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Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Eric Wells who wrote (111707)	11/8/2000 10:21:09 AM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Report: Borders Now Top Net Bookseller By Nora Macaluso E-Commerce Times November 7, 2000 Amazon and CEO Jeff Bezos led in only one of six online bookselling categories studied.Borders.com has passed longtime leader Amazon as the top online bookseller, according to Forrester Research. In what Forrester termed "a tight three-way race," Borders achieved a PowerRanking of 66.83 to finish just ahead of Amazon (66.76) and Barnesandnoble.com (65.46). Buy.com came in fourth at 55.52. Borders topped the categories of transaction efficiency, cost, and delivery/returns, while Barnesandnoble.com led in ease of use and customer service. Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Forrester follows consumer surveys with its own online shopping tests to compile its PowerRankings of major U.S. e-commerce sites. Some 20,000 consumers participated in the bookseller survey. Amazon's Edge 'Diminishing' "While Borders.com only won by a tiny margin, the win demonstrates that Amazon.com's advantages over the competition are diminishing," said Forrester senior analyst Tom Rhinelander. The ratings reflect a push by Borders and Barnesandnoble.com to capture a greater share of the online book market, while Amazon branches out into offerings like housewares and electronics. Last spring, Amazon won in four of six categories, while this time the e-tailer topped only one area, features, which consumers rate as one of the least important. Convergence vs. Expansion Borders, a unit of Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) has been working toward what it calls "convergence" of its retail outlets and its online store. The plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Barnesandnoble.com also recently announced a plan to link more closely with its brick-and-mortar affiliate Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), installing Internet counters in the 551 Barnes & Noble stores and giving consumers more options for pickup, purchase and returns. Meanwhile, Amazon has been slipping, according to some analysts. Concerns about the company's ability to achieve profits while expanding its array of merchandise have surfaced, and the company's stock has fallen to $36 (US$) from a 52-week high of $113 last December. The Finer Points According to Forrester, Borders' attention to detail, such as its listing of whether items are in stock and its posting of the order total before asking for a credit card, has helped it unseat Amazon. Additionally, while Amazon offers features like express shopping, the e-tail giant is slow to respond to phone calls, and inventory information is "vague," Forrester said. However, other sites are not without glitches, the research firm said. "Barnesandnoble.com offers excellent search, but the shopping experience is marred by irritations like the inability to cancel orders without contacting customer service," Forrester said. ecommercetimes.com

To: Eric Wells who wrote (111707)	11/8/2000 10:42:03 AM
From: Sarmad Y. Hermiz	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 164684

>> Rally on Wednesday? Eric, every stock on my screen is red, so I guess no rally today! But the defeat of Gore/Lieberman is still worth it.

To: Eric Wells who wrote (111707)	11/8/2000 1:07:27 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Media Contact: Mary Ellen Keating Senior Vice President Corporate Communications Barnes & Noble, Inc. (212) 633-3323 Investor Contacts: Maureen O'Connell Maria Florez Chief Financial Officer Director, Investor Relations Barnes & Noble, Inc. Barnes & Noble, Inc. (212) 633-3338 (212) 633-4009 Barnes & Noble, Inc. Expects to Meet Analysts' Consensus EPS Estimates for the Third Quarter New York, NY (November 8, 2000)--Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation's largest bookseller, said it will meet analysts' EPS consensus estimates for the third quarter. Barnes & Noble said its third-quarter comparable bookstore sales are estimated to be up 5.6 percent and bookstore earnings are expected to meet analysts' estimates. Earnings from Video Game and Entertainment Software stores are also expected to meet analysts' estimates due to higher than plan sales of video game products more than offsetting a reduced allocation of PlayStation 2 during the quarter. Sales from new video game releases of "Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask," "Pokemon Gold," and "Pokemon Silver," in addition to used video game product, were particularly strong during the quarter. In addition, the company continued to lead the market with an industry-leading tie-ratio of software and accessories sales to hardware sales for PlayStation 2 with all of its initial allocation selling through during the quarter. Comparable store sales in the third quarter from the Video Game and Entertainment Software stores are expected to be slightly below plan, down (16.8) percent as a result of lower than plan sales of PlayStation 2 due to a product shortage in the market. However, the gross margin for the segment in the third quarter was higher than plan due to greater sales of higher-margin video game products. Hardware sales produce a low gross profit as a result of gross margin being less than 5 percent. The fully detailed third-quarter financials will be released on Thursday, November 16, 2000. About Barnes & Noble, Inc. Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) operates 551 Barnes & Noble and 379 B. Dalton bookstores, and, with its acquisition of Babbage's Etc. and Funco, Inc., is the nation's largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of book titles and provide access to more than one million titles. They offer books from more than 50,000 publisher imprints with an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes & Noble is one of the world's largest booksellers on the World Wide Web (http://www.bn.com), and the exclusive bookseller on America Online (Keyword: bn). Barnes & Noble.com has the largest standing inventory of any online bookseller. Barnes & Noble also publishes books under its own imprints for sale through its retail stores and Web site. General financial information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's investor relations Web site: shareholder.com. SAFE HARBOR This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Barnes & Noble is including this statement for the express purpose of availing itself of the protections of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to all such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and represent the beliefs of the management of the company. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include, but are not limited to, general economic and market conditions, decreased consumer demand for the company's products, possible disruptions in the company's computer or telephone systems, possible work stoppages or increases in labor costs, possible increases in shipping rates or interruptions in shipping service, effects of competition, possible disruptions or delays in the opening of new stores or the inability to ! obtain suitable sites for new stores, higher than anticipated store closing or relocation costs, higher interest rates, the performance of the company's online and other initiatives, the successful integration of acquired businesses, unanticipated increases in merchandise or occupancy costs, unanticipated adverse litigation results or effects, product shortages, and other factors which may be outside of the company's control. Please refer to the company's annual, quarterly and periodic reports on file with the SEC for a more detailed discussion of these and other risks that could cause results to differ materially.