product

this is Burger King and is very risky - but a play on a turn around

I like Amazon as a virtual and untaxed mall, especially with Zappos, and I think that core business concerns are addressed by a Zappos. They aren't Barnes & Noble (BKS) online, and are moving away from it with Kindle.

Against the Grain: Sell Amazon!: Fight any after-market impulse to dog into Amazon
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Supermarket magnate Ron Burkle's Yucaipa American Management reported ownership of 4,584,313 shares (8.3%), purchased from Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, 2008 at prices that ranged from $13.20 to $16.39.

Barnes & Noble (BKS) downgraded to sell from neutral at Goldman Sachs based on recent outperformance in share price and expected estimate cuts in weakening environment. Price target trimmed to $24 from $28.

Cramer: Few Stock Picks Left in Retail: Except for a few outliers, I'm staying away from this sector, says Jim Cramer.

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school time

Barnes & Noble (BKS) was downgraded from Neutral to Underweight, JP Morgan said. Second downgrade in a month, as 2008 estimates will likely have to come down much further from current levels, led by lower same-store sales.

Deutsche Bank said it is cutting its full-year estimates on BKS by 9 cents to $1.81 a share as FY08 plan disappoints. Maintained Hold rating.

Educational

After physically visiting many of these stores, I see a large potential for slip and fall liabilities. To fully take advantage of discounts, memberships cost $25 per year while other stores like Borders offer free memberships. Borders offers better prices and plenty of coupons. In terms of investor point of view versus the customer point of view, I'd go with Amazon.