Book Stores (Musings mostly OT)

We used to have three chain book stores here in Fayetteville: Barnes and
Noble (of the infamous Charbucks coffee infamy), Books A Million (Joe Muggs
coffee store which is much better than Charbucks), and Waldens. Waldens had
a choice spot in our largest shopping mall, but was forced out so that the
mall could rent their spot to another store for a higher price (rent
control, you know).

Other than the fact that NONE of them have the civilization to have a store
cat, each of the stores is very different from the other. Barnes and Noble
is very organized. I can go in there and find whatever I want without out
having to send out a search party or ask at the customer service desk. They
also have a CD and DVD section that is awesome with harder to find items. I
let my card lapse.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still have
sections. They have a much larger and more diverse magazine section than B
& N, but they don't have DVDs or CDs other than a small rack near the check
out counters with things like Celtic Rain, Dulcimer Hits, and so forth. I
own all the Celtic music they sell already. However, they do have Joe Muggs
coffee shop in a corner of their store and Joe Muggs has pretty good drink
selections and is the only place I could find that had real Earl Grey tea.
This is important to me for some reason. My BAM card is up to date.

Why do I use BAM rather than B & N? It isn't the coffee. I don't drink it
and I rarely buy tea or soda. Even more rare is the indulgence in one of
Joe Muggs incredible pastries. The prices are pretty much the same at both
stores. I used to have cards for all three stores, but dropped Walden's
when they went out of business (I still had my Borders card, Waldens is a
subsidiary of Borders) for when we went up to Chapel Hill, but it was taken
with my purse. I let my B & N card go when it lapsed.

It comes down to people and customer service. The people at BAM don't mind
traipsing all over the store to help me find what I want. I feel as though
the people at B & N don't want to leave the cocoon of their desks and resent
me for asking stupid questions. The attitudes at the two different places
are opposite and telling.

I once told someone that my perfect book store would have the selection of
BAM, organization of B & N, and the prices of Waldens. And I would have at
least one store cat. I still do most of my shopping at the used book places
and NONE of them have a store cat. How uncivilized.

Pam S. wondering what book stores you visit and why

On 2008-08-05 12:21:22 -0500, "tanadashoes" said:
Barnes and Noble
is very organized.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still have
sections.

Oh gosh, it's not just here then??? We have a BAM and a Waldens in the
mall. BAM is ok, because it's the only large bookstore in the area. I
have to drive an hour and half to the nearest BN. But I prefer BN
because the stock is up to date, as well as obscure books I'm looking
for. The selection of greeting cards and journals etc is also more
diverse. Our BAM has a small Hallmark section.

Personally I like Starbucks. But Louisiana also still serves chicory or
dark roast coffee sooooo... I may not be the person to talk to about
the charred day old taste

Grace

"tanadashoes" wrote in message
m...
We used to have three chain book stores here in Fayetteville: Barnes and
Noble (of the infamous Charbucks coffee infamy), Books A Million (Joe
Muggs coffee store which is much better than Charbucks), and Waldens.
Waldens had a choice spot in our largest shopping mall, but was forced out
so that the mall could rent their spot to another store for a higher price
(rent control, you know).

Other than the fact that NONE of them have the civilization to have a
store cat, each of the stores is very different from the other. Barnes
and Noble is very organized. I can go in there and find whatever I want
without out having to send out a search party or ask at the customer
service desk. They also have a CD and DVD section that is awesome with
harder to find items. I let my card lapse.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still have
sections. They have a much larger and more diverse magazine section than
B & N, but they don't have DVDs or CDs other than a small rack near the
check out counters with things like Celtic Rain, Dulcimer Hits, and so
forth. I own all the Celtic music they sell already. However, they do
have Joe Muggs coffee shop in a corner of their store and Joe Muggs has
pretty good drink selections and is the only place I could find that had
real Earl Grey tea. This is important to me for some reason. My BAM card
is up to date.

Why do I use BAM rather than B & N? It isn't the coffee. I don't drink
it and I rarely buy tea or soda. Even more rare is the indulgence in one
of Joe Muggs incredible pastries. The prices are pretty much the same at
both stores. I used to have cards for all three stores, but dropped
Walden's when they went out of business (I still had my Borders card,
Waldens is a subsidiary of Borders) for when we went up to Chapel Hill,
but it was taken with my purse. I let my B & N card go when it lapsed.

It comes down to people and customer service. The people at BAM don't
mind traipsing all over the store to help me find what I want. I feel as
though the people at B & N don't want to leave the cocoon of their desks
and resent me for asking stupid questions. The attitudes at the two
different places are opposite and telling.

I once told someone that my perfect book store would have the selection of
BAM, organization of B & N, and the prices of Waldens. And I would have
at least one store cat. I still do most of my shopping at the used book
places and NONE of them have a store cat. How uncivilized.

Pam S. wondering what book stores you visit and why

I avoid bookstores as much as possible because I can't afford to visit them.
I already have hundreds of books, and get more through freecycle every so
often. I even bought a box of 10 books (which turned out to be 12) on ebay
for something like $5 + $5 shipping. I love books, and would like to own
all the books by each of my favorite authors. I can't afford that.
However, my kids and I exchanged "wish lists" at Christmas. All of us love
books. I buy their gifts from Amazon and put my wants (or rather some of
them) on my wish list.

We only have one bookstore in town now - a Borders. I take that back. I
think there is also a very small Christian bookstore. Borders doesn't have
a store cat.

Joy

"Gracecat" wrote in message
news:200808051337268930-gracecat@bellkittysouthnet...
On 2008-08-05 12:21:22 -0500, "tanadashoes" said:
Barnes and Noble
is very organized.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still have
sections.

Oh gosh, it's not just here then??? We have a BAM and a Waldens in the
mall. BAM is ok, because it's the only large bookstore in the area. I have
to drive an hour and half to the nearest BN. But I prefer BN because the
stock is up to date, as well as obscure books I'm looking for. The
selection of greeting cards and journals etc is also more diverse. Our BAM
has a small Hallmark section.

We don't have a BAM here that I know of. I like B&N for their selection of
science fiction - you're right, it has up-to-date editions (and I'm *way*
too impatient to wait for a book to be delivered from Amazon).


Personally I like Starbucks. But Louisiana also still serves chicory or
dark roast coffee sooooo... I may not be the person to talk to about the
charred day old taste

Grace


I was born and raised in New Orleans but still never acquired the taste for
"Community Coffee and Chicory" - my mom made it so strong you'd think the
spoon would stand straight up in the cup. Now-a-days I prefer "8 O'clock"
whole-bean coffee ground right before it's brewed. I think Starbucks is way
over-priced and just not "all that".

Ear Skritches,

CatNipped

"tanadashoes" wrote in message
m...
We used to have three chain book stores here in Fayetteville: Barnes and
Noble (of the infamous Charbucks coffee infamy), Books A Million (Joe
Muggs coffee store which is much better than Charbucks), and Waldens.
Waldens had a choice spot in our largest shopping mall, but was forced out
so that the mall could rent their spot to another store for a higher price
(rent control, you know).

Other than the fact that NONE of them have the civilization to have a
store cat, each of the stores is very different from the other. Barnes
and Noble is very organized. I can go in there and find whatever I want
without out having to send out a search party or ask at the customer
service desk. They also have a CD and DVD section that is awesome with
harder to find items. I let my card lapse.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still have
sections. They have a much larger and more diverse magazine section than
B & N, but they don't have DVDs or CDs other than a small rack near the
check out counters with things like Celtic Rain, Dulcimer Hits, and so
forth. I own all the Celtic music they sell already. However, they do
have Joe Muggs coffee shop in a corner of their store and Joe Muggs has
pretty good drink selections and is the only place I could find that had
real Earl Grey tea. This is important to me for some reason. My BAM card
is up to date.

Why do I use BAM rather than B & N? It isn't the coffee. I don't drink
it and I rarely buy tea or soda. Even more rare is the indulgence in one
of Joe Muggs incredible pastries. The prices are pretty much the same at
both stores. I used to have cards for all three stores, but dropped
Walden's when they went out of business (I still had my Borders card,
Waldens is a subsidiary of Borders) for when we went up to Chapel Hill,
but it was taken with my purse. I let my B & N card go when it lapsed.

It comes down to people and customer service. The people at BAM don't
mind traipsing all over the store to help me find what I want. I feel as
though the people at B & N don't want to leave the cocoon of their desks
and resent me for asking stupid questions. The attitudes at the two
different places are opposite and telling.

I once told someone that my perfect book store would have the selection of
BAM, organization of B & N, and the prices of Waldens. And I would have
at least one store cat. I still do most of my shopping at the used book
places and NONE of them have a store cat. How uncivilized.

Pam S. wondering what book stores you visit and why

Every once in a while Ben and I will make an expedition across town to Katy
Budget Books (it's about a 2 hour drive). They're a used book store that
will buy back books and put it on your credit with them - then you can use
that credit to buy more books. We've walked out of there with 20 books for
$5 quite a few times. They had to move recently since they got so popular.
It's funny, because they have more book signings by authors than most of the
big chain book stores around here do. They do also sell new books, but only
in a few small sections - they make most of their money on the used books.
The place is always packed with people - and they have a huge staff (one
department checking in books for credit, and one checking out customers and
helping people find what they need).

And, nope, in all the book stores Ben and I have been in around here, we
haven't seen a single store cat - *very* uncivilized, tut, tut!

Ear Skritches,

CatNipped

CatNipped wrote:
(about used bookstores)...
And, nope, in all the book stores Ben and I have been in around here, we
haven't seen a single store cat - *very* uncivilized, tut, tut!

Well, Powell's has store cats. AND it's the biggest used bookstore, so
far as I know, in the world. I can get lost in there...and now that I
have a mobility scooter, I might just do that again :-)

You oughta come visit Portland....tempt tempt

Deborah
slave to the Magnificent Seven

CatNipped wrote:
"Gracecat" wrote in message
news:200808051337268930-gracecat@bellkittysouthnet...

Personally I like Starbucks. But Louisiana also still serves
chicory or dark roast coffee sooooo... I may not be the person to
talk to about the charred day old taste

Grace


I was born and raised in New Orleans but still never acquired the
taste for "Community Coffee and Chicory" - my mom made it so strong
you'd think the spoon would stand straight up in the cup. Now-a-days
I prefer "8 O'clock" whole-bean coffee ground right before it's
brewed. I think Starbucks is way over-priced and just not "all that".

Ear Skritches,

CatNipped

This reminds me of a story from the office. One of the managers was from
Louisiana and he'd bring in Community Coffee, brew a pot and put a post-it
note by the pot so people would know what it was. He certainly didn't mind
sharing but the company had a coffee service and he didn't want the pots
getting mixed up.

There was one guy who was a well-known office mooch. (Isn't there always
one?) If someone in a different department brought in doughnuts, he'd find
them. If a department on another floor was having a pot luck lunch he'd
sniff it out and find some reason to hang around and get free food. So one
day this manager brewed a pot of Community Coffee and labelled it. The
mooch came by, saw the sign, exclaimed "Free Coffee!" (Duh, it's free every
day ya' dipwad.) It was pointed out to him, um, that's G's coffee and
"Community" is the brand name. LOL He had the good grace to look
embarrassed.

Community Coffee I can take or leave. Didn't the practice of adding
chickory become more widespread during the Civil War when coffee was in
short supply?

Jill

Phoenix wrote:

Well, Powell's has store cats. AND it's the biggest used bookstore, so
far as I know, in the world. I can get lost in there...and now that I
have a mobility scooter, I might just do that again :-)

I would love to see Powell's sometime. Especially since it not only has
a store cat, but store *cats*, plural.

There's a store in my neighborhood that should have a store cat, but
doesn't. It's a big, old, comfy used bookstore, with stuffed chairs for
comfortable reading, wide-board wood floors that creak a bit when you
walk across them, and tons of fascinating books. It needs a kitty!!

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
"Gracecat" wrote in message
news:200808051337268930-gracecat@bellkittysouthnet...
On 2008-08-05 12:21:22 -0500, "tanadashoes" said:
Barnes and Noble
is very organized.

Books a Million is about as disorganized as a store can be and still
have
sections.

Oh gosh, it's not just here then??? We have a BAM and a Waldens in the
mall. BAM is ok, because it's the only large bookstore in the area. I
have to drive an hour and half to the nearest BN. But I prefer BN because
the stock is up to date, as well as obscure books I'm looking for. The
selection of greeting cards and journals etc is also more diverse. Our
BAM has a small Hallmark section.

We don't have a BAM here that I know of. I like B&N for their selection
of science fiction - you're right, it has up-to-date editions (and I'm
*way* too impatient to wait for a book to be delivered from Amazon).


Personally I like Starbucks. But Louisiana also still serves chicory or
dark roast coffee sooooo... I may not be the person to talk to about the
charred day old taste

Grace


I was born and raised in New Orleans but still never acquired the taste
for "Community Coffee and Chicory" - my mom made it so strong you'd think
the spoon would stand straight up in the cup. Now-a-days I prefer "8
O'clock" whole-bean coffee ground right before it's brewed. I think
Starbucks is way over-priced and just not "all that".


True. With expansion, the quality has been, well, diluted. But I remember
my first trip to Seattle in 1991 (same year I got Stinky, BTW). In my
life, coffee had been a necessity, but not one I really thought about or
enjoyed all that much. Then I went to Seattle, a town that really gave some
serious thought to its coffee and baked goods! My eyes were opened--
literally and figuratively. I nipped into a cafe to get a cup of takeout
coffee, and when I sipped that coffee-- I was amazed. It wasn't that I
never had good coffee before-- it was that in my life, good quality coffee
was for special occasions. Here, good coffee was for every day. That cafe
happened to be Starbuck's, before it went national. And Seattle then was
full of similar cafes. It's just that Starbucks was the one that went
national (and kidn of crazy, if you ask me). So although I do think that we
probably don't need a Starbucls on every freakin' corner, I do give them
credit for teaching me the difference between merely decent and really good
coffee, and for getting me to want the coffee I drink to be good.

--
Theresa, Stinky and Dante
drtmuirATearthlink.net

Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh

wrote in message
...
Phoenix wrote:

Well, Powell's has store cats. AND it's the biggest used bookstore, so
far as I know, in the world. I can get lost in there...and now that I
have a mobility scooter, I might just do that again :-)

I would love to see Powell's sometime. Especially since it not only has
a store cat, but store *cats*, plural.

There's a store in my neighborhood that should have a store cat, but
doesn't. It's a big, old, comfy used bookstore, with stuffed chairs for
comfortable reading, wide-board wood floors that creak a bit when you
walk across them, and tons of fascinating books. It needs a kitty!!

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

Oh, I want to go there! I'll even bring my own cat!
Charleen