Is Barnes and Noble conservatively biased?

[FizzFuzz]

I was at B&N bookstore the other day, and noticed that there were loads of freeper books (:puke:hannity, savage, the "perfect wife" book, etc. )on conspicuous display at the front of the store, with no Democrat/Liberal offering next to them for balance. I couldn't even find Franken's "Lies" or Krugman at all in the aisle displays, but towards the back of the store aisle displays, did find some books of Liberal analyses. With freeper fare placed next to them.

I had wanted to buy some (non-political) stuff, but just felt too uncomfortable. So I didn't get anything. Well, I was having hunger pains so I got some coffee and soup at the in-store $tarbuxs. It was that, or pass out...Forgive me...

Does anyone know if this was a reflection of B$N partisan support, or just an anomaly?

Thanks folks!

[snappydresser]

1. In these places, it depends a lot on the staff, both managerial and sales

I've never had problems getting any of the books I wanted from Barnes and Noble stores. The last time I walked into one (about a month ago) I felt spiritually uplifted by all the anti-Bush books that were on prominent display.

I was equally buoyed by the big stack of Limbaugh and Coulter books on remainder!

[liberalhistorian]

15. I agree, I think each store

makes its own decisions based on what the management and staff think. I live near two Barnes and Noble stores, each in a different county. The one in my county is freeperville heaven, they almost NEVER put Dem or liberal books anywhere where they can be easily seen.

Last time I went in there, Hannity's ugly sneer was plastered all over the place since they'd put his book EVERYWHERE. And when I bought Hillary's book there last summer, I could just feel the hostility from the bookseller and the cashier, she practically snatched it from my hands and threw it down on the counter, then literally threw it back at me after she'd rung it up.

The one in the more liberal county, OTOH, is much more balanced, with far more displays of both liberal and conservative books side by side. So it depends on where the store's located and who the management and staff are.

[Deja Q]

22. Depends on the franchise, but the fact the mgr leases a "name" rather

than having his own bookstore in his own name proves he's for the big corporate raping of our system.

Wal-mart is for generic stuff.

Best Buy is for electronics.

B&N is for books.

What the living fuck happened to SMALL businesses? Destroyed by the big corporations, that's the ONLY fate. x(

[Redleg]

28. I agree- sometimes the customers will move/hide books

to keep them out of sight.

[LoZoccolo]

2. Maybe the liberal books sell themselves...

...so you don't need to put them up front.

[madrchsod]

3. maybe all the liberal books were sold out!!!

-it`s a business-you sell what is hot and unload what is not.

[LiberalFighter]

17. I would have to agree

It also helps to communicate with the staff.

I had two instances where the staff based on their statements indicated that they were not of the conservative mind. And our congressional district supposedly is the 3rd most repug in the nation.

[pacifictiger]

4. don't know -

maybe all the "liberal" truthful books are selling out and the only ones remaining are dogs.

[LoZoccolo]

5. A funny thing about bookstores...

...is that like, all the time, I see that someone - and I'm pretty sure it's customers - has gone along and tried to put conservative books in front of liberal books to cover them up! And another thing is that it seems the one they use most often is Treason by Ann Coulter! Yes, if any book is going to sway anyone from left to right, it's one of Ann Coulter's books!

:eyes:

[tomreedtoon]

6. Does gravity pull stuff down?

Of course they're biased. Is there anyone out there, brighter than me, who can trace the ownership of Barnes & Noble? I wouldn't be surprised if, say, News Corp or AOL Time Warner owned it. There are few "mom and pop" book stores any more that reflect an individual's choice of books for sale.

Also, remember that these stores can only sell what they're shipped. The publishers also influence the choice of books, and like all other media they're being absorbed into the five big media companies.

[cosmicdot]

7. I think one can find links to conservative shareholders ...

"Our two major shareholders, Barnes & Noble, Inc. and Bertelsmann AG, reaffirmed their commitment to our company."
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ir/index.asp?userid=2ZRW7VDQ5J&cds2Pid=946

see post # 27 for info on Bertelsmann

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1265582#1266190

[ButterflyBlood]

8. I think it depends on location

the one at my home in Bismarck, ND appeared to be so, but the one here had Al Franken's book most prominently displayed and other liberal books as well. It might have a little to do with Al Franken being from Minnesota, but you could find Micheal Moore or Clarke's a lot easier than anything by mAnn Coulter.

[flamingyouth]

9. I don't like big chain stores

But I do find B&N pretty fair politically. I try to shop at the local stores I like.

[reprehensor]

10. Depends on the management.

I was at one the other day in Dallas and they actually had copies of Michael Chossoudovsky's 'Global Outlook' magazine, which is VIRULENTLY anti-Neocon, and borders on anti-American. It is certainly against US Foreign Policy.

So, it varies.

11. I worked at Barnes & Noble for 7 years

Answers to some of the questions posed.

It does depend on individual location somewhat.
Publishers pay Barnes & Noble for table placement. So B& N is biased towards who pays them. But they are neutral in the sense that if the book sells, they are in favor of it, no matter its political persuasion.
The employees tend to be fairly liberal.
In NYC starting pay for a bookseller these days is around $7.50/hr. In NYC! Think about that.
The original Barnes & Noble no longer exists. They were bought out by the Rizzio's from Brooklyn about 20 years ago. There are some who say about this .... never mind, I'll leave that one unsaid.
Len Rizzio started out as a bookseller and somehow came up with the money eventually to buy them out. He's said that if he had started out as a cashier in a grocery store he would have ended up running a chain of grocery stores instead.

Support independent booksellers.

[Cobalt Violet]

12. Humor

I know the Barnes and Noble near me keeps the Franken and Moore books in a different section. I think it is called Humor. They aren't found in with the regular political books.

[RamboLiberal]

13. I think it depends on the store and the managers view

I frequent 2 B&N's locally, and occassionally a couple of others if I'm in the area. (Pittsburgh, PA)

One at The Waterfront in Homestead, PA has a table of political books, one side of the table is liberal or *-bashing, the other side is the Right Wing.

Another at The Pointe in North Fayette/Robinson seems to make no sense. They have some political books on the non-fiction table and others back in the political section. Couldn't see a bias though last year they did lean Right Wing.

I went there Monday to buy Clarke's book and noted they had a huge stockpile. Last night they still had the book but looked like they had sold about 75% of their original display stock.

[Ripley]

14. But the good news is...

I was at the busiest airport in the world (Hartsfield Atlanta) last week and went into their bookstore. I forget the name...not B&N. And they had two tables loaded with ANTI-BUSH books. Some I had never even heard of!!!! Some old ones too! Franken's new book and his old Rush book. It was a proud display right up front by the door. There were maybe 3 or 4 right-winger books in the mix of maybe 50 anti-Bush books. Think about all the people that saw that!

[DeepModem Mom]

16. Mr. Riggio contributed to Kerry and Gep, but not to Bush --

Leonard Riggio
Founder and Chairman
Barnes and Noble, Inc.
John Kerry
$2,000


Leonard Riggio
Chairman
Barnes & Noble
Dick Gephardt
$2,000

[Florida_Geek]

18. The one in south Tampa is

I will not buy anything there.

[PretzelWarrior]

19. without a doubt. so is Fred Meyer book section.

they make me puke when I look at what books they showcase. A bunch of rapture fiction and conservative yelling machines dishing their smelly POS books. Luckily, I am always heading in there to reorganize and prominently place books by Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky, Al Franken, and others. It is fun.

P.S. I bought but never read more than a couple of pages of Hillary's "Living History".

[Touchdown]

20. I actually asked this question to a clerk once.

When I was browsing the Current Affairs section, I noticed Coulter, Savage, Buchanan, etc. faced and only the spines showing on the more liberal books. I asked, Does your manager insist that all conservative books be prominently displayed?

Her answer was that many times the publisher demands, by contract, that their books get displayed in preferential ways...and they pay for all that shelf space. So, chalk that up to Regnery paying more than Penguin to display their books in easier to find areas. Penguin must know that liberals know how to look for books, or ask the staff.

Bolstered with that...I went to the checkout and saw Laura Ingraham's "Shut up and Sing!" prominently displayed behind the counter (Like pornos at 7-Eleven). The lady helping me asked if I wanted to join their whatever club (discount), and I said, pretty loudly..."As long as you do me a favor and turn around all those Laura Ingraham Books, so I don't have to look at her nasty face anymore." ...both she, and the guy at the next register laughed out loud!

I just bought "FRAUD" the other day, along with some others, and a DVD. The guiy took one look at that cover and said..."Now, THAT is the TRUTH!"...I smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sure it's not going to tell me anything I don't already know." LOL!

This is in conservative Colorado, BTW. Right acrossed the street from that church that said "Jews Killed Christ" on it's marquee a month ago.

PS. BEV HARRIS...They say that you're publisher never delivered BBV, because their computers said that they still had an unfullfilled order.:shrug:

25. I can confirm the shelf space thing

in case you didn't see my post above

[RamboLiberal]

30. Don't you just love to sabotage all that extra money Regnery

back in Current Affairs by turning that facing book around, covering it with a *-bashing, or just turning it so the Freeper's have to look for the spine?

[LeftwingPitbull]

21. Not really conservative.

It being a corporate chain is a no brainer, but I have never had problems finding certain books there. I always see lots of leftie stuff, lots of Chomsky and the like. I even see books you would never see in smaller stores. All in all, the store stocks what people will ask for or buy.

I do get dismayed over all the people who flock to the Christian section. Too bad religion has this country so imprisoned.

[NightTrain]

23. I can only speak for the B&N stores in the Hartford, CT, area...

...but I've noticed more or less of a balance between the liberal and conservative books.

When Michael Moore's DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY? and Al Franken's LIES AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM first hit the stores, the B&Ns in my neck of the woods displayed them prominently so that it was all but impossible to miss seeing the books. Of course, they also gave the same initial attention to O'Reilly, Hannity and Coulter's newest books, but whatcha gonna do?

[FizzFuzz]

24. great replies, thanks you!

And I really like hearing about all the shops featuring anti-chimp material. Yeahh!

Up here in Rochester NY, there are no independent booksellers anymore (well, one that specializes in antique/used books). The chains killed em off. :(

I almost asked a clerk myself, about what's going on here, but I was tired and looked pretty draggy, so didn't want to get the "aren't you supposed to be back at the supervised-living home?" look.

At least I can be thankful we don't have billboards everywhere pushing "Jesus" and 20'x 20' pictures of fetuses and broadcasting anti-semitism. :freak:

[LeftwingPitbull]

26. What I do.

I rarely buy books in chains, but I like sitting in them and getting to read stuff for free one of those plush chairs they have.

I love stealing from the rich. lol.

[Beloved Citizen]

27. In store placement is for sale

Places like Barnes and Noble receive a lot of money for placing books in the best locations. Those upfront tables and endracks are sold for a lot of cash. Just like record stores, just like super markets.

It is not a plot, it is just the way business is done.

I bought my copy of the Clarke book at Barnes and Noble, and I had to walk past stacks of rightwing garbage to get to it. My guess is Free Press/Simon & Schuster didn't cough up $40,000 or so to get it stacked next to Sean 'Insanity' Hannity and the rest of the liars.

And why should they? It's selling just fine as it is.

[RamboLiberal]

31. The manager of the B&N where I bought Clarke's book must've

watched 60 Minutes because Monday morning - BAM - that book was front and center - about 25-30 copies under the display and probably another 50-75+ stacked in bin under the display table.

[scottcsmith]

29. I've never noticed

I live about a mile away from a B&N. Each time one of my favorite liberal authors releases a book, the books are always on display at the front of the store.

Maybe it's a regional thing?

[Michael Costello]

32. The medium is the message

Barnes and Noble being a large corporation, selling mostly books printed by other corporations, promoted through corporate media, it does not surprise me to find this.

Go to the section on Russian history and try to find one book which has a positive thing to say about the USSR. If you're really lucky, you'll find "Ten Days that shook the world", which was published in 1919 or so. Everything else is written by Richard Pipes, Anne Applebaum, Robert Conquest. And this is in New York City - in 2004. You'd think we're still fighting the Cold War. If you want to learn about Russian history from someone other than a vehement anti-communist, you're only allowed to learn about ten days in 1917, after that you're stuck with the Richard Pipes books (also author of "Property and Freedom").

I volunteer at a local volunteer run bookstore. We have titles from mainstream publishers, but we also stock from publishers like AK Press, Verso, South End Press and the like. We sell books on consignment. We even sell book pamphlets from people who print the pamphlet out from their home computers and staple together.

I'd guess most of our books have some negative things to say about the USSR, but more from a workers perspective than the people the Bolsheviks overthrew. Pipes and company seem to mourn most of all the czar and his family, as well as wealthy factory and land owners. Our books are more concerned with Bolshevik repression of workers - Kronstadt, Makhnovista, Hungary, Czechoslovakia.

Our infoshop has a lending library ($5 returnable anytime deposit gets you two books or videos), a give one take one bookshelf, and a "free" box that people put whtever in and people take from. We have a space where people can put pamphlets for events, and some of them we hang up on our poster board. People can stop by and find out what's going on, have a chat about what they're thinking about.

In New York City there's a couple of places like this. One is Revolution Books - they have a very nice space, and some good books and magazines, although they seem to want to push a certain "line" of thinking (but not excessively so). There is also Bluestockings books, which started as a feminist bookstore, but has broadened it's appeal into other areas as well. I met someone on March 20th who told me of another bookstore, I have to check it out. Monthly Review has a small bookstore as well. You mentioned Paul Krugman - I like his work, and he seems to be seeing things correctly, but like most modern economists, he has, perhaps without much thought, jettisoned certain portions of people like Ricardo's thinking, while keeping others, and this kind of selectivity might be hurting him, in my opinion. I like stuff by alternative presses like Monthly Review, which I find even more illuminating than Krugman.

Here is one list of progressive bookstores around the country, I'm sure there are others:

http://www.infoshop.org/directory_namerica.html