Barnes and Noble - my slightly biased opinion
Jan 30 '00
Okay - so I worked for the company for a long time and worked in several B.Dalton and Barnes & Noble stores, but that also lets me know what a great store this really is.
When I worked there, we were always taught that customer service is number one. That is what the company wants to be able to separate itself from the other stores by. We were told that we should make every attempt to greet the customer upon their entrance and that we should always be looking for a "customer in need" on the bookfloor - someone that looked like they needed help.
B&N has an incredibly comprehensive collection of books from the most popular fiction titles to an obscure textbook. Granted, they do not carry EVERYTHING, but special orders are run all the time and they can order anything that is currently in print. There are occasions where they have to order directly from the publisher which takes several weeks, but every attempt will be made to get the book.
They have a great childrens section with several weekly scheduled activities from craft time to story time for different age groups. Usually there is a little stage where kids can express their creativity for an audience sitting on the little benches. They usually also have small tables and chairs which are just the right size for tiny bodies.
Almost all stores also have a cafe. You can get coffee, hot chocolate, cappuchino, pastries, italian sodas and lots of other things. A few stores also sell more food items like sandwiches and soup. There are plenty of tables so you can browse a magazine while sipping your espresso. There are also many activities scheduled in the cafe like open mike poetry, book club meetings, live music and more.
Many stores also have a music section. Generally, their prices are more than your average Best Buy, but there is a lot more specialty music like classical, jazz and more. They have a listening wall where you can listen to many of the CD's before buying them.
There are also lots of comfy chairs and couches all over the store so you can take your time browsing titles before deciding what to buy. You just can't get that from an online store like Amazon.
Overall, I think the best thing about Barnes and Noble is the personal touch. There are helpful sales people to answer questions and help you to find a book. There are personal activities like author signings and monthly club meetings. These things you just can't get anywhere online.
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Epinions.com ID:
Allison024
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Member: Allison
Reviews written: 45
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