Borders Books is shutting down, meaning that its remaining 399 stores are closing and nearly 11,000 people will be left jobless. Borders' president Mike Edwards says this is the result of the changing book industry, although online debates have surfaced, arguing whether or not the development of ebooks is really to blame.

When Borders first announced bankruptcy earlier this year, the store in West Lafayette, Indiana was one of the first to close, followed shortly by other locations I frequented in the Indianapolis area. I was initially surprised the Borders in WL closed so soon, given its proximity to Purdue University, and that its competitor (Barnes & Noble) was a further drive away for those residing in WL.

I visited one of the remaining Borders in Indianapolis by accident (shopping at a mall and discovered its location) about a month and a half ago, and although that store hadn't made any announcements about closing, many of its items were deeply discounted- DVDs at 40-50% off, signs around the store advertising various sales on almost every type of item. The only thing missing in that particular Borders was the 'Store Closing' sign I had anticipated.

For those of you in the U.S., did you spend much time at Borders? What do you think is the big cause? Was Borders falling far behind the times?