Bill Curry Quotations

We know as much about running a retail store as brick-and-mortar companies know about running a Web site.

I don't think it says anything about the process we use.

We feel it's what any company would do, that it's part of their business. In the event that there's a sale in the future, the customer records go with the company, as part of the company. We're being forthright in disclosing it, and we're getting criticism for being candid.

We are focused right now on profitability. Our mantra was to get big fast, and we did get very big very fast. Our emphasis is to get an operating profit in the fourth quarter.

Split shipments are not always bad. We look for an optimum inventory level instead of having every item in every distribution center. It can be a better use of capital to occasionally do a split shipment instead of stocking every item in every center.

That's the only halftime speech I remember, and it wasn't really a speech at all.

Those of us who did it for a while probably appreciate it most, because we know how hard it is. They didn't get to this exalted status because they were lucky. Both of them know what works. Both of them have the guts to stay the course. They have the energy to convince 18-year-olds they can be part of something big.

We are absolutely committed to being profitable by the end of this year, and one way to do this is to make sure that every item contributes to profitability.

The Delaware distribution center is our second-smallest. I think it would be hard to draw conclusions from it about the whole company.

This time of year, it's all about delivering for the customers. We contract with a number of temp agencies to provide us with seasonal help. People are screened by the temp agencies and hired by them if qualified. It doesn't bother me that a very capable worker like Jamie spent a day working at Amazon helping us meet our commitments to customers.

What we are doing is a broad initiative to make sure that every product we sell contributes to profitability. But we have not changed one bit our mission to provide people a place where they can find and discover anything on the map.

We tried to have some productive dialog with them on several occasions.

Everybody was very cordial. We had a good visit.

Anybody who knows the cash flow dynamics of our business gets that. We ended the first quarter with more than a $1 billion in the bank, and we expect to generate positive cash flow from operations over the rest of the year.

Also, our most recently reported results show a positive margin on shipping.

It's fair to say that some people wondered why we were investing $300 million in our infrastructure, but I think this year is showing that it was the right thing to do.

It's very common in the bookselling industry to reference the Times list.

These people need to pay more attention to the money they are taking. It's corrupt. I don't like it. It's not good.

I'm confident that Dr. Clough and the committee will give everybody a fair chance and make the right decision, and I really believe that.

If there ever is one, we would certainly be happy to help in any way we can.

Charlie's joy was in the work. He had virtually no need of self advertisement or need to insinuate himself. He was very shrewd but very understated. He genuinely seemed happy for others who succeeded.

This has everything to do with making sure we have people who have the skills to carry out our mission. It does not signal any change in our strategy.

The entire profession of lobbying is in crisis. He can find fulfillment and be of service in other ways if he has absorbed his lessons and is ready to make a contribution. Lobbying would be the wrong patch for him.