4kiddies Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 including my local location. Tell me about them please :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Borders is to BAM as Macy's is to WalMart. That's about how I remember it. Admittedly, it was many years ago that I lived in a town with a BAM, but back then I appreciated the high volume and low prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I don't know much about them, but I have a really nice black tote bag from BAM for spending so much during a promotion they had. :001_smile: I have one near me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 :party:The Border's here is one of the ones in the deal too! I'm so glad it went through since they'd already tried once and couldn't agree to terms. I can't take that kind of emotional rollercoaster when it comes to books:001_smile: Don't know anything about them though, but it's way better than an empty building where a bookstore used to be:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 It's a bookstore. Probably not as fancy as some, but serves the purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 BAM and Borders seem comparable to me. BAM prices are no less than Borders, they do give a 20% educators discount, although I don't think you can use it online. I used to get the discount on everything, sometimes you'd get a picky cashier, but otherwise everything. The one where I used to live had a nice coffee shop, a great welcoming place to hang out. They have good clearance, but their regular prices are list price. They are still more expensive than Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Meh. BAM is okay. The best thing that I can say about them is that they honor the teacher's discount card (which snags you 20% off, I believe) at the coffee counter! ;) You really can't beat the selection and prices of Amazon, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Okay, so they are new books though? And I agree with the poster that any bookstore is better than an empty bookstore, especially since with Borders closing the closest bookstore is 45 minutes away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I hope BAM replaces the tiny Borders store here. It was the only bookstore in town. (We have a bookstore, but we only sell online.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticmom Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I can't really compare BAM to Borders because I have only been in Borders a few times and those occaisions were prehomeschooling. However I can say that I like our local BAM. They have the children's books arranged very well with regard to reading level and while they have toys most of them are at least somewhat educational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 BAM is buying our Borders too. We have a BAM in the neighboring town and a Barnes and Nobles. Around here, they all look too similar to fuss about them. They all have a few soft chairs, too many toys in the kids section, gift shoppy stuff in the front, and a cafe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Do you have a link to a list of locations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 The only thing I don't like about BAM is that you pay $20 a year for their discount card / members card, whereas Borders was free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) I love our BAM. I can't believe someone compared them to Wal-Mart! :D Ours is much, much nicer than the Borders or B&N in town (of course, it's in the swanky outdoor mall, so that may be why.) They still have a huge selection of educational and classic books, which the other bookstores moved out in favor of more toys. Ours has one entire wall of magazines, every magazine you could ever think of. We have found some great new science and robotics magazines there. :001_smile: AND they don't hassle for an educator's discount. They handed it over, no questions asked, and the cashiers always give us the discount with no troubles or stink eye like B&N. It looks like it's only 14 stores, but I can't find a list other than a few example stores. I doubt ours will go, because there is already a BAM on the other end of the city. Edited August 31, 2011 by angela in ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I love our BAM. I can't believe someone compared them to Wal-Mart! :D Ours is much, much nicer than the Borders or B&N in town (of course, it's in the swanky outdoor mall, so that may be why.) They still have a huge selection of educational and classic books, which the other bookstores moved out in favor of more toys. Before our Borders closed it was mostly filled with calendars, wrapping paper, fancy journals, greeting cards and junky toys. How does BAM compare in that regard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 Before our Borders closed it was mostly filled with calendars, wrapping paper, fancy journals, greeting cards and junky toys.How does BAM compare in that regard? Wow, I'm really surprised to hear that, our Borders was HUGE! Yes, they had all of that stuff but they also had a TON of books, movies and music and their children's section was HUGE as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Wow, I'm really surprised to hear that, our Borders was HUGE! Yes, they had all of that stuff but they also had a TON of books, movies and music and their children's section was HUGE as well. Ours was a big store as well. They slowly started moving out book shelves and adding Stuff. The kids section was eventually filled with bins of stuffed animals, Baby Einstein toys, etc. In our early homeschool years I was able to make many of our purchases there for history and science study. By this last year they had just one small shelf of history and the science section was mostly experiment kits aimed at very young children. The rest of the store followed the same pattern. It was so disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Comparing to WalMart? Um, that would be me. :D I did say that it was many years ago (14?) and that I liked it. I found it to be lower on the swank factor, but light, bright and big. And, back then, it had everyone else's pricing beat. But things have changed, I guess. Anyway, I agree with another that said any bookstore is better than a big empty building where a bookstore used to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I hope BAM comes in-the Borders here was huge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 The only time I used BAM was when we were in the military, so I don't know if it was the store, or the fact that we were in the deep south, but the stores always seemed REALLY heavy on the religious items. Sort of like Hobby Lobby and the Jesus mints. I always sort of felt like I was almost in a Christian bookstore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 If given the choice of BAM, Borders and Barnes and Noble, my first choice is BAM. Yes they only do new books and they do have stuff online. If you pay $5 for their card there are things that you can do better with them than Amazon. I usually check both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Here's a list of which ones: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/48466-books-a-million-bids-for-14-borders-leases.html Doesn't include the one I occasionally went to. I thought it might as it always did mondo business. The lines were always crazy there. But I suspect something else snapped up the prime space, I just don't know what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Before our Borders closed it was mostly filled with calendars, wrapping paper, fancy journals, greeting cards and junky toys.How does BAM compare in that regard? Our Borders wasn't that bad (it had all that, but also books,) but it was very large and near the university end of town. Our BAM doesn't have much in the way of journals, greeting cards, etc. It does have a small section of educational toys, but mostly it is just shelves and shelves of books and the wall of magazines. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Jesus mints. :001_huh: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 :001_huh: :lol: To be accurate, they're called TestaMints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 BAM is not as fancy as Borders, but it does stock a lot of books and carries a lot of discounted books, too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Our local store wasn't on the list. We just bought a bunch of bookcases at 3 for $100 from our Borders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 The only time I used BAM was when we were in the military, so I don't know if it was the store, or the fact that we were in the deep south, but the stores always seemed REALLY heavy on the religious items. Sort of like Hobby Lobby and the Jesus mints. I always sort of felt like I was almost in a Christian bookstore. I believe that a lot of the Books a Million have specialty Christian depts in them, and I think I heard that they give a lot of money to Christian groups. So, not quite a full Christian bookstore, but kind of a cross between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 BAM tends to be in the smaller towns in our area - places where B&N and Borders wouldn't come. I like it fine. There are a lot of good discounted books in their bargain bins. I plan to do some Christmas shopping there. They also have free WiFi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I believe that a lot of the Books a Million have specialty Christian depts in them, and I think I heard that they give a lot of money to Christian groups. So, not quite a full Christian bookstore, but kind of a cross between the two. We have a BAM locally and several in our state. Yes, they have Christian section that is about the length of an aisle on both sides. More around Christmas and Easter. Believe me, it is not anything near the selection of a Bible Book Store. But they also carry so many books on sex, sexuality, and so on that one has to watch children closely in some areas of the store. Actually, most of the items they sell here are considered offensive by the really conservative Christians I know locally and one store a couple of hours away was so rigerously boycotted for the soft porn they sold that BAM closed it. They have pretty much anything someone is looking for. I rarely shop at ours because the children's books are mostly Favorite TV character of the Week type books. However, they will have all the newest books on hand - and often at a bigger discount than I can find online if my card is current. I also like finding obscure magazines there first before I subscribe. Another favorite is the Local Favorites Section where I can find books about local history and by local authors. Ours has huge tables of discount books. While I sometimes find something I like, they are so disorganized that I often don't have time to dig thru them. After Christmas and such I can usually fiind board games and novelty items incredibly cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 BAM is owned by Barnes and Noble. It is not as fancy at most B&Ns, but usually has a cafe etc. They do seem to have a slight Christian leaning, but not so much that non-Christians would be uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Inman Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 We have all three stores in our area (well until the Borders closed)... i always found them to be just about the same. I never saw a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 The only thing I don't like about BAM is that you pay $20 a year for their discount card / members card, whereas Borders was free. Homeschooling parents qualify for a free teacher card. It doesn't give you a discount at the coffee shop or on toys and the such, but it does give you a discount on the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Perhaps they have shifted their marketing focus since the 1990s. I don't know. At that time, however, they were essentially a bookstore selling what the industry calls "remainders". New books expunged from the inventories of the other bookstores, discounted deeply by BAM in order to get rid of them. Careful picking-and-choosing would yield some good buys. The "current" books sold by BAM -- again, speaking of the 1990s -- were restricted in number, and limited to best sellers and books of transient public interest. Other stock included calendars, mugs, general "filler" merchandise. The analogy to Walmart is apt. I don't think it an insult to describe a bookstore for its type. Some of the Borders locations here were in semi-upscale shopping locations. I would be surprised to see a BAM affording the rent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Perhaps they have shifted their marketing focus since the 1990s. I don't know. At that time, however, they were essentially a bookstore selling what the industry calls "remainders". New books expunged from the inventories of the other bookstores, discounted deeply by BAM in order to get rid of them. Careful picking-and-choosing would yield some good buys. The "current" books sold by BAM -- again, speaking of the 1990s -- were restricted in number, and limited to best sellers and books of transient public interest. Other stock included calendars, mugs, general "filler" merchandise. The analogy to Walmart is apt. I don't think it an insult to describe a bookstore for its type. Some of the Borders locations here were in semi-upscale shopping locations. I would be surprised to see a BAM affording the rent. This was my impression of BAM, and I haven't been in one in many years, because I'm not usually looking for remaindered books. Maybe I should try again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 We have a BAM and a B&N here in town. Our BAM is currently doing a liquidation sale. Maybe they are doing a total overhaul of their structure? I agree that BAM stores are not generally as nice as the other two chains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Borders is to BAM as Macy's is to WalMart. That's about how I remember it. Admittedly, it was many years ago that I lived in a town with a BAM, but back then I appreciated the high volume and low prices. I agree with this. I've been in ours once in the last year and it was once too many. We were there first thing in the morning on a Saturday, just after they opened for the day. Books were strewn all around, on the floor and laying on the tops of shelved books. It looked like no one had cleaned up or organized the books in a very long time. The store was messy and we had difficulty finding specific books. There was no one willing to help us find the books we wanted. We were told the books were alphabetized according to author, but there was no rhyme or reason to which books were on the shelves (and there was no alphabetization. Books had been shoved in which ever place they fit.) We will not go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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