McKay Used Books and Cd’s

OK, have to give McKay five stars. No, you won’t find a National Geographic from 1940 here, but the book selection here is better than any bookstore in town, including Barnes and Noble and BAM — and cheaper. This is one thing for damn sure we have over Atlanta.

I’ve been going to McKay’s for years (yes, I call it McKay’s, with an ssss). When I was in high school (maybe even middle school?), I would visit my relatives with my family, and on our way out of Chatt, we’d stop by McKay’s. Now this happened almost every time we left, for, what I can only guess, was about 6 – 7 years. Speaking cumulatively, I have been going to McKay’s off and on for about 10 – 12 years. I saw it at a few of its old locations, and I saw it when it was much smaller and when it wasn’t the juggernaut that it is now. There was a time when it was my favorite bookstore, before I traveled a bit more, and found those I like more, in Texas and Oregon.
Now I find McKay’s is erring on the side of oversaturation and overstimulation… It sort of reminds me of a larger 2^nd and Charles, which as far as bookstores go, is my least favorite chain. My issue with 2^nd and Charles is that the prices aren’t very competitive, and they’re all over the place; the stores have the feeling of a machine meant to make money, and that’s it. My favorite bookstores tend to have a lot of personality, and because I adore books so much, it’s difficult for me to really love a place that lacks personality.
I’ve been into reading my whole life; really, it’s shaped the person I am today. And McKay’s was a huge part of that… in the early and mid-​2000s. Back in those days, their prices were better than anywhere around, and their selection was still huge (though, granted not as large as it is now). They had a lot of popular CDs and DVDs, and of course books. Eventually, they expanded to games, electronics, records, etc. and then moved to a larger location to accommodate their size. They have a lot of inventory going in and a lot of inventory going out. Don’t get me wrong, I still like McKay’s, but it’s a different kind of like. Not the reverent, stars-​in-​her-​eyes teenaged adoration of getting lost in a magical place that will yield a wonderful bounty of new worlds. It’s more like a steady sort of sad respect for the machine it’s become, and the way it has had to grow to appease the easily confused, easily distracted teenagers of today that need over abundance in order to capture their attention at all.
PROS:
–Large selection.
–A good one-​stop shopping place if you’re looking for a bunch of different genres, over a wide array of topics.
–Good selection of new used records; prices aren’t bad for the records, either.
–There’s an elevator that goes to the second floor, so it’s highly handicap accessible.
CONS:
–Prices aren’t competitive. You can often find a cheaper price for a new movie on Amazon, versus the used versions they sell here.
–The CDs and movies are only spot-​checked, so you could find yourself with a non-​working movie. Kind of sucks if you’re from out of town, and can’t actually come back to this location to return it.
–It’s a bit oversaturated… There are hundreds of records priced at a dollar or less, 20 of the same softcover books stacked here and there, etc.
THE VERDICT:
There’s so much to look at here, that you’d be hard pressed to find everything on a concrete list. It’s best for browsing, especially if you just want a general genre (fiction, 1980s punk bands, occult, celebrity cookbooks, etc.), but maybe not a general book. You CAN find some well-​priced items, especially if you aren’t too concerned with how battered up the book is, but that takes a ton of digging. It’s the sort of bookstore you’d go to if you wanted to get a bunch of different books at once, and maybe you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. It’s always packed full of people, which means that there’s a high turnover rate for books, but also means that a book you’re looking for could be gone the day it’s dropped off. I’ve got mixed feelings about it. It was a tradition for basically ¹⁄₃ of my life, so maybe I’m a bit biased about its glory days.

There are few times when I might complain about massive inventory. Mark it down, this is one of those times…
McKay’s is wonderful for the ‘browser-​types’ but for those searching for a particular title: It’s an exercise in futility.
I’ve visited other mega-​used stores who stow items by author or title (by subject, of course!), and generally since it’s easy to find what I’m looking for, I leave with more than intended in my arms.
McKay’s is the only used bookstore where I consistently leave with less. Oh well, there’s always e-​bay for those used titles!

I LOVE McKay’s. Seriously. At one point I found a collection of old fashioned children’s textbooks titled «Book of Knowledge» in the free book bin outside the door… about 15 of them. I picked them all up and did some research on them after being enchanted by the stories within and lessons on sewing and other practical skills, and came to find out they were from the earliest part of the 20^th century and were easily worth $ 100-​$ 200 each! So yes, come here, search around. Enjoy the wide selection of books, games and music, and make sure you check the free bin! It’s often junk books, but once in a while you might just find a diamond in the rough.

Overpriced. A lot of the USED items you can buy new in Walmart for the same price or less. This place is only good for used books.

My all time favorite bookstore in the world. First discovered it in Nashville and quickly learned there were more locations. Still need to knock Knoxville off my list. If you love books, movies, video games, or music, and don’t like spending tons of money, then McKays is your spot. They also take trade ins. You can either get money or credit. Today I chose credit and got $ 64!!! It was magical!!! I never spend less than 2 hours there. I’ve already been twice this year. You NEED to go here.

Part of the reason I go is for the customers. It’s way past People of WalMart. The average customer either is huge, pasty, and wears black, has serious endocrine issues, or is «transitioning» to… something.
Great selection of books overall, with a broad range. One of the best used book stores anywhere.

First visit to this location. I’m a sucker for bookstores, and used bookstores take that to another level.
This place is huge, and I mean huge. Plan to spend some time because, while the books are organized into categories there are shelves and shelves for each category. A decent collection of vinyl new & used and an amazing CD selection, both used and new.
Don’t let the long checkout line scare you it moves fast.

When I visited the location in Nashville, I wasn’t really crazy about it but omg when I came to this one!
Everything I’d been looking for and some new finds were great as well! I spent $ 300 and had a buggy full! To do that at a used book store just makes you feel good!
I got complete DVD series I’d been looking for like Buffy and I compared everything I bought to prices on amazon before purchasing and this place beat em!
I really like finding unique stuff too like foreign films. They have a great selection.
It will definitely be a must stop when I visit chattanooga!

I can sum up this place in two words: Bibliophile Heaven. Oh my, what an awesome place! The selection is varied, the prices are beyond reasonable, and the staff was friendly. This store alone gives me reason to come back to Chattanooga!

Awesome place for USED books and music of all types. You can’t beat the prices and selection under one roof anywhere in Chattanooga. The staff in very friendly and helpful. They keep their books organized and the shelves well stock through a stead resupply program of buying your used books back from you.

I used to really love this store, but while it’s still fun to go kill time there the prices are a tad steep for a place that sells predominantly used items. Many of their blu-​rays and CDs are higher than what you would pay for them brand new. Why would I want to pay them $ 30 for a used copy of something like Disney’s Jungle Book when a brand new copy runs $ 20 on Amazon? I know they need to pay for that building somehow but with the ease of finding cheaper stuff on the Internet I don’t see us going there too often anymore.

The old location helped me through those tumultuous college years. I was always plugged-​in listening to music or buying a sticker to cover the remaining glass on the rear windshield.
McKay’s can’t be beat when you’re fresh out of things to do but need to get out of the house. They offer a ton by way of browsing: books, books on CD, music, etc. Be sure to get there early if you need to trade! The only thing I might say is watch yourself on movie pricing. It’s happened a time or two where I’ve bought a movie, only to find it brand-​new at a lower cost elsewhere. Other than that, go and make yourself some memories.

We usually come to McKay’s once a week, along with a trip to The Curry Pot. I love being able to spend time loafering around, looking through the stacks for cool medical books/​thrillers/​conspiracy theory… or sifting through the movies. All of the hard to find and obscure movies and TV shows are here for cheap! The only couple of problems I have are as follows.
Unless you go before they close or right when they open, it is always jam-​packed busy. Lots of annoying children who can’t find their parents and people farting in the animé and dungeons and dragons sections. You also don’t get much trade in ($$) for your textbooks. They usually give you decent trade-​in for media.
A new thing that’s also great is they have this guy, Sgt. Peppers, who has this little hot dog and burger cart that sits right outside of McKays. I have Celiac Disease and can’t have the buns… but he knows about the diet and changes gloves and cleans the prep are before making me a bunless New Yorker :-).

They have a good variety of books to select from. It can be a little difficult to find a specific book. Good place to get books for a bargain price. My brother got some school books that would have cost much more at the campus shop.

Excellent selection of books and media. What we bought was very inexpensive and was in great condition.
It’s the largest used bookstore I’ve ever visited. Well worth the drive.

I miss the old store with the original layout, but McKay’s is still the best place to go for used books. With the trade-​in system, I rarely have to spend much money there, just take in old books I don’t read anymore or newer things I’ve been given and don’t want, and then go find whatever I want to replace them. You can find just about anything, but you have to have patience and learn where they put things (eg, some things may be in modern lit when you expect them to be in with the «classics», and vice versa, or they may be off in oversized fiction).
The games, DVDs, and CDs tend to be overpriced (especially the DVD sets, considering they’re used) but the books can be dirt cheap. The free bins outside are also usually worth a rummage through, and I’ve snagged several interesting items that way.

I wish I could give separate reviews for the different aspects for this stores.
In terms of browsing, killing time and just looking at stuff in a bookstores– Its probably a 3.5. There’s a lot of random stuff here. I would try looking here even for some textbooks on the off chance you can find it. There are a wide variety of books, cd’s and dvd’s. Although lets be realistic about cd’s — outdated. The CD box sets are pretty cool for a novelty gift. They had some interesting box sets — Bob Marley, and other iconic musicians and artists. The books are all on the first floor, and the music is upstairs. The downside is that the second floor is a little inconvenient. It has one set of stairs and elevator to go up to it. Then it is more like a platform that is attached the the walls only and wraps around the sides of the building. So you are browsing, go from one end to the other, you need to walk all the way back around to go back downstairs. Its hard to explain without pictures. Another reason I want to detract a star is because they sometimes have «scratched cd’s for a cheaper price. Why would you sell that? I don’t know. The prices were either crazy cheap or expensive. $ 2 or $ 10 for a cd.
The other aspect of the store I’m giving 1 star is for their buyback system. I took in some books and they were relatively organized about the system. After getting a ticket, once they have finished looking at your books your number shows up on one of the TV’s in the store. After browsing the books and seeing how cheap they were, I knew I wouldn’t get much for my books. When my number came up, I went to the counter. They offered me some cash and a few dollars more if I took store credit. They gave me a stack back and kept the ones they were buying in the back. I asked them which ones they were buying and for some reason they can’t look at which ones they’re purchasing. Weird. So it wasn’t until I got home I saw that they purchased my like-​new textbook for a few dollars. Ok, so I wish that you had the option to look through the ones they’re buying from you. Also the customer service was average to less than average.
Overall, ok for killing time and browsing for quirky gifts, but bottom line I’d rather order from

You can find just about anything you are looking for. I always go in with a list and leave with everything I had on my list. Prices are awesome.

I am one of McKay’s former employees. From back-​in-​the-​day (in its second location on Lee Highway… now it’s in its fourth location). Time was you could seriously find almost anything at McKay. I bought most of my CD collection there. I discovered all kinds of wonderful books, and I was genuinely inspired by the people I worked with and by people who shopped there regularly. The store was popular in those days, and I think they made pretty good money, but it was nothing like the machine it has become. I really don’t like going anymore, which is a shame. That being said, I’m sure it still has something to offer for some folks.
I recently went to a shop in Maryland called CDepot that reminded me a great deal of the old McKay. I spent a ton of money there.