s/o Bookstores and children's books

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I agree that the offerings in big box bookstores are frustrating. I can remember going to Borders or Barnes & Noble when they were new and incredibly satisfying. I would walk out with big handled bags full of hard back Wizard of Oz books or reprints of Frances H. Burnett books or Louisa May Alcott books that I'd never heard of. You could even find great older Newberry books like Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze or Carry On, Mr. Bowditch right on the shelves.

 

The last time I was in a Borders was right after Christmas 08. I had a big coupon for some great discount and I wandered the children's section and had trouble finding anything worth buying. Now I will say that part of my perception is probably colored by having so many books in my home library. There might be good books that I just browse right past because I already own them.

 

But there are so many more games and toys and cartoon related books than I remember 10-15 years ago. And books are divided up into such odd categories as to make it hard to find the good stuff. One thing I really dislike is having girl and boy sections in fiction. Is Carry On, Mr. Bowditch a boy book? Is Understood Betsy only for girls? What about Homer Price or Raggedy Anne and Andy and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees or Redwall.

 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has ever chatted with the manager of their local big bookstore about the offerings they have out? Maybe taken in a listing of some of what you've spent on Amazon in the last year (that's easily several hundred for us in a year). Maybe talked to them about homeschoolers and shown them the home school resource booklet that Peace Hill Press put together.

 

Our base exchange has a small book section. A few months back, they had a number of homeschool related books. Several from PHP, the new edition of TWTM, and some good DK and Usborne books. I sent the head of the Exchange system a feedback comment saying how much I appreciated the books and hoped that they would carry more like them. I think that there have been more educational titles show up over the spring.

 

I was wondering if anyone else has had interactions with bookstore managers about kids' book selections.

[TechWife]

I talked with the manager at a chain bookstore a couple of years ago. She told me the individual stores have no say in what they stock - it is sent automatically.

 

I have gone to the company's web site and made comments about other, unrelated things and they were very responsive, as in the problems were fixed within two weeks. I wonder what would happen if I left a comment about the quality of the books they offered? Hmm...

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I talked with the manager at a chain bookstore a couple of years ago. She told me the individual stores have no say in what they stock - it is sent automatically.

 

That is an excellent consideration. Now that I think about it, I think that was one of the reasons why I sent my note to the main Exchange website for comments rather than just talking to the local staff.

 

Maybe they really do sell thousands of dollars worth of Avatar and Shrek picture books. But it does seem like they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

 

Because the books aren't as enticing as they used to be in bookstores, I go there less and buy far more from Amazon than I used to.

[Orthodox6]

I have tracked, non-scientifically, the "rise-and-fall" of specific sections within the B&Ns, and the Borders of my large city during the fifteen years we have lived here. The children's non-fiction sections for history and science used to occupy several bookcases. Now they occupy a small number of individual shelves. There used to be large sections exclusively for homeschooling books (and I do not mean curricular-related products). These sections, too, shrank. A couple of years ago, homeschooling sections nearly had disappeared. Now the books are back, but are buried amidst the "education" books, books aimed at the public school professional. . . . These changes occurred during the same time as did the deterioration of the children's fiction sections (with regard to enduring quality of content).

[m0mmaBuck]

I live less than a mile from Barnes and Noble and less than 1.5 miles from Borders. I tend to order from Amazon anyway because I know they have the book I want vs. going to the big box store to be disappointed.

[Mothersweets]

Last time I was in Borders I looked around and wondered if I made a wrong turn somewhere: the children's section is now a toy store.

 

I agree, when they first opened up (both Borders and B&N) it was wonderful going there, I always found so many great books and every section was well-stocked.

 

I do have a really great independent bookstore in my area. They even carry used books and the staff is fabulous. It is somewhat out of the way for me but after my last trip to the two big B's, I've decided to only shop at the independent.

[Daisy]

Amazing. I wrote a blog post about this very thing back in Feb.

 

Anemic Bookstores Kill Themselves

[Alessandra]

Amazing. I wrote a blog post about this very thing back in Feb.

 

Anemic Bookstores Kill Themselves

 

Is your booklist somewhere on line? I'd love to see it!

[Cera]

I can't stand to go into Borders because of all of the toys. Barnes and Noble is quite a bit better. Ours has surprised me lately with the breadth of books, including some classics I didn't expect to find.

 

That said, I still shop mainly online for price.

[Daisy]

LOL. It was actually a list that another gal on this board posted for her study of Middle Ages. I culled it down a bit. Here is the final list of history/art/literature books I bought for next year.

 

Kid's Literature List for Middle Ages & Renaissance

 

Dad's Read-Alouds

 

Art Books

 

And I had to buy them all on-line. Stupid stores.

[Orthodox6]

 

That said, I still shop mainly online for price.

 

I think I have posted this in another thread -- Barnes and Noble stores have the best array of good-priced remainders of any bookstore I know.

[LibraryLover]

At our B & N, you can find all the 'classics' and they will order anything you ask them to order. They will also have enough Percy Jackson in stock. (WHich is great, since sometimes your kid just doesn't want to be the 100th person out of 175 holds at the library) . They also have all the PSAT, SAT, LSAT prep etc books you could ever want. They serve a purpose.

 

What they don't feature is the less pop stuff. So you get those elsewhere when you have the time. When you want a more pop -type or an old classic book like Little Women or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, you go to the big chain. Simple. It's like Walmart or Target. You know you hate them, but they always have Burt's Bees and Mrs Myers. ;)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What I've noticed happens with less frequency is going to a big bookstore and discovering some book that I didn't know I needed until just that moment. That used to happen to me all the time. And it still happens with regularity at the library, so I don't think that it is only an issue of already having many books or that Amazon has a depth and breadth that a brick and mortar store can't replicate.

 

So has anyone talked to store personnel about the shift in their stock or having more bookish books? Anyone get anywhere with the booklet that Peace Hill Press made up?

 

Sure local managers can't control much of what they hold. But do they even see the children's section the same way that we do? Or do they in fact sell a lot of the toy related stuff?

[Kirch]

The frustrating thing about that for me (well, ONE frustrating thing) is that we don't have a lot of money to spend, so I like to be able to actually look through any unfamiliar books I'm thinking of buying. I don't want to shell out money for the book(s) and for shipping only to get it in hand and it not be what I need or want. I hate making a special trip to a bookstore only to find that they have few or none of the books I want to "try on.". :glare:

[OnTheBrink]

Maybe my B&N is odd, but it's well stocked with classic children's literature, as well as the twaddle. I just got 5 wonderful annotated classics for myself to read and have never had an issue with them ordering for me anything I need that they don't have on the shelves. They consistently have TWTM and TWEM in stock and I've seen SOTW in there often.

 

It could be that we're the biggest town in the region, so it carries a wider variety of books than a place that has to compete heavily for business.

[Rosie_0801]

And I had to buy them all on-line. Stupid stores.

 

I'll tell you what's stupid. It's cheaper for me to buy online from the US or the UK than from my local shop.

 

Rosie

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Maybe my B&N is odd, but it's well stocked with classic children's literature, as well as the twaddle. I just got 5 wonderful annotated classics for myself to read and have never had an issue with them ordering for me anything I need that they don't have on the shelves. They consistently have TWTM and TWEM in stock and I've seen SOTW in there often.

 

It could be that we're the biggest town in the region, so it carries a wider variety of books than a place that has to compete heavily for business.

Same with our B&N. Maybe it varys depending on location (University town here) or depending on what tends to sell in a particular area?

[nmoira]

 

What I've noticed happens with less frequency is going to a big bookstore and discovering some book that I didn't know I needed until just that moment.

This is an amazing feeling, and one that is impossible to fully replicate online. I'm so glad I live near Powell's. :001_smile:

[OnTheBrink]

Same with our B&N. Maybe it varys depending on location (University town here) or depending on what tends to sell in a particular area?

 

Good point about the colleges. We have one state and several private schools here. I bet that's why this B&N is so well stocked in study aids, cliffs notes and test prep books! LOL

[Cera]

I think I have posted this in another thread -- Barnes and Noble stores have the best array of good-priced remainders of any bookstore I know.

 

 

They do, we go in frequently to browse and pick up whatever we discover that interests us in the remainders section. I have gotten some great deals and discovered some great books that way.

 

Their regular price books aren't a great deal though (at least not here). They often don't even honor the online sales price. When I have a list of titles to buy I always default to Amazon or buy used from an online site.

[Kirch]

I'll tell you what's stupid. It's cheaper for me to buy online from the US or the UK than from my local shop.

 

Rosie

 

Wow. That IS stupid! :001_huh:

[Cindyz]

This is an amazing feeling, and one that is impossible to fully replicate online. I'm so glad I live near Powell's. :001_smile:

 

 

Powell's is the most amazing book store I've ever seen! I remember the first time I went to Powell's and I never wanted to leave!

 

My son's first word was "book", and his first full sentence was said at Powell's when he looked around with his mouth hanging open and said, "look at all the books!!".

[lauracolumbus]

I just got home from B&N and managed to find a few books to buy :glare:. Two were Kumon word problem books for the summer. It was one of those stumble upon moments. Also, my kids love B&N for the toys, but they also manage to find books they like to read while we hang out there. I will try to always buy them at least one book from there to encourage the rush of buying/owning a book you want. It's not the same from Amazon (although, that's where most of my purchases come from b/c of price).

 

That being said, I am so grateful for our Half Price books. I bought 2 Greek books, 4 Latin books, 5 adult history books, a community college pre-algebra book, a veterinarian computer game and about 3 other books for $50. Several of the history books I later saw at B&N for $20, while I bought them for $4.80. They're having a 20% off sale this weekend.

 

Laura

[3peasinapod]

I wondered if it was just me. I never even go to our Borders store. Our Books-A-Million seems to be a tad better, though I never go there either. Amazon's free shipping, 4-for-3, tax-free (our tax is 9.5 here), and a huge array of books is just too good, and I compare everything to it. Every once in a while I'll go in and try to browse, but I never find anything that I have on my wish list on Amazon. :mellow: I love looking through books, so this is sad for me.

[Alessandra]

LOL. It was actually a list that another gal on this board posted for her study of Middle Ages. I culled it down a bit. Here is the final list of history/art/literature books I bought for next year.

 

Kid's Literature List for Middle Ages & Renaissance

 

Dad's Read-Alouds

 

Art Books

 

And I had to buy them all on-line. Stupid stores.

 

Oh, my, my mouse is moving towards the amazon icon on my (imac) dock....

[Matryoshka]

I can't stand to go into Borders because of all of the toys. Barnes and Noble is quite a bit better. Ours has surprised me lately with the breadth of books, including some classics I didn't expect to find.

 

 

:iagree: I used to shop for books almost exclusively at Border's (for brick and mortar - Amazon too). They had a great selection, and their cafe was better too. :tongue_smilie:

 

Then they redid the cafe, got rid of all the food - they redid the children's section and got rid of all the books (well, 90% of what I'd want).

 

B&N, at least here, has not gotten rid of any books, in fact they've just added a large educator's section and carry a lot of homeschool books to boot (I can buy WWE there). And they redid their cafe and now I can get food there. So my loyalties have done a complete 180...

 

I'm not sure how Border's expects to stay in business with no inventory... they say anything that's not on the shelves can be ordered from online, but I can do that from my living room, so what's the point of the store??

[Parrothead]

they say anything that's not on the shelves can be ordered from online, but I can do that from my living room, so what's the point of the store??

Yeah, I just tell the salesperson where we live and end that conversation.

 

We are an hour and 45 minutes away from the nearest big box bookstore. It would be useless for them to order the books to the store. Generally I order from Amazon and get free shipping. I have found that second best place to order books is actually Books-a-Million online store.

[Guest]

I used to never go to our local independent bookstore because there were no discounts on anything; now I go there all the time because they are the only place around likely to have an extensive selection of new books beyond thrillers and romance. I find things I never knew were being published -- and someone on the staff has READ THEM and can tell me about them, compare them to other books, etc.

 

But the pinnacle of my book-buying life has been Blackwell's in Oxford, England. When I was researching in the library nearby for my dissertation I would stop by just to be somewhere that had specialists, not just for historical literature, but for every one- to two-hundred-year period in literary history! I still remember the time they said, "Oh, let me get our 1600s specialist for you," and he told me not only what was in print but what was coming out in print in the next six months, by what presses, with what commentators... it was absolutely mind-boggling and wonderful.

 

They used to have the most spectacular children's section, too. Last time I went back, they had chopped up the kids' section to put in a coffee shop/cafe (competing with the Borders down the street), and I was sad to see that much of the greatest stuff had gone, replaced by test prep booklets -- that fad hit the Brits too.

 

I have to say, though, that it was really nice to have an in-store cafe on a rainy day when I was trudging around with my young daughter. So I have mixed feelings about that whole trend...

[angela in ohio]

Will I sound jaded if I say I won't bother? They stock what sells. If those books sold, they would still be there. it's like the conversation I had with the shoe store manager:

 

Me: "I wish you would stock little girls shoes that didn't look trashy (I didn't use this word, I used a worse one :tongue_smilie:); maybe something age-appropriate."

Manager: "I would love to help you out, ma'am, but they don't sell as well as these shoes do."

 

:glare:

 

Family always get our dd book store gift cards for Christmas. When they ask, I direct them to Amazon, as they have better prices online. We just can't find anything in the B&N or Borders store, and the Books-a-Million is inconsistent. They always have to order online.

 

We do have a "living books" bookstore run by a homeschool mom that is about an hour and a half away. We really should go more often. But really, the library book sale IS our bookstore. :D

 

We had two good-sized indpendent stores in town - a chidren's and a regular one - but they both went out. I wasn't surprised. I wanted to support them, but the service was terrible. I would pay full price, fine, but I don't want to feel like I am bothering someone to walk into their store. There was aother one I did shop at, but it went out, too.

Edited June 1, 2010 by angela in ohio

[dirty ethel rackham]

We are in a town with a small, but highly regarded college. We have a B & N and a Borders. I don't shop at either of them very often. My first stop is the independent bookstore that has been a staple of this town forever. The staff in there knows books. They read them. If I need a gift, I simply describe the child, discuss what I specifically don't want and they always find me a treasure. They do have a large toy area, but then, they are quality toys including playmobile, brio and excellent puzzles.

 

I love the section for adults. Young Adult? meh. We don't spend much time on that section because the trend in publishing for young adult is smut-lite.

 

They have tons of book signings. They had J. K. Rowling here before she was a mega-hit. She was, however, a huge hit in our homeschool group then because a parent had frequent travels to London and brought back several copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I missed her visit, but I heard that she read from the first Harry Potter and entertained questions from the children. She was so personable.

 

Sometimes I think I personally keep them afloat with my book addiction. They have a "membership" which gets me 10% all books. My teacher discount gets me 20%. Plus they have quarterly sales for 25% off for members. Amazon is only slightly cheaper with my discounts (when I factor in Amazon Prime:).)

[Giraffe]

This is an amazing feeling, and one that is impossible to fully replicate online. I'm so glad I live near Powell's. :001_smile:

 

And why I am now green with envy that you do. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that place!!!:drool5:

[coralloyd]

This is an amazing feeling, and one that is impossible to fully replicate online. I'm so glad I live near Powell's. :001_smile:

 

I am SOOOO jealous! We just got back from a 2 month rv trip. One of my must visit places was Powells. I was in love. I so wish I lived near it on a daily basis :D.

[nmoira]

 

I so wish I lived near it on a daily basis :D.

It does have its drawbacks, well drawback... of a budgetary nature. :tongue_smilie:

[Cindyz]

It does have its drawbacks, well drawback... of a budgetary nature. :tongue_smilie:

 

...and it's not always easy to find parking, but SOooo worth it!

[Alessandra]

But the pinnacle of my book-buying life has been Blackwell's in Oxford, England. When I was researching in the library nearby for my dissertation I would stop by just to be somewhere that had specialists, not just for historical literature, but for every one- to two-hundred-year period in literary history! I still remember the time they said, "Oh, let me get our 1600s specialist for you," and he told me not only what was in print but what was coming out in print in the next six months, by what presses, with what commentators... it was absolutely mind-boggling and wonderful.

 

They used to have the most spectacular children's section, too. Last time I went back, they had chopped up the kids' section to put in a coffee shop/cafe (competing with the Borders down the street), and I was sad to see that much of the greatest stuff had gone, replaced by test prep booklets -- that fad hit the Brits too.

 

I remember the old Blackwell's, but used to spend a lot of time (and money) in Cambridge, specifically at Heffer's -- I suppose that has probably changed too, alas. I also remember Charing Cross Road and the old 14th Street in NYC -- havens for used books.

 

And of course, old bookstores never had anyplace to sit down -- chairs are a change I welcome!

Edited June 2, 2010 by Alessandra

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Once upon a time Borders was a one off shop. Even as it began its chain store expansion in the early '90s the "original" store in Ann Arbor was a haven for book lovers. Stuffed full of university press editions that no other book store had ever heard of, lots of non-fiction, shelves of classic literature, magazines from around the world and the sort of children's section that the parents who were shopping the above mentioned sections would want to browse for their kids. I spent many happy hours in their air conditioned haven.

 

The chain stores that exist aren't quite the same...especially the children's sections. Perhaps this explains the number of non-homeschoolers who ask me for book suggestions for their kids. The kids love to read and want more but the parents have exhausted the school librarian and bookstore and need to know where to look on Amazon.

 

I once applied for a job in a local bookstore. To be hired you had to pass their literature test. It covered a broad range of all subjects, classical and modern fiction. Something tells me that the folks working at these stores aren't hired that way and that the buyers are number crunchers who don't have a clue what the average patron wants. Maybe the children's buyers don't have kids but they do have a rep at the publishing company pushing something...

 

Oh well, just my rambling thoughts on the topic.