Christianity to the back of the bookstore?

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Chelalu

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Today, I was downtown (Chicago) with time to kill and went browsing at a Borders bookstore. The store, which I visit frequently, had rearranged its shelves and I was plenty disedified to discover that the section on religion and spirituality had been moved to the nether reaches of the basement. Not only that, Christianity was at the very back, hidden behind all the shelves on Eastern Religions and the occult. Grrrrrrrrr. :mad: (Only the section on Math and Engineering were located farther from the hands of the public.)
The reason I beleive this merits a post is that I’ve noticed other Borders stores here in Chicago hiding their previosly more findable religion sections in the darkest corner of the store. (I’d complain about Barnes & Nobles except that their “Religion” section is embarrassingly small and heavily weighted towards information on Mary Magdalen (thanks a lot, Dan Brown).
Has anyone else noticed this “Christian Book shame”? Is it just Chicago? Is it just Borders? Is it just me?

Just curious.
 
You’ll be just as edified by how Border’s has recently rearranged the shelves in Shaumberg. Last time I saw it, it was located upstairs behind the music.:ehh: (the store is arranged: music upstairs, books downstairs)

Gee, you’d think they didn’t want their other patrons to know they had a section for Christianity. Either that, or they hope to sell lots of music cds to Christians.
 
acctually, I found it a whole lot sadder. Books-a-million moved the christian section from the back to the area next to the bathroom.
 
My local Borders hasn’t moved anything, but I noticed during the last election that every liberal book on the planet was prominently displayed (full cover facing out) while the conservative books were shelved with just the spine showing and not as obvious. Of course, while browsing I always managed to surreptitiously do a little of my own rearranging. :whistle:
 
The Borders I go to hasnt changed anything either. The religion & philosophy stuff stays in the back simply cause there is so much of it and needs all the wall space it can get.

I love going to Borders… the cafe rocks… and you can sit there and drink a beverage and read for free. I saved $$$$ going there and reading stuff without buying it…I’ve also dropped a pretty penny as well so I dont feel guilty at all.
 
Maybe they are thinking like the grocery store - the grocery store puts the eggs and milk at the back (things they know you need) - so you have to walk past everything else and may shop more 🙂
 
The Borders I go to actually has the religion section right smack in the middle of the store next to the customer service booth.
 
I actually like having the religion section at the back of the store since it’s much quieter and less crowded back there. If they would only put more easy-chairs in that area, I’d be set. 🙂

My big gripes with the way Borders arranges their sections is:
  1. They put the witchcraft and New Age garbage right next to the Young Adult and teenage section (back to back, in my local Borders). Think they’re not targeting young people? :rolleyes:
  2. All the gay and “Out” magazines are “out” in the open, at eye-level–and near the gaming and comic books. Hmmm…Do we see a pattern here? :hmmm:
Also in our local Borders, the men’s rooms were decorated with paintings of wispy, shirtless young men (similar to the one’s featured on the covers of these same gay magazines), including one right over the --excuse me–urinal. These have been removed, not doubt because of the objections of parents and others who don’t care to be --er, exposed-- to this kind of “art.”
 
The most amusing book section arrangement I found was in a Lifeway Christian Books, which is a large chain run by the Baptists.
  • Catholic bibles are not to be found.
  • Other books about Catholicism are in the “combatting heresies” section, right next to the anti-JW, anti-Mormon, and anti-Harry Potter stuff.
  • Christian history is not to be found anywhere in the store. Nothing. Nada. It’s like Christianity vanished from the world in 100AD and re-emerged in the Americas during the 1900s.
I like going in there anyway. I’ve gotten some very good teaching materials at big discounts. I just love using Protestant-origin materials to prove Catholicism. 😃
 
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Fidelis:
Also in our local Borders, the men’s rooms were decorated with paintings of wispy, shirtless young men (similar to the one’s featured on the covers of these same gay magazines)
Wow. Pink triangle wallpaper would not be surprising, but this is.
 
Montie Claunch:
acctually, I found it a whole lot sadder. Books-a-million moved the christian section from the back to the area next to the bathroom.
That’s great! I am usually headed in that direction anyway! 😃

I have had many discussions with the girls in my Bible Study over the location of the Christian books in the local Chapters. In the middle of the store there is a huge section of “self-help” books that are great at telling people everything they really need…except the love of God. If anything remotely resembles Christian thoughts, the books are moved almost as far away from the self-help section as they can possibly be. 😦

I’m thinking that the key to getting the books moved to a better location would be by creating a demand for the books. If you and your friends asked where the Christian books were located each and every time you went into the store, than perhaps they might think it would be worthwhile to relocate the books…

Finally, my friends and I have been known to slide Christian books between the self-help books. Nothing like exposing people to good stuff for a change! 👍
 
Nan S:
The most amusing book section arrangement I found was in a Lifeway Christian Books, which is a large chain run by the Baptists.
  • Catholic bibles are not to be found.
In our neck of the woods, we also have Family Christian Stores (another chain Christian goods store). They have begun stocking some Catholic Bibles and (gasp) Rosaries! Of course, when buying a Catholic Bible there, the clerk asks “you do know this is Catholic, right?”
 
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Chickamauga:
My local Borders hasn’t moved anything, but I noticed during the last election that every liberal book on the planet was prominently displayed (full cover facing out) while the conservative books were shelved with just the spine showing and not as obvious. Of course, while browsing I always managed to surreptitiously do a little of my own rearranging. :whistle:
On a similar note, every time I leave a video store all of the copies of Fareheit 911 have been mysteriously turned upside down…
 
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kage_ar:
In our neck of the woods, we also have Family Christian Stores (another chain Christian goods store). They have begun stocking some Catholic Bibles and (gasp) Rosaries! Of course, when buying a Catholic Bible there, the clerk asks “you do know this is Catholic, right?”
You said “clerk.” You could have said “jerk”… Sorry it’s been a long day.
 
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Mouse:
That’s great! I am usually headed in that direction anyway! 😃

I have had many discussions with the girls in my Bible Study over the location of the Christian books in the local Chapters. In the middle of the store there is a huge section of “self-help” books that are great at telling people everything they really need…except the love of God. If anything remotely resembles Christian thoughts, the books are moved almost as far away from the self-help section as they can possibly be. 😦

I’m thinking that the key to getting the books moved to a better location would be by creating a demand for the books. If you and your friends asked where the Christian books were located each and every time you went into the store, than perhaps they might think it would be worthwhile to relocate the books…

Finally, my friends and I have been known to slide Christian books between the self-help books. Nothing like exposing people to good stuff for a change! 👍
That got me in trouble. I was moving the shelf and got caught. 😃
They didn’t beleive that I was taking them to the seat in the far side of the store to take a look at them. But, I found moving the little signs around was a whole lot easier.
 
I believe the last time I went into a Borders here in Portland, I found that they had moved religion to be right across the aisle from the “alternative lifestyle” section.
 
Well I don’t feel so bad, the last time they remodeled here the Christian books got moved to the front of the store just past the new/best sellers. 👍
 
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kage_ar:
In our neck of the woods, we also have Family Christian Stores (another chain Christian goods store). They have begun stocking some Catholic Bibles and (gasp) Rosaries! Of course, when buying a Catholic Bible there, the clerk asks “you do know this is Catholic, right?”
**We have a Majesty book store near us. They have started to keep things Catholic LOL Rosaries, Bibles, First Communion (goes on sale ASAP to get them out of the store) etc. But, depending on the “clerk” you can get some looks when you go to pay for them.

Our Borders and the Barns & Noble nears us just don’t carry much. So I tend to use them for other things.

I am so fortunate to have a real great Catholic Store near us. I buy all my stuff from her. Just got my special order Crucifix and will have it Blessed on Sunday.
**
 
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Jabronie:
On a similar note, every time I leave a video store all of the copies of Fareheit 911 have been mysteriously turned upside down…
And to counter that, I am the guy who prominately displays F911 when I am at the video store so people can find out the truth. 😉
 
Montie Claunch:
acctually, I found it a whole lot sadder. Books-a-million moved the christian section from the back to the area next to the bathroom.
Same with our Barnes & Noble Christianity section–last section right before the children’s section, right next to the bathrooms…and very skimpy at that (also, they did not carry the last 2 books by JPII).

Penitent
 
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