Borders clearance makes me sad

Well, I held off going to Borders until I saw that they increased the amount of the clearance discount a bit, up from 20% off. For a store that's going out of business (when it could have been saved in my opinion), the parking lot was packed. That also meant the inside of the store was not just packed as well, but the air conditioning wasn't able to keep up.

I managed to find where the manga books were, and ended up finding 4 books. Bunny Drop 1 and 2 because of seeing the anime airing in Japan. Omamori Himari V.1 because I missed ordering it and I've kept up on the series. And Inukami V.3 (not ominbus edition) because I had V.2 Ominbus edition which has books 4 to 6, completing the series.

What I had hoped to find was books of Love Hina by Tokyopop that I don't have, missed ordering due to not paying attention to them for some reason. Kodansha is reprinting the popular series in omnibus format, but I'd like to avoid rebuying material I already have. Also hoping to finally complete my own set of "I"s manga, but like Love Hina, they didn't stock stuff that old. *sigh* I might also try to find books of Eiken that I don't have.

I made the mistake of taking only 3 ibuprofen for pain, and barely managed to walk through the store. I had hoped to find books by Anthony Bourdain, but it seems they sold out already or they just got moved somewhere. Also hoped to find Wandering Son Book 1 after finding out it was available by Fantagraphics, another title I saw the anime based on the original manga. It's hardcover, which may also add to explain why I've not kept up on it.

What was odd was seeing all those candle and fragrance and perfume products on some shelves. These weren't there before the clearance, were they? I mean, nothing says clearance more than selling that sort of stuff, does it? Most shocking was seeing all the clearance signs hanging up everywhere. I guess if you're going out of business, you might as well blow the budget on signs. I kinda wish I could afford to buy some store fixtures, like a table or shelving unit, but the prices are too high for a casual purchase.

I finally made it up to make my modest purchase after sweating like crazy in the waiting line, and made the comment to the cashier that I guess my Borders card won't be good for much, and the lady says "We're not Borders." Excuse me? The name Borders is on the receipt (along with All Sales Are Final / No Returns, I might add), and Borders is on the bag, which I'll consider collectible. Hopefully talks with Books a Million will resume for that location, or some other bookstore chain (Hey, Barnes & Noble!!) moves in.