Books-A-Million

Can’t really go wrong with tons and tons of books. Quite honestly, the one thing I can complain about was that not ONE employee spoke to me. Not when I walked in. Not when I almost bumped into one in the spiritual books aisle. Not while my wife tried to get an adult coloring book out of me; we stood in that section for 10 – 15 mins… Wow… I think I need to take away half of a star. Sheeeesh… Great space. Great selection… Hope you get some employee interaction when you visit.

I know the rage is having e-​books on a Kindle or tablet but for me there is something quite special about owning & using a physical copy of a book. The crisp smell of a new book, how the pages feel underneath my fingertips & knowing that this is a piece of the past that seems to be slowly fading away along with newspapers. I can only stare at a computer screen for so long before needing a break but I can spend hours reading from an actual book. The only way a person can browse through a book & see if it is something they actually want to purchase to continue to read further (& possibly refer to later on as well) is to go to an actual bookstore. Sure I can get online to read a blurb but it’s a blurb that Amazon or the publisher has chosen to share. I like to flip through the pages/​chapters to find a little morsel & if it catches my eye then I’ll probably end up buying it. Even if it doesn’t end up being a very good book it can still be useful… everyone needs something propped up now & then & books have been fulfilling that need for a very long time :-)
Though BAM is very similar to B&N (complete with coffee shop, WiFi & various non-​book items) there doesn’t seem to be as many choices on the west side to go to. The employees greet you & ask if you need assistance without being overly attentive. Today a woman needed help & the man working in the coffee shop was able to help her find the section she was trying to find… that’s good cross training of employees! He then asked if I was finding what I needed & after I replied yes, he went back to the coffee shop to resume his work. Granted it was the middle of the afternoon & it wasn’t really very busy but it showed he was paying attention & cared enough to help. If you’re someone who prefers to order your books from online you should try to see if a physical store has the copy first… esp. if you are out & about anyway. No matter how fast ordering from online feels, nothing beats having book in hand if you’re paying the same price as you find it online & being able to enjoy it immediately.

Books-​A-​Million is convenient if your in Park 100 area or at St. Vincent and need a new book to kill time. I find most of my purchases are made at Amazon who is almost as fast as Jimmy Johns, freaky fast! I do enjoy browsing the books I want to order online and looking for good sales. Sometimes you just need a quiet spot to flip through pages and relax with a coffee. I often find cute gift items for my niece and nephews while browsing.

The layout was very familiar… seems like Barnes and noble to me. Their prices seemed similar as well. I was only look for some cheap books to read to a baby. Here, ever the sales items were a little pricey. Sorry, but I’ll go to another book store… or Barnes and Noble if I need one of those.

Bookstores are quickly going the way of the dodo bird if you haven’t noticed. This is a cheaper alternative to your typical big box bookstore. However the trade off is the yet lack of selection. Don’t go expecting to find your obscure title. Go to explore. And enjoy the fine coffee shop inside, Joe Muggs.

It’s nice to have a bookstore right around the corner from both home and work in order to pick up things, or just to wander and browse in between life. They do have some nice values on their their «Deal Carts» stationed outside the store and many great deals inside, too.
I also find that they have a really friendly team willing to step in and help when possible.

If you have to buy a NEW book, and don’t have time for Amazon, and you live on the West Side, Thank Heaven for Books-​a-​Million.
Luv it for keeping the pretension to a palatable level, having actual helpful, and knowledgeable employees, and a decent bargain rack!
Kudos Well Done BAM!

Either I’m super-​cheap or all chain bookstores are over-​priced.
My things to buy here are their $ 1, $ 2, $ 3, and $ 5 close-​out specials. You can see them on mobile racks out front on nice days.
Their 10% discount club costs $ 20/​year. Which means you have to buy at least $ 200 of books per year to make it worthwhile. «But we give you so many coupons!» they say. However, the coupons are not for free books, they’re for dollars-​off or %-off new releases or other high-​markup items. Meaning I have to SPEND even MORE money to «make back» my $ 20/​year membership. No thanks. I just don’t buy the kind of stuff that their coupons are for.
But it’s a good bookstore as far as brick-​and-​morter chain bookstores go, as long as you can avoid the over-​priced impulse-​buy junk.
They also have an over-​priced coffee/​snack shop.
I guess I’m just too much a Big Lots/​Dollar General/​Family Dollar/​Aldi kind of guy to get excited about this type of place.

Great store for me as I work close by and love to spend my lunch breaks here, where I don’t get the prententious vibe I would at a Borders or Barnes and Noble. I’ve turned into a big graphic novel guy lately and they have a superb selection. If they don’t have it, then they offer to get it. The staff is very helpful but they do not hover. I wish they didn’t ask me EVERY time if I want to join the discount club but I get it: «the Man» wants them to be asking. So… if «the Man» is reading this tell your people to chill on the discount club routine.

I love Books A Million. I realize it’s a chain but it’s a in a perfect location for me… about five miles from my house and there is nothing else with such a large, organized selection. If they don’t have what you need in the store, you can go online with a free shipping code and have it delivered to your house. I LOVE THAT!
It is average «bookstore» pricing, and the membership to get larger discounts (a standard 10% but more on special books) is only $ 10 a year! This is better than the $ 25+ at Barnes and Noble.
Great place for finding just the book you are looking for, gifts for any book lover, cute non-​cheesy birthday or anniversary cards, fun games for kids, extensive magazine selection, incredible/​knowledgable staff and inexpensive membership fee. Can’t get better than that! LOVE BOOKS!

I love all bookstores, especially independents. However, Books-​A-​Million is a great chain store that carries a HUGE selection of magazines. I love their great prices and all the fun stuff up front in the store. It’s a neat place to go when you need a gift for someone because you’re sure to find something!
It was a good day when Books-​A-​Million opened on this side of town because it’s one of the only large-​scale stores around. It always has a steady stream of customers, but it’s still a quick in and out. Good location.