Barnes & Noble Booksellers

They have Starbucks! Got my reading and studying on nicely with some large tables there. They don’t really promote people sitting too long I believe as their outlet plugs are all covered. But selection is vast, nice that I needed a certain book to study from and they had it. But if you do need to study long time I’d suggest heading over to the anoka county library it’s much more quiet, private and less distracting.

It’s a love/​hate thing I’ve got going on with B&N. This location is quick and easy to get to, and every time I walk through the doors of a large bookstore such as this, I want to open my arms and prance wildly like Maria in the Alps. I would start singing «The Hills are Alive» if I didn’t think it would cause irreparable damage to patrons within earshot. I just LOVE that I could get lost in all of these beautiful books, but I HATE losing all of my money to it too.
Prices can be high, but fortunately they offer deals via email and you can sign up (but pay) to be a Member for additional discounts. I only take advantage of the former, but also get storewide sale notifications too (ex: 30% off select best sellers, sale applicable to any customer). I find this location to be neat and clean and easy to navigate. The Customer Service Desk is right in the center and there’s always someone available there. I reserve new and popular books online through their website for in-​store pickup too.
And of course I know this is basically a «chain» as far as bookstores go, but the variety is there and the employees have always provided me with satisfactory service. The cashiers are usually quite nice and cheery and compliment me on my purchases which can even give me a confidence boost, like when they say, «Hey, wonderful choice in reading material. I can tell you are a true intellectual and I one day aspire to reach your level of refinement. Also, Goosebumps books are BOGO this week, did you want to go grab another?»

Pretty pitiful for a BN. Poor selections of items, no music or dvd section, generally one of their more pathetic offerings. It really bugs me that they will keep a dump like this open but close a better location like the one on Ford Parkway.