Borders

Though I generally prefer to look for books in thrift stores or used book shops there are times when I want a new book or when I have been successfully suckered into reading a new series and like a junkie I MUST HAVE MY FIX and so to the bookstore I go…
I am SO sad to say, this Borders is closing, but I don’t care – I am going to review it anyhow!
I love the fact that you can chill out in an aisle somewhere on the floor for hours reading if you want to, or just get in and get out lickety split too.
Borders has always been friendly, helpful, and willing to exchange books without a receipt for me.
This location is in such a great spot, I have a really hard time believing that it is one their underperformers, but it must be since it is closing…
Speaking of closing, I have spent crazy money getting discounted books since their closing sale started, and the other day I went in and the cashier kept having trouble ringing up my sale (one of the books was being wonky somehow). And when I got home and finally dug out my receipt (which had been tucked into one of the books instead of my hand) and looked at it – he had double charged me for one of them!
Well, their closing policy is that you have to check your receipt before you leave, which I didn’t do since it wasn’t in my hand and by the time he had finally rung me up I just wanted out of there and didn’t go digging for it.
So not expecting it to do any good, I called them up and told the manager what happened and that I couldn’t come back since I was all the way in Arlington… she was so totally cool about it and helped me out over the phone! YAY!
Even in the midst of closing and losing their jobs they are willing to give good customer service!
I will miss you Borders.

So sad this place is closing :(
I know that chain bookstores are not personal blah blah blah, but I’ve spent many afternoons hanging out with some magazines, books, cups of coffee and baked goods at this Borders Café that whenever I’m bored, this is the place I think of going to. The pumpkin bread and chocolate chip cookies are awesome, especially warmed.
I wonder what will go in to this space after Borders moves out, by the end of April I think. Snag up discounted books while you can!

Don’t take me for crazy but, for me, Borders it’s became like my second house in DC.
I love that place!!! I can found all I want and sometime I find things with a very low price.
I went just today and it’s was hard for me don’t buy nothing because I have to save my cash this week.
The best thing for me it’s than you can read all magazine and books without buy them.
It’s Amazing for me because I’m Italian and, if you try to open a magazine in Italy you risk angering the cashier but here they do not tell you anything XD

So I can’t give it a five, because… can you really give Borders a five? It’s not a three because with Seattle’s Best and awesome book signings (Kathy Griffin!), it’s not a three either. So it’s basically a four… by default.
It’s clean, the store itself and selection is pretty big, not enough seating (as usual) in the bookstore itself in my opinion. Actually, the Seattle’s Best doesn’t have enough comfy chairs either. But the baristas are nice, free samples aplenty, and the bookstore employees are very helpful as well.

Have always liked this bookstore. Maybe it’s because the people browsing seem eager to be there, amongst the books. They seem to be an intellectually curious crowd. For example, the newspaper, trade mag, and political sections are often crowded. Also, the location is central, the space is huge, the café is decent and — throughout — the energy is pretty high. Oh — and flirting is mandatory. ;)

This bookstore is huge and they have a pretty good selection. The staff is friendly… I just prefer local bookstores. But if I have to, this one is pretty good.
You can also sign up for a Border’s rewards card for free and they email you coupons for 20−40% off a book every week. It is pretty hot. You can also special order textbooks and use your coupon on those. Dad would be proud.

Normally I’m not the kind of girl who reviews ‘big box’ stores. They have advertising and marketing departments to put out the word.
However, I’ll make an exception for you, K street location of Borders. And why? Because you have the most amazing bargain bin ever.
Most bookstores have a bargain section that ought to be labeled ‘random cookbooks and obscure board games’. This location of Borders (I haven’t checked out the others) has beautiful linen journals marked down from upwards of $ 20 to less than $ 5. It has heavy cardstock, travel accessories, and various paper goods heavily marked down for sale. Just browse through the bins — you’ll be surprised what you find to round out your stocking stuffers.

OK well, as much as I hate big box stores for destroying the independent bookstore, I do love this Borders location. Right on K Street, about a block from Farragut North makes it very convenient. It’s huge, which is great because that obviously means more inventory! The people who work there, in my experience, have always been really friendly and helpful.
They have some great sales, usually a two for 1 book deal on certain paperbacks, 20% off of popular hardcovers, etc. Books are getting crazy expensive these days, but Borders helps out with the deals.
Plus, they have the British OK! Magazine. Yes! It’s tough to find around here, but I need my occasional British celebrity fix. How else am I to know that Kerry Katona is pregnant again or Ashley and Cheryl Cole broke up? They haven’t, thank god, but it was close. That makes Borders my go-​to place!

This is a Borders with momentum. A lot of people around here go to this Borders, so it does good business, maintains a good inventory and has good staff. The layout is good (magazine racks near the entrance, spaciousness), and since it has big windows and is on a corner, you might perceive that some of your perusing is actually done with the aid of sunlight. Their CD /​DVD /​Blu-​Ray section downstairs is fairly good too.

I feel weird writing this review. I mean, you all know what Borders is. If you don’t, my name’s Jason. Welcome to the 21^st century. Glad to see you came out of that coma… you smell pretty!
Yet I’m in here about once or twice a week, so it merits at least a short review. Yeah, the prices suck in comparison to
, so if you’re buying a bunch of books, you’re probably better off going through them. But the store’s really well-​stocked, and if you give me $ 20 (wink wink nudge nudge), I can usually walk out with something I like. In fact, for foreign movies, you’ll do much better here than you will in a Best Buy. One day I was browsing, and I randomly thought of a movie I saw in college but couldn’t remember the name of. All I knew was it had something to do with France during WWII. After a quick browse, I found it (Au Revoir Les Enfants, Criterion Edition)! Plus, if you join their Borders Rewards program (it’s free), you’ll usually get a 20% off coupon good for your next purchase, so you can usually save some coin.
This is actually one of the better Borders I’ve been to, as the selection is both more varied and more complete than other locations. The lines move quickly, even during the lunchtime rush, and the cashiers are usually friendly. There’s really only a few areas for improvement, and they’re all pretty minor. First off, they reorganize their store once or twice a year, often moving things to completely opposite ends of the store. Naturally, it takes ‘em a while to bring things up to speed, so during these times, it can be a little unorganized. Plus, I’m always tripping over people sprawled out in the aisles ’cause they’re too thrifty (aka cheap) to actually buy whatever it is they’re reading. That’s probably my biggest peeve: seeing one copy of a book I want, only to discover it’s dogearred and has a massive crease running down the spine.
The verdict: unless you’re looking for a fairly obscure book or CD, chances are you’ll find it here. Do join the Rewards Club if you’re a ravenous reader, as it’ll definitely save you some coin down the line.

Yes, they have a great selection of [name your genre] books. I’m not really into looking for obscure titles anyway– I either come with a book in mind (and they have it) or I browse until I find the book my heart desires. What I really love about this Borders (and mostly any of them in the DC area) is the magazine collection. They carry fashion mags from overseas including the UK and surprisingly I can never find them here in the West. But I can sit and look at the mags for hours on end. This Borders doesn’t disappoint.
Oh, and yes, the token for the restroom thing is a bit annoying.

I like this borders because it is right downtown and is central to bars, restaurants, the metro, etc…
I have better luck finding interesting (kind of random) self help/​spych books here… including some good books on body language. Thye also seem to have a lot of bargains. They have a café… but its pretty tandard for borders. The token system for the restroom is kind of annoying though.

As a chain bookstore, this Borders on L Street is definitely worth mentioning. No independent bookstore in DC has more books than the chainstores in DC.
However, what sets this one apart is their truly large art/​photography/​architecture section. It may have something to do with the fact that there is an art school closeby in the Corcoran.

My fellow Unilocaler has commented that the cash registers are set up badly. Well, I am here to say that I have never even been to the registers at this store, and I have had nothing but enjoyable experiences. What i’m trying to say is: you can come here, pick out some books, find a quiet nook to read in, and pass a few hours without even buying something. It is one of my favorite hangouts in DC.
Selection is what sets this place apart from other bookstores. For example, they have five different titles by Jonathan Ames, a fine urban writer who goes otherwise undisplayed at bookstores such as Kramer’s. They have every Raymond Carver title, and many copies of «Jesus’s Son», by Denis Johnson. It is a veritable library.
Eventually, you will have to use the bathrooms here. Don’t be afraid to ask for a «token». They have them at the register, and you drop one into the bathroom doorknob, much like a gumball machine, in order to gain access to the facilities. (Don’t tell Borders, but I keep an extra token in my coin purse, just in case it can’t wait). Conveniently located at 18^th & K, these are perhaps the best public toilets in the area.
Five Stars, for convenience, hospitality, and selection

Large store, nice café, great selection of discounted books. It’s a chain so it’s just like all the other chains. It is created and kind of badly set up near the registers. But nonetheless, I love bookstores!