Waldenbooks: Eight Decades in Reading - Post-Mortar

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The story of Waldenbooks, founded in 1933 in Boston, MA. They quickly became one of the largest booksellers in North America, succumbing to financial issues under Borders Group in 2011. Here's the story of how they went from the Great Depression to the Great Recession in a staggering Eight Decades of books!
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Special thanks to Mallwalkers, Prague Tour Guide, David Valenzuela, and Steven Pinker
Main Theme:
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"Long Stroll" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Bossa Antigua" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Night in Venice" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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Citations:
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0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Hoyt, Kafka, and the Great Depression
2:41 - The Rise of Bookselling and Exploits in Retail
6:16 - Kmart, Diversification, and Superstore Fever
10:12 - Cumello’s Commandments, Borders-Walden, and Amazon
15:30 - Lessons and Final Words
Videos and images used in this episode belong to their respective owners.
#waldenbooks #bookstore #borders
Alex Nuelle 2021

Опубликовано:

7 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 55

@PostMortar 2 года назад

Want more Post-Mortar?? Here's the series playlist: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8whzI9wyj-A.html Thanks for watching! Consider Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing the video!

@MamaHill 2 года назад

I worked for Waldenbooks for 21 years! I started as Temporary Bookseller at Christmas and went on to manage multiple locations for 17 of those years. I remember when we were sold to Kmart then branching off from them to become Borders Group Inc. I have many fond memories of working for this company! Thank you for making this video!

@PostMortar 2 года назад

Super cool. Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed.

@DVD927 Год назад

I worked for Waldenbooks from 1985-1996. Bookseller, Assistant Manager, and Manager. It was often quite hectic. But it’s fun to reminisce.

@grizzlycountry1030 Год назад

They were the only bookstore near me. Now it's around a 30 mile drive to a bookstore or buy online without being to sample sections of the book first.

@waltciii3 Год назад

Back in the 1980's I remember going to Waldenbooks once a week with my dad! There was one nearby in the Fox Hills mall and another next to Trader Joe's in Westchester (near LAX). Snacks and books! It was the best.

@junkboy555 2 года назад

I didn’t like Waldenbooks at first, but it grew on me overtime. I wish it was still here, it deserves a second chance.

@stetson999 2 года назад

ah yes, the mall staple. love this channel. which more people had discovered it.

@DVD927 Год назад

I worked for Waldenbooks from 1985-1996. Waldenbooks in a mall, Waldenbooks & More, and Reader’s Market.

@ThePodCastDojo 2 года назад

I loved Waldenbooks! I have many fond memories of buying comic books and manga there. I had no idea about Walden Software or Walden Kids

@PostMortar 2 года назад

I didn't either for a while. At one point they at something like seven chains!

@FallicIdol 2 года назад

I miss mall book stores but especially miss borders.

@cgimovieman Год назад

Oh man, do I ever remember Waldenbooks. Where I grew up in Michigan in the 80’s and 90’s, it seemed like Waldenbooks stores were about the only stand-alone bookstores we had. I don’t remember having any Barnes & Noble’s or B.Dalton’s, and although Borders was founded in Michigan, that came later and was bigger in the southeastern part of the state. But it seemed like all of the malls in Michigan had a Waldenbooks. I definitely remember Waldensoftware too. The mall closest to me, although still over an hour away, was the Fashion Square Mall in Saginaw, and they had what was I think one of the earliest of those stores, right next to the already existing Waldenbooks. In fact I think they were connected. Whenever I mention that spin-off of the company, no one seems to remember it but me. But I sure do. In the late 80’s we had a Mac, and it was one of the only stores that we could find Mac software. When I moved to Central Florida in the late 90’s, I had a stand-alone Waldenbooks just a few miles from me. The building is still there, and I’ll always remember it as that, but sadly, years and years ago now it was converted into a pawn shop. I miss stores like Waldenbooks though, as well as tons of other bricks and mortar stores. Even places like Starbucks today, that used to have comfortable upholstered or leather chairs and warm lighting, where I loved to just go relax for a while, are now cold places with wooden chairs and concrete or tile floors. They’re just not warm and relaxing anymore. And I get it, those things wear out easier, need to be cleaned or replaced, and that hurts a bottom line somewhat. But I still miss it.

@trekzilladmc 2 года назад

I've loved Waldenbooks ever since I was a little kid. Being 39 now, I still remember always asking my parents to take me there as we browsed through the mall. I even remember my very last purchase there. That store had a side entrance as well as a mall entrance, and I remember it was a snowy and slushy day as I walked through the automatic doors into the back of the store. As far as Borders, one of the things I miss a lot was Seattle's Best Coffee inside the store. Although owned by Starbucks, their coffee was much better and I loved sitting down at the cafe and reading my purchase.

@PostMortar 2 года назад

Same here. I always loved the atmosphere of the book chains. Borders and Books-A-Million specifically. The coffee shops were always nice. The only problem was the lack of a difference between them.

@gracie42069 2 года назад

Great video and excellent channel. I have a lot of memories of my mom working there at the mall and sometimes I'd be there waiting for her to get off work as a little kid and I would read Junie b Jones and goosebumps in the kids section haha

@daveybelladonna9295 2 года назад

Glad to see a new episode!

@alman54 Год назад

I worked at Waldenbooks from 1990 to 1992. When I started, the Preferred Reader program was $5 and was still fairly new. The $5 fee doubled to $10 and Corporate now made it part of the bookseller's job to sell PR cards. Getting customers to spend that extra $10 sometimes was impossible. I tried, but could never keep my numbers up. I loved working there and selling books, but I HATED the PR program. My hours were cut due to my lower PR numbers. I later quit, and in my exit interview questionnaire, I predicted that Waldenbooks would go bankrupt if they continued focusing on the PR program instead of selling books. Although I was wrong initially, the company did go under later for the reasons in this video.

@trentrock3210 Год назад

I had the same experience working for Sears in 1990 with service plans. It seemed like that was all they cared about.

@davidondre1973 Год назад

@@trentrock3210 makes sense, since Lampert moved all the realestate into the credit arm of the co which was not publicly traded. Was always a profitable area.

@lethalwolf7455 Год назад

Our mall had Waldenbooks and a B Dalton’s, loved them both.

@DanknDerpyGamer Год назад

Had a small Waldenbooks in my area and I miss it - small, cozy, but great selection.

@alliazobel Год назад

This is super interesting. I loved working there.

@Smashmilk 2 года назад

I use to kill time here after my quarters ran out of the arcade.. read all the gamer and skate magazines and of course there were always a few soft skin mags open, maxim , tattoo, low rider . All times before responsibility

@LGKids Год назад

Waldenbooks was the jump back a little while ago! Peace!

@jetman80pops 2 года назад

Walden was the bookstore of my childhood. Both of my parents read a lot of books every month. Went to the mall at least once a week often it was multiple times a week. But once a free standing Barnes and Noble was built not far from the mall that's where they went. Not because they didn't like the mall. Cause B&N had a much better selection. This was of course before Amazon.

@charlesl7304 Год назад

I spent a 7-year career at Waldenbooks--wonderful times, and wonderful job until they started focusing SO much on selling those "Preferred Reader" cards, they cared more about them than they did about selling books. I still miss many aspects of it, though I'm glad I got out right before Amazon devastated the retail bookstore industry.

@saneauto 2 года назад

Great Story lots of interesting B-roll. Great Edutainment

@nampyeon635 Год назад

Walden Software is the main one I have a memory of. I lived in B.Dalton territory.

@undergroundretail 2 года назад

Awesome Video! I shopped at the one in Macon Mall in the early 2000s.

@chafacorpTV 2 года назад

This channel is my greatest find of the year. The name is the cleverest thing ever. Kudos.

@PostMortar 2 года назад

Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy the videos!

@trentrock3210 Год назад

I had my Otherworlds Club discount card in the late 70s and would get my SF books there.

@Drac39 2 года назад

I miss Borders

@Melissa2087 Год назад

I miss Waldenbooks

@sacvideo1998 26 дней назад

Good video, though I don't think that the slowing pace of mall construction from the 1970s into the 1980s is evidence that malls were losing popularity in the 1980s, but rather that so many malls had already been built that they were running out of logical places to put new ones. I think the peak period for malls was in the 1990s or early 2000s not the 1970s. JC Penney saw its all-time peak revenue in 2006, for example

@PostMortar 25 дней назад

Agreed. That was meant to show how oversaturated things had become, illustrating the end of “mall mania” (as far as construction was concerned.) The demand was filled. There was only so far Waldenbooks could grow being mall-based. That explains why they explored the standalone concept. Wish they had leaned harder into the Waldenbooks & More stores. Good brand. Thanks for watching!

@TheCookingDojo 2 года назад

Sadly I just think it was the end of an era for retail book stores. There's a Books A Million near me and I think the only reason it's around is the military base nearby

@newodkin Год назад

Hey, that's ME at 14:40! Our store wasn't closing. It was just getting a remodel.

@PostMortar Год назад

That's awesome! So cool you made it into the video!

@manco828 Год назад

Back in the 1980s, Waldenbooks was always a 2nd choice behind B. Dalton.

@thebatterymill 2 года назад

Interesting to this story would be to note the rebrand to borders express

@PostMortar Год назад

Yeah, I ended up cutting that. But it just goes to show how badly they ruined the Waldenbooks name.

@blu3_enjoy 2 года назад

Great video.. maybe too far removed from America but woolworths would be an interesting subject (UK, aus

@PostMortar 2 года назад

Definitely a future topic. I'll probably cover America's Woolworth first, though. Someday I'll do international retailers.

@daveybelladonna9295 2 года назад

15:02 states Borders had 1.8 Billon in total assets and 1.9 Billion it total debt, for "Ten thousand dollars more than that in total debt" when it should be $100 Million more in total debt.

@PostMortar 2 года назад

It was actually 1.28B in assets and 1.29B in debt. So, the ten thousand was right, but the numbers weren't. My bad. I decided to cut the clip out of the video as it wasn't too crucial information.

@FallicIdol 2 года назад

Where did Books a Million fit into this?

@PostMortar 2 года назад

They were big competition as well and remain a large national bookseller, but still not as big as B&N. Unfortunately, they, Crown Books, and Cole's were cut for time.

@mst3kanita 2 года назад

I was never impressed by borders. We got them pretty late in the game here and they always seemed overpriced.

@daveybelladonna9295 2 года назад

Agreed. Borders felt big for the sake of being big. I liked the smaller, curated feel of Waldenbooks in the mall.

@mst3kanita 2 года назад

@@daveybelladonna9295 on the other hand, Waldenbooks felt claustrophobic to me.

@kennethscalir3092 2 года назад

B. Dalton was better than Walden Books

@PostMortar 2 года назад

What did you prefer at B. Dalton that Walden didn’t offer?

@ScOULaris 2 года назад

@@PostMortar the B. Dalton in my local mall had a Software Etc. in the back of it, so it was the ultimate one-stop shop for me as a game- and book-loving kid in the 90's.