripped, instead of their regular scam to pad sales by holding book drives that require customers to purchase new books in the store. (December 19, 2009 at 11:34am)

Response from Borders: We do not expect to have any product left from closing the stores

Nicole McClure (Topeka High) wrote on December 15, 2009 at 9:06pm:

I received this email:

Ms. McClure --

Thank you for writing. I want to assure you (and your students) that contrary to what has been reported on Facebook and elsewhere, we will not be disposing of books as a result of the Waldenbooks store closure process. Our company has retained an outside firm that specializes in conducting store closing/clearance sales. This firm is highly successful at selling through virtually all inventory.

For all books that cannot be sold elsewhere in our chain or returned to the publishers for credit, the company will engage in a process where product is strategically merchandised and priced for sale. If product is not selling quickly at lower volume stores, it will be shipped to higher volume stores where demand is higher and it will be sold. Inventory is continually consolidated throughout the stores that are closing and the stores are re-merchandised to continue to attract buyers. So, the fact is, we do not expect to have any product left from closing the stores. However, please know that if there is a small amount of product left over after these other measures I just explained have been exhausted, we will hold back on disposing of that product until an existing team we have on this issue is reconvened and this issue is fully examined.

Beyond the approximately 200 Waldenbooks stores that are closing, we have over time had programs where unsold books that were appropriate to be donated to schools, etc., have been provided to assist community organizations. We also hold several book drives during the year in all of our stores where we select specific charities to receive books on a local basis and have facilitated the donation of thousands and thousands of books. I hope this addresses your concerns.

Thank you,
Mary Davis
Manager, Corporate Affairs for Borders Group

Borders manager: the dumpstered merch is not appropriate for schools

Chris Walker: Borders, please donate your books to local schools and libraries instead of dumping them. (December 13, 2009 at 1:40pm)

(Borders Store Manager) Julie Michalski: generally the only things that get dumped are out of date travel guides and trashy romance novels with a few mysteries and sci/fi fiction....none of which is appropriate for a school library. (December 14, 2009 at 3:40pm)

Chris Walker: Can you please direct me to a press release, or some kind of evidence that shows what you're stating is true? (December 14, 2009 at 8:31pm)

(Borders Store Manager) Julie Michalski: What kind of press release would you like? Stating WHAT is true...that the dumpstered merch is not appropriate for schools? Ask any store manager. (December 14, 2009 at 9:01pm)