Once I thought so. We were truly a behemoth in our industry, but things have changed too much for that to still be true. Amazon started our demise, but it was lousy management decisions that have actually brought us to the brink of collapse. And now I'm no longer certain we are too big to fail as a company, quite the opposite.
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They thought when other book chains failed, they were invincible. Like any other ,poorly run, company. They are not.
No retailer is too big to fail. Some are built on a firmer foundation, sure. But it's arrogance that would make a company feel like it was indestructible.
Ask Sears. It was only a few decades ago that were incredibly sound and vital to their customer base. They didn't adapt and now? They're irrelevant and virtually dead.
Barnes will survive because they offer something Amazon cannot: Book specialists on site, who can do more than pack your item in a box.
I recently joined the Boston store as a seller/ book specialist, and I love the fact that it’s female run and a complete team environment.
I feel empowered every day that I punch in.
How can a company with the worst management who makes the worst decisions survive?
Toys'R'Us, Blockbuster, Pan Am, Tower Records, Lord & Taylor, Borders and joing them soon, Barnes & Noble.
And even more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_retailers_affected_by_the_retail_apocalypse
B&N has poorly handled COVID. They have given the consumer no reason to come back in the store. It is marketing 101 that you need to push the customers back into the store. You do this with marketing promotions and special offers. The company no longer emails it’s customers. Also discount offers to increase traffic in the store would have helped. On top of this they have let stores deteriorate with no cleaning staff and minimal booksellers. It is so much easier to go to Amazon and cheaper too.