Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Went to an event there in July and was told drawings would be at the end of the month for prizes. I called the first of the following month and they said because I called they drew and asked my name and said I didn’t win which is fine but none of the other 5 people that was in the drawing won either so what’s that about? I was told when I asked for a list of winners I was told is was none of my buisness. No one else was in the drawing only 6 of us total and no one won? hmmmmm

My post is about the manager that helped me. I work in this shopping center so an employee I work with walked over to get me a cup of coffee and an iced water. They sold him a bottle of water and said they don’t hand out cups of water which is hilarious to me because I always get the same thing once a week. I went to return the water bottle because they charged me 2.75 for a bottle of water! Idk about others but I live paycheck to paycheck and do not have that much to pay for one bottle of water. The manager was so rude and acted like I refilled the bottle with tap water. It was CLEARLY not open but she continued to try and open it about 5 times then gave it to the cashier and said damage it out. She gave me my money back eventually. I have never witnessed such bad management.

As a self-​proclaimed nerd, I often find myself spending countless hours in various bookstores, eye-​humping my next read and smiling at each stranger that picks up a book I’ve already devoured, hoping they enjoy it as much as I did.
What I want to say about this Barne’s & Noble is no different than what many other Unilocalers before me have said. When I first walked in the other day, I instantly loved how large and well-​lit the store was, making it easy for me to get lost here for hours.
Up and down each aisle, you can find characters. In the History section, I met a very angry man, who goes by Napoleon di Bonaparte. I mentioned I had heard of him and his infamous battle at Waterloo. He angrily replied that he WOULD HAVE won it, had he attacked earlier in the day. However, he apparently suffered from severe hemorrhoids and was unable to fight, postponing, and consequently, losing the battle. As he began speaking of military strategies, I wandered to the Essential Cookbook section. There, I met a very interesting brunette, named Contessa. She claimed she was barefoot, yet her brown loafers proved otherwise. Not one to call one out, I nodded and turned the page, letting her guide me through the steps to make exquisite dishes, many of which she paired with refreshing homemade beverages. Finding myself grow hungry, I hastily left the section, finding myself surrounded by self-​help books. It is here I ran into a most interesting Dr.; Deborah Tannen. She spoke to me as to how communication is key and that one cannot be an effective communicator if they are not a good listener… blah blah blah.
As I wandered over to the café, exhausted by the number of people I had met and the information they had shared with me, I ordered a large medium roast coffee, even though I desperately also wanted to order a pressed pannini (darn you, Contessa & your recipes!) The woman quickly and plesantly handed me the coffee, the warmth exuding from the cup warming me from head to toe, in an already comfortable setting.
Seating myself near an outlet, I put in my headphones, and surfed the slow (but free) net. Several hours later, sans a coffee, I decided to hold an investigation of their bathrooms. Sherlock Holmes would be happy, as it seems they are clean and well-​stocked.
Before leaving, I trolled the Bargain Priced section and there… found a jewel of a book for only $ 9! 300 pages later and one day later, I am back…
Now to see who I’ll meet in the Young Reader Bestsellers section… hopefully not any glittering vampires… I have an aversion.

I often refer to the Barnes and Noble Café as my home away from home (and in some cases, my home away from home office). This café is the biggest out of all the local B&N’s.
It’s the one in North Charleston, in the Best Buy shopping center, and across from Northwoods Mall.
The people who work here have always been super friendly to me. Even remembering my name and drink.
Although they use Starbucks coffee, the taste is smoother to my palette. The desserts are delicious here, too.
The food (sandwich wise) can be a tad over spiced and herbed, but still edible.
They have arranged the tables to maximize access to power outlets. Even so, unless you get there early, you’ll be on battery power and eyeballing the lucky ones who are plugged in, and waiting for them to vamoose.
Wifi is free and can be slow. Be nice and order something and don’t just take up space without for free.
See you there.

I am at this particular Barnes and Noble quite often and have come be very fond of it. It is not in a plaza that really invites foot traffic like the B&N in Mt. Pleasant, but that actually works in its favor. Unlike the Mt. P B&N, there are almost never unattended children or teenagers loitering around. I also have to say that both the Café staff and the retail staff are always friendly and helpful.
This is on of the only Barnes and Noble that has square tables in the café. It is nicely laid out and you will more often than not see study groups gathering, or other groups getting together because it is a really nice space to convene. Near the front doors, there are several couches and arm chairs to sit and read or talk.
The actual collections they have are average for a B&N. They have an excellent selection of magazines and fiction. I would like to see a larger science section, but that is my only complaint.
Their bathrooms are usually clean and well stocked, which I appreciate.
Wifi there is not terribly fast but it does the job for basic internet browsing.
The biggest negative thing I see is that there are often people there who are there all day, buy nothing and play World of Warcraft on the free wifi. I don’t really expect the staff to make these people leave, but it is something to be aware of.