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Bookstores (Chapters/Indigo/R-B)

The Coles Books at Royal Bank Plaza has re-opened. It's now an Indigo Spirit (like the one at FCP).
 


Indigo says hacked employee data may appear on ‘dark web’ this week, won’t pay ransom​


March 1, 2023

Indigo, Canada’s biggest bookstore chain, says it expects data of current and former employees stolen in a ransomware attack last month to appear on the “dark web” as soon as Thursday, but will not pay a ransom to the “criminals” responsible.

An updated section of Indigo’s website — which was stripped down in response to the breach on Feb. 8 — lists a number of reasons for not paying the ransom, including that there is no way to guarantee the data won’t be released even after the payment is received.

“We have been informed that the criminals responsible for this attack intend to make some or all of the data they have stolen available using the dark web as early as Thursday, March 2, 2023,” the company says.

“We are continuing to work closely with the Canadian police services and the FBI in the United States in response to the attack.”
 
Heather Reisman, the executive chair and director of Indigo Books & Music Inc., has announced her retirement, effective Aug. 22, 2023:


I wonder how long it would last after her departure. I went to the Square One store the other day and half the store seems to have empty bottom and top shelves.

AoD
 
It'll be interesting to see what the future has in store for Indigo. The stores seem to have lost direction - with a new concept opening at CF Rideau to less-than-ideal reception, and the lack of interest into what the "Indigo" brand is. Are they pop-ups for Lego & adidas or are they home to American Girl? The self-serve kiosks have been turned off for months and the cyber issue definitely didn't come at a good time.
 
It'll be interesting to see what the future has in store for Indigo. The stores seem to have lost direction - with a new concept opening at CF Rideau to less-than-ideal reception, and the lack of interest into what the "Indigo" brand is. Are they pop-ups for Lego & adidas or are they home to American Girl? The self-serve kiosks have been turned off for months and the cyber issue definitely didn't come at a good time.

They should learn from Barnes & Noble in the US:


Basically tailor individual stores to the community they serve; and honestly the Indigo stores are too large with too much non-book lifestyle garbage.

AoD
 
They should learn from Barnes & Noble in the US:


Basically tailor individual stores to the community they serve; and honestly the Indigo stores are too large with too much non-book lifestyle garbage.

AoD

Agreed, this weird riff of 'cultural department store'.........which somehow led to 'reading socks'; 'throws', 'cookware', and 'sex toys' (yes, on their website)....... along with American Girl...... has not been successful.

I don't know that I think the stores are too large, it's difficult to assess when they're filled with so much off-point crap.

But walk through the Eaton Centre location where shelving is now 8ft high? (I can't reach the top shelf and I'm 5'8); and the store is cramped and often so busy w/people that it takes ages to shift around and someone is always in your way.....there might be ample room w/o the junk....I just couldn't say anymore.
 
Agreed, this weird riff of 'cultural department store'.........which somehow led to 'reading socks'; 'throws', 'cookware', and 'sex toys' (yes, on their website)....... along with American Girl...... has not been successful.

I don't know that I think the stores are too large, it's difficult to assess when they're filled with so much off-point crap.

But walk through the Eaton Centre location where shelving is now 8ft high? (I can't reach the top shelf and I'm 5'8); and the store is cramped and often so busy w/people that it takes ages to shift around and someone is always in your way.....there might be ample room w/o the junk....I just couldn't say anymore.

They have been steadily reducing the amount of shelf space for books for years - and what they carry in stock is more often than not uninteresting, pablum stuff (within my domain of interests). It's truly sad as someone who love books.

AoD
 
They have been steadily reducing the amount of shelf space for books for years - and what they carry in stock is more often than not uninteresting, pablum stuff (within my domain of interests). It's truly sad as someone who love books.

AoD

For me, I tend to gravitate more to the non-fiction side of the store, as I truly love learning, and when I'm not teaching myself something online or enrolled in a course of some description, I love a good book that adds to my understanding of a place, of history, of ecology, biology etc.

That said, something I used to like in the fiction section was a frequent table display of curated novels from around the world. What I liked about that was that I could often find a book that both told a good, entertaining story, but also gave me
insight into a different part of the world at the same time.

I haven't seen that display done in recent years.
 
Agreed, this weird riff of 'cultural department store'.........which somehow led to 'reading socks'; 'throws', 'cookware', and 'sex toys' (yes, on their website)....... along with American Girl...... has not been successful.
The socks and throws make sense as an add-on product, especially as gifts. If you are buying books for an avid reader, those are related, yet not related, products and can make a nice gift.
 
I don't have a problem with the lifestyle gifts, it just gets weird when a majority of the store is lifestyle goods and not books. It dilutes the store as a destination for books and makes one more inclined to buy online.
 
The socks and throws make sense as an add-on product, especially as gifts. If you are buying books for an avid reader, those are related, yet not related, products and can make a nice gift.

As @afransen notes, the odd complimentary item would be one thing........

But when the cookbook section is 50% of what it used to be so they can sell Le Creuset Cookware, tea pots, french presses........

When the kids section is 50% board games and stuffed animals......

When fiction has been cut down to make room for American Girl dolls.......

And they also sell sex toys now...........yeah, uh huh. LOL

Sigh; it's more of an anything but a bookstore.
 
You *must* be joking. There is something I could have said as a retort to that but I think I will keep in my mouth shut in the interest of decorum.

AoD

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4th from the left..........🤣

I won't copy/paste the contents of the product page on to UT...........

But here's the link to see if anything works for ya, LOL

 

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