Even if you don't work at Borders, you can get a sense of what is going on within the stores and the company by reading a couple of different websites.

First off, <a href="http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=topics&board=7081026&sid=7081026&type=r" title="Yahoo BGP">the Yahoo BGP message board</a> is a discussion forum for Borders shareholders and potential investors.  At the same time, it is frequented by many Borders employees who air their comments on company policy and grievances regarding the treatment of Borders staff.  Who is to say why, and I would not dare to toot my own horn, but I'm guessing that Borders employees tend to be educated and concerned about the social value of their work.  From time to time, <a href="http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=7081026&tid=bgp&sid=7081026&mid=19468" title="I became a member of the Borders family in 1995...">certain posts</a> appear that give an insightful and critical behind-the-scenes looks at Borders, especially in light of its history as a socially conscious store.

Another valuable resource is <a href="http://www.bordersunion.com/" title="">a resource site for workers who want to unionize their Borders</a>.  It combines news about current Borders--and other stores'--union drives with a message board to provide moral support, real-time information, and customer service anecdotes for general amusement.  It is even rumored that influential officers from the corporate office patrol the boards for potential unionization rumors.  Personally, I've learned a lot from this site about unions and their role in regulating corporate mindlessness.  It's important to be aware of this stuff.

For example, through the Borders Union site I learned about <a href="http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/print/0,1643,46334,00.html" title="Borders Group (BGP) used to pride itself on stocking its bookstores with the widest selection possible...">Category Management</a>, a process in which several committees of large publishers decide which books will be stocked on shelves and displayed to the customers.  This strategy was imported by now-Borders president Greg Josefowicz, who formerly oversaw its use in supermarkets when he was president of Jewel-Osco.  Its critics claim that <abbr title="Category Management">CatMan</abbr> allows the larger publishers to push out smaller, more eclectic companies, thereby reducing the selection which Borders once prided itself on, and lowers the value of Borders to society.

I find myself agreeing with the critics.  As much as the top executives at Borders may want to deny it, over the long term the price of <acronym title="Borders Group Incorporated">BGP</acronym> has fallen as more cost-cutting programs like <abbr title="Category Management">CatMan</abbr> have been introduced.  Since I've worked for Borders, my opinion of them as a company has dropped substantially, and the only reason I'm still working there is my respect for the people at my store and their stallwartness, kindness and sensibility in the face Borders' corporate numbing down.