Borders Announces Expanded Teacher Focus; Increases Everyday Classroom Discount to...

Borders Announces Expanded Teacher Focus; Increases Everyday Classroom
Discount to 25%; Educator Appreciation Week Discount to 30%
Borders creates new in-store "Teaching Zones"; retailer to host "Get Set for
School" Open House Aug. 27 in stores nationwide

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, educators can enjoy
a better discount on their classroom purchases at Borders and Waldenbooks
stores than ever before. Borders is now offering educators 25% off the list
price of all books, music CDs, toys and games for classroom use, up from the
previous discount of 20%. Educators can take advantage of this special savings
opportunity, which also includes 10% off DVDs for classroom use, each time
they present their Borders Classroom Discount Card, which is available for
free at all Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide. Pre-K through grade 12
teachers, home school educators and school librarians are all eligible to
receive the special card and as soon as they receive it, they can immediately
begin enjoying great savings on their classroom purchases. (Educators with an
existing Borders Classroom Discount Card can exchange it for a new card.) In
addition to this robust discount, for the first time ever, educators who are
Borders Rewards members can now earn "Borders Bucks" on all of their in-store
classroom purchases as well as for items they purchase for personal use. The
Borders Rewards program, which now has over 33 million members, is free and
open to all customers age 16 and older. In addition to earning $5 of Borders
Bucks for every $150 in qualifying purchases, Rewards members also receive
valuable discounts and offers through weekly emails.

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Educator Appreciation Week - Coming Soon
Educators will also be able to enjoy 30% off the list price of all books,
music CDs, toys and games during Educator Appreciation Week, Sept. 29 through
Oct. 7. Purchases can be for classroom use as well as for personal enjoyment.
In addition to the great discount, Borders will be hosting informational and
celebratory events throughout the week. Details about the activities will be
provided at a later time.

The "Borders Teaching Zone"
Just in time for back-to-school shopping, Borders has established the
easy-to-shop "Borders Teaching Zone" sections within its more than 500
superstores nationwide. Designed for teachers in grades pre-K through 12, home
school educators as well as parents, the sections feature educational
workbooks, curriculum development books, inspirational narratives as well as
many non-book items such as stickers and classroom decor products. The section
is adjacent to the Children's Department which has just been enhanced with
hundreds of high quality educational toys and games that promote lifelong
learning and reading, together providing a comprehensive offering of
back-to-school books and products for educators and parents alike.

"Teachers and librarians devote their lives to educating and enriching the
lives of their students - they're incredibly important in the fabric of our
lives," said Anne Kubek, executive vice president of Merchandising and
Marketing for Borders. "We understand that educators spend their own money on
classroom-related purchases and we're thrilled to provide a robust package
that includes an everyday discount of 25% off classroom-related items, a
special 30% discount during Educator Appreciation Week, as well as a unique
section within our stores that features great books and materials specifically
for educators. We've topped all that off with the ability for educators to
earn 'Borders Bucks' on all purchases as part of their Borders Rewards
membership. We can't wait for educators to start enjoying all of these great
offerings."

"Get Set for School" Open House - Aug. 27
To celebrate the launch of the new "Teaching Zones," and to give educators the
opportunity to use their 25% discount, the company is hosting a "Get Set for
School" open house event Aug. 27 beginning at 7 p.m. in most Borders stores
nationwide. The event will give attendees the opportunity to learn about
books, educational materials and other classroom products Borders provides-
and meet store staff who are familiar with the products and who can make
recommendations and guide buying choices. The event will begin with a
discussion of hot titles for kids based on age and grade level that educators
should be aware of going into the new school year. Next, attendees at the
Borders superstore events will be given a tour of the new Teaching Zone, the
enhanced Children's Department, as well as the Borders Ink Teen Shops recently
created specifically for young adult readers. During the evening, educators
will be treated to free samples of delicious pastries and beverages from the
Seattle's Best Coffee Cafes located in most Borders superstores. There will be
a drawing at the end of the evening for a Borders gift card and various games
including a Brain Quest(TM) trivia game. Certain Waldenbooks store locations
will also host open house events. To see if your favorite store is hosting an
event, visit Borders.com and click on the Store Locator tab. Activities may
vary by store.

About Borders Group
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a
leading retailer of books, music and movies with approximately 1,000 stores
and over 25,000 employees. More information on the company is available at
www.borders.com/media.

SOURCE Borders, Inc.

Mary Davis, Borders, +1-734-477-1374, mdavis4@bordersgroupinc.com