Barnes & Noble is not a library!

[greensinestro]

I used to have this friend who would go to Barnes & Noble like....every day. He either was unemployed (must have been after you read this story), or he worked at night. One day, he asked me to take him there since I was heading there, so I told him sure, no problem. Big mistake being we spent nearly an hour and a half there. Why? Because this friend of mine would go in there, get a book, open it up, and start reading a hundred or so pages into the book. It turned out this guy every day would do this, and when it was time for him to leave, he would write down what page he left off on, close the book, then put it back on the shelf.

I've seen people do that at the coffee counters in there as well (at least they're spending money on a cup of joe!) They'll pick up a magazine, sit down with their coffee, read it from start to finish, then put it back on the shelf (and sometimes after they've spilled some coffee on it).

It's a great bookstore to shop at, but maybe they should go back to the days like when Waldenbooks and B Dalton were the top name bookstores. Their policy was you either buy it, then read it, or you leave the store.

[TWOLF]

Finaly somoene who feels the same way as I do

[BookstoreEscapee]

They'll pick up a magazine, sit down with their coffee, read it from start to finish, then put it back on the shelf.

They put it back on the shelf? When?! Usually they just leave them on the tables. Or did you mean, they put it back on "a" shelf (not necessarily the one they got it from) so us booksellers can have a scavenger hunt.

btw, Barnes & Noble owns B. Dalton. But I don't think there are any left in my area. (There is still a Waldenbooks at my mall, though they are building a Borders so Walden probably won't last much longer.) And they didn't have the comfy chairs and coffee shop. Lucky them.

[protege]

And they didn't have the comfy chairs and coffee shop. Lucky them.

I kinda like the comfy chairs. However, before I sit in them, my magazines are paid for...and I usually don't stay at B&N or Borders to read. I save that for the Panera Bread next door. Those chairs are so comfy, it's hard to stay awake after a loooong day at work

[greensinestro]

They put it back on the shelf? When?! Usually they just leave them on the tables. Or did you mean, they put it back on "a" shelf (not necessarily the one they got it from) so us booksellers can have a scavenger hunt.

Thank you for the correction. Yes, I have seen that happen. Either a person just gets up from their table, leaving the magazine behind for someone else to put away, or they'll put that copy of MAD magazine back where the Field and Stream magazines are.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Thank you for the correction. Yes, I have seen that happen. Either a person just gets up from their table, leaving the magazine behind for someone else to put away, or they'll put that copy of MAD magazine back where the Field and Stream magazines are.

My faves were from back in the day when Playboy, etc. were still in the newsstand (they were in the men's section all the way at the back of the top shelf). We used to find them tucked between books in the religion section on a fairly regular basis. Or, ew, in the men's room...at least I never had to deal with those .

Protege - Not to ruin your comfy chair experience, but I've seen some of the people who sit in those chairs, for hours on end. And they don't get cleaned* very often. I'll just say, store employees do not sit in the comfy chairs.

*edit: I was referring to the chairs not getting cleaned, but upon rereading, I realized that in some cases that can apply to the people, too. blech.

[Gawdzillers]

I just read a few pages or maybe the first chapter or so and then I'll see if I want to buy it.

[BusBus]

Don't the comfy chairs and coffee shops just encourage people to treat the store like a library?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Don't the comfy chairs and coffee shops just encourage people to treat the store like a library?

Exactly. That is the corporation's goal, to be inviting and all that, which is all well and good. In the grand scheme, statistically speaking, the more time someone spends in a store the more money they are likely to spend. But then the corporate people don't have to clean up the mess.

[greensinestro]

Don't the comfy chairs and coffee shops just encourage people to treat the store like a library?

Yes, it does. However, I don't think the companies had it in mind for a customer to just come on in, read their books for free, and then leave. It certainly can't be too profitable for them.

[Becks]

Protege - Not to ruin your comfy chair experience, but I've seen some of the people who sit in those chairs, for hours on end. And they don't get cleaned* very often. I'll just say, store employees do not sit in the comfy chairs.

*edit: I was referring to the chairs not getting cleaned, but upon rereading, I realized that in some cases that can apply to the people, too. blech.

Ah, yes, that reminds me. If I ever decide to go to a bookstore to buy new books, avoid the chairs.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Yes, it does. However, I don't think the companies had it in mind for a customer to just come on in, read their books for free, and then leave. It certainly can't be too profitable for them.

They figure the increased customer traffic will make up for it in the long run, I guess. It's a theory, I suppose. I guess there's no real way to quantify that, though. When you're on the front lines it's hard to look at it like that.

Speaking of employees not sitting in the chairs, when we got 2 new chairs in the store, it was a big day. The whole morning crew took turns sitting in them before we opened. Cuz we knew it was our only chance

[Reyneth]

It's a great bookstore to shop at, but maybe they should go back to the days like when Waldenbooks and B Dalton were the top name bookstores. Their policy was you either buy it, then read it, or you leave the store.

Nope, they'd do it at BDalton's too. No chairs? Easy - sit on the floor, blocking the aisles or take up the one bench back by kid's. There would be piles of book around on the floor at the end of every night.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Nope, they'd do it at BDalton's too. No chairs? Easy - sit on the floor, blocking the aisles or take up the one bench back by kid's. There would be piles of book around on the floor at the end of every night.

Hell, they do that in BN, too.

[Tithera]

The Walden's in our mall is hardly big enough for the shelves themselves, let alone chairs. I wish we had the kind with chairs and a coffee shop, that would rule! But the nearest one with that is Border's in Fort Wayne, IN. (which is about an hour and half drive from here) or the Border's in Toledo (which is 3 hours away).
I really want to work at one though, cause I love to read and the one in our mall pays really good and is right next door to hottopic and aunt anne's pretzels! yummy!