Although total revenue fell 0.6% and same-store sales were off 1.9% in the third quarter, Books-A-Million CEO Clyde Anderson said he was pleased with the results since the core book business stabilized in the period, the key factor in improving the comp sale figure, which was off 4.9% in the second quarter. The release of The Lost Symbol and South of Broad helped to boost sales in the third quarter, Anderson said, and the bargain book and gift departments continued to do well as consumers remain cost conscious. November sales have received a lift from the release of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue.
Anderson said that with the strong book lineup he is feeling “much better” about business, at least for the short term. He acknowledged that the Christmas selling season comes later and later—two or three days before Christmas—with an increasing amount of business coming the week after the holiday.
Books-A-Million, Third-Quarter Results
($ in millions)
| 2008 | 2009 | % CHANGE | |
| Sales | $111.5 | $110.9 | -0.6% |
| Net loss | 2.2 | 1.6 | -- |
| Comp sales | -- | -- | -1.9% |
