The Daily Feed

An entire bookstore is on sale

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‘SALE’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

It’s a sad thing to see a bookstore close. I walk by the still-empty shells of the Olsson’s locations in Penn Quarter and Dupont Circle and feel a twinge at the long afternoons spent browsing the shelves. And I’m sure someday I’ll sit down at a table in the new Clydes at 14th and F streets and think, “Hey, weren’t these walls covered with books once?” But hey, in the ever-chugging slog of commercial progress, life goes on. And Borders will close. C’est la vie.

As a parting gift to DC book lovers, the store began liquidating its inventory today, marking most books and CDs down 20 percent. That discount puts the store’s pricing now in line with online retailers like Amazon, which, let’s be frank, is why Borders has had such a tough time lately anyway. For a few brief shining days, though, there are deals to be had. Stock up for the beach or the holidays, or maybe finally grab that copy of “Gatsby” you always meant to read.

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The Daily Feed

Broken Economy Inspires People to Fix their Language Skills

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‘Rosetta Stone: give me a break. As if. Stupid ad.’
courtesy of ‘diaper’

So apparently when the economy is in the shitter, people spend money on learning new languages. Who knew? Arlington-based Rosetta Stone, maker of popular language-learning software, reported $56.5 million Q2 revenue this quarter as compared to $47.7 million in the 2nd quarter of 2008, and saw a 26% increase in the average cost of its language software to $361. So not only do people take to learning new languages during an economic meltdown, they are also willing to spend MORE money to do so? Huh? Continue reading

The Daily Feed

More Tourists, Not Much More Money

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Tourist season is here: you can feel it on the sidewalk, on the Mall, around the Tidal Basin, and especially on the left sides of downtown Metro escalators. Washington Post reports that DC tourism is up, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to increased revenue for local retail and hospitality businesses. DC, after all, is Freebie Tourism Central: free monuments, museums, parks, even the zoo. Proximity day-trippers account for a large part of the influx of travelers: people driving in from nearby, not staying at hotels overnight, or opting to crash in local relatives’ guest rooms.
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