Who would have thought that sex, one of the best-selling things in the entire universe in some form or fashion, would boost Barnes & Noble's quarterly revenue? Well, it seems like it did, with the erotic book "Fifty Shades of Grey," being cited as boosting the retailer's same-store sales 4.6% in its most recent quarter.
The book, which we have noticed is fearlessly read by several people in the New York City subway system, is known for being pretty darn explicit. You can read more about the book here.
Looking at it from more of a real estate end, Barnes & Noble also did well during the quarter because of the demise last year of Borders, apparently. Traffic in stores was said to be up for the first time in years.
However, the news wasn't all that good. Barnes & Noble still lost $45.2 million during the quarter. It was an improvement from the $56.6 million during the same year-ago quarter, but that's still a pretty big loss.
Do you think Barnes & Noble can sustain its business by getting lifts when hot titles come out? Were the Borders closings the answer? Or is Barnes & Noble essentially doomed due to Amazon.com and other online competition?
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