Barnes & Noble

This bookstore is downtown Royal Oak’s best asset. It adds a bit of intellectual charm to a downtown that is mostly bars, restaurants, banks and hair salons. It has nice views from the second floor coffee bar, too.

Pros: great service. The folks that work here helped me find the right gifts (books) after I provided them with a brief description of the people that I wanted to give gifts to. They were very friendly and were able to make great recommendations.
Cons: I came here to pick up two books and they did not have either in stock. These books are from mayor publishers and were available at my local library; but not here. They did not have them on stock at any other local/​regional B&N store which is weird.

I feel guilty frequenting a chain bookstore, but this Barnes and Noble is just so darn convenient for me! The main floor has a huge selection of bargain books, and they regularly have additional tables with clearanced items or buy 2 get 1 type offerings. The staff in the kids section are super helpful, they have a kids club membership program and regularly have fun activities scheduled for the little ones. Prices can be steep, but I can’t pretend I don’t love a good book.

I come here for the second story window view while journaling. Pretty standard B&N except more crowded usually. Lots of people study here. lots of High Schoolers hangin out. not my top choice of where I wanna be but when I have time to kill it’s a decent spot. Bathrooms could be more clean.

I have had problems with the customer service here since it opened. Its hot and cold. Staff tends to socialize too much and treat you like your a total moron. I cant stand kind of conceitedness. Thats my review.

B&N is an okay book store. I was a little disappointed as I went in to get a copy of the Signet Classic edition of Les Mis. They only had the movie cover book, and although they had 3 «on order» of what I was looking for, they couldn’t tell me when they’d arrive. However, the people who work there have always been friendly and helpful, so I can’t blame them for being out of a popular book. When I don’t feel like ordering from Amazon, I always make this my first stop.

This Barnes and Nobles is in need of a makeover. It looks scruffy and tired. The magazine stand, which I usually check out first, is two racks against the windows and makes it difficult to shop.

I love the Barnes and Noble store BUT the Starbucks inside is a JOKE. It takes over 15+ minutes to get a basic coffee even if only one person is in front of you. Expect your drink to taste nothing like you ordered.
The worst part is the café staff is always unbelievably rude every time we visit. One staff member in particular is terrible. We made a complaint to a manager and were told «We know shes unpleasant, that’s just her personality.» Walk the extra few blocks to the real Starbucks in town.

one of my fav places to relax!
BUT Its great how the prices have gone way down in the past year.
This chain has gotten reasonable finally and I buy more than I relax there now :)
Good job guys!

I was in the market for a book on charcuterie and went searching at B&N. After looking for awhile I thought I’d ask for some help locating Forest Grille’s, Chef Brian Polcyn’s book on topic. I went to the cashier’s counter and was directed to customer service for help looking up the title (apparently they can’t do that from the front desk?). From there I waited for someone to acknowledge me which didn’t happen and found myself waiting to even see an employee to ask my question to. Customer service seemed shoddy at best at this location. On the up side they do have a hefty clearance rack and a great selection to browse.

Great collection of varying books and a very nice coffee bar on first floor.

I love it here! I haven’t been in a real bookstore since moving to Michigan! It is big, spacious, and clean. They do offer a lot of books but it did still feel a bit small. I miss my 3 story Borders. They have a Starbucks upstairs and bathrooms. I would def be back in the future!

Call me a bookslut and I will smile rather than unleash the literary wrath of a woman vexed upon you. I admit it, it’s true. Brightly lit libraries and spacious, airy bookstores make me smile. Creative indie chains give me a thrill. Much as I love Kindles and iPads (RIP, Steve! :() the decadent feel of paper fluttering between your fingers and the heft, texture, and weight of a good book satisfies me as much as dark chocolate, pinot noir, and the newest Muse or Adele album.
B&N in Royal Oak is my nearest big bookstore haunt. Unlike some used places, I can expect cleanliness, the crisp scents of glue and paper, and plenty of colour. The demise of other big bookstores spells a change in the industry, sadly, so I sure as hell want to keep my love affair with bookstores as long as I can. It’s like knowing someone will be fading away sooner than later. You find a poignancy spending your time with them.
Parking is a pain in the rear, paid as per usual for the city, but once inside you’re in novel-​vana. Chairs beckon you to sit and thumb through paperbacks and magazines. The publications section, by the by, is plenty thorough though I didn’t find one line — Taste of Home, a Midwestern cooking magazine — I expected to see. On the other hand, they carry BBC’s Goodfood, among other harder to find imports from across the Atlantic, so I can’t say I’m entirely dissatisfied.
Eclectic finds spring up in the extensive bargain book section. Wait a little and sometimes bestsellers show up at a fraction of the cost a year later. I’ve scored a few deals this way. I also have a fondness for the cards by the registers, which are usually so interactive and 3D that I can’t help but buy a few for loved ones throughout the year. Penguins hanging out on a clothing line are assured to make me giggle.
All in all, it’s a basic B&N. Big selection and standard prices, events occasionally hosted upstairs. The Starbucks isn’t obnoxiously loud and I can usually find what I’m looking for, if I’m not interested in waiting for shipping or the like.

As far as chain bookstores go, this B&N is OK. Big selection, but that’s normal for this chain. Helpful, somewhat pseudo-​intellectual staff. Starbucks on the 2^nd level. Great selection of bargain books.

Barnes and Noble began with the idea that you could create a bookstore that looked a lot like Borders, without having to actually carry the same range and depth of books that Borders did, and they were very successful at doing this. Whereas a typical Borders would carry 100,000 titles in a store, B&N carried more like 10,000, with the emphasis on best sellers, romance, SF, and other fast-​selling genres.
As Borders collapses under a mountain of debt, and increasingly makes their remaining stores look more like B&N stores, it’s clear that this was a winning formula– at least, up until now. If you’re looking to pay full price for a limited selection of books, B&N is convenient, clean, and the staff are friendly.
But you won’t find much depth there. The stock, apart from the sales leaders, is spotty, and on some cases (computer books in particular) out of date. The markdowns are still pretty pricey. They’ll special order a book they don’t have in stock, but why would I want to pay full list and wait two or more weeks, when Amazon will deliver it for free in two days, and at a discounted price? I occasionally stop in to check out the magazine rack, but increasingly all my book purchases are either on-​line purchases, or e-​books.

The Royal Oak Barnes & Noble on Main Street is one of the few bookstores around here (I don’t even count Borders as a bookstore anymore but I’ll save that rant for their review) where you can go and experience a very comfortable & welcoming atmosphere where you never have a problem finding a comfortable seat. The book selection is mediocre and the comic book selection is laughable but when one is looking for a place to relax, do some homework or just hang out… Look no further.

I am so happy. This is a GOOD Barnes and Noble. How is it that so many chains can be so different? They have a café! They are open late! They have my apple purse! There are comfy seats! As you can see, I don’t ask for much. I was so happy that I could peruse through the different sections of books and then sit my cheap, lazy bum in the comfy seats and read them.
God, this feels good.

Barnes and Noble in Royal Oak is more like a giant coffee shop than a bookstore. It sort of promotes the idea of reading rather than providing the tools needed for reading (books). It’s difficult to find a salesperson to help you and when you do they never have the book you’re looking for. I’m not a pretentious dickwad who’s looking for some out of print manifesto by a long forgotten Lithuanian writer who was never appreciated in his time and died penniless in a ditch somewhere. I just want something other than the DaVinci Code.

Chain bookstores have perfected the science of attracting the casual customer and making them linger as long as possible inside by offering them lattes and biscottis to ultimately pump up their add on sales. It is a plan that, however effective in increasing sales, has shifted them away from providing some basic customer service.
What becomes of the percentage of customers who are just visiting the store to purchase a book that was brought to their attention? What if time is not a commodity you can spare?
Just finding an associate to assist you can be an adventure in itself. When one is finally flushed out, you either get the pleasant and helpful employee or the one who makes it obvious that they would so much rather be somewhere else.
So, one is left feeling neither thrilled or angry at the bottom line motivated reality of these corporations. Just acceptance of another rather impersonal shopping experience. It’s too common for outrage.

It’s so many nice places to sit outside in Royal Oak, but during the winter it’s always great to have a place to sip coffee inside. This is when I visit Barnes and Nobles most. Many times I would actually go through a whole magazine while hanging out at Barnes & Nobles, and the workers don’t even bother you. Huge selection of books and with two floors, it’s very spacious to walk around!