Do you have trouble finding the books that you want in stock when you are shopping in bookstores?
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Yes, most often I order. I shy aware from Roberts, King, and Grisham.
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Yes, I too have trouble sometimes finding books in stock and when I do sometimes they are shop worn. This is especially true of children's books. The parents must allow their children to handle and read them but mostly abuse them. The shop keepers should put only one of each copy out for kids to look at and have the rest in the back storeroom.
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I often have trouble finding what I want at the bookstore. A big reason is I want the hardback version. They only carry the hardback for a short time. After that, everything is paperback.
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I do have trouble finding what I want in bookstores. I'm a great mystery fan and when I'm looking for a book by a particular author I very rarely find what I'm looking for unless it's on the best seller list. A good example is Anne Perry. I almost always have to order her book from my book club, or failing that, see if the bookstore can special order it. I do find that Barnes and Noble is a lot better than Waldenbooks, but it still presents a problem. My last resort is online. And then you add shipping and handling and the book can end up costing you more than buying it in the store and paying the sales tax!
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Are the books I'm searching for usually in stock at our local deluxe chain bookstore? Absolutely not! Moreover, because of the store's policy that allows customers to read through books without buying them, there are many "new" books that aren't very "new" by the time they are purchased! Fingerprints, food and beverage stains...yuck! You're not surprised to find these disfigurements in a book you've checked out of a library, but when the "new" book you want to purchase looks like it's been through the food mill...No thanks!
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Yes, especially when I have enjoyed something by an author new to me and I go to look for more and the older books may not be there. I have 3 bookstores I frequent plus a used book store so I can pretty much find things over a period of time. I have also bought books on line as well. Have not had a problem with there condition. Stocks may be low at Christmas, a prime shopping time.
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Not necessarily that the books are not in stock as much as the fact that often what you find on the shelves appear worn, with bent or folded pages, etc. It is hard to give well-perused books like these as gifts. When I am buying specific books, either as gifts or for myself, I buy online so I can be sure it will be spanking brand new. But that will never replace the joy of browsing in a book store for me.
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Basically I have not had this problem...typically I walk in and take a look at the new nonfiction tables... then I drift back to whatever section I am interested in that day. Usually it is history...and there I am usually delighted with the range of choices that are present. Thanks for asking.
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Since I live in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area, there are bookstores galore to choose from. If I can't find something in one place, I can check another within a very short distance. If all else fails, these stores can generally get a book fairly quickly, and online stores are another option.
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Yes every time I go to book stores I can never find the book I'm looking for.
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Yes, I often have trouble finding books I am seeking, especially in the large chains. Just last weekend, I was looking for multiple copies of The Watsons Go to Birmingham and was disappointed to find only two, dog-eared ones. I know there are reasons for this, but since you asked.
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About 1/2 of the time I have a hard time finding a book I'm searching for and have to order it.
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I was interested in your comment on shopworn books for children. I have also had to just leave without buying a book because they are in such bad shape. It is a shame. My suggestion is to just order the chalderns' books from the web. They arrive in good shape. I am very impressed by the care the vendors take to pack the books.
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Usually not because I have two wonderful independent bookstores right near me --- Wordsworth and Harvard Bookstore. I do have problems when I go into town and start to browse the big chains (notably Barnes and Noble). They are huge and beautiful stores and seem to have nothing on the shelves except for very new books and books that were bestsellers in years past!
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Yes, I primarily read science fiction and fantasy and find that I have a hard time finding the authors I like. Even when I go to a chain store. Also, I find I have a hard time finding the children's books I want to give as gifts, this is very frustrating. I usually special order and keep a few copies of my favorite children's books at home, so I have them when I want them.
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Yes I have trouble finding the books I want at the bookstore, but that may be because I live in a small town that has a small bookstore. I usually end up ordering online where I can usually find what I want.
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Sometimes....depending on the popularity of the writer....new writers are very difficult to locate, as are a wide range of literary journals....for example, one of my favorite writers is Anne Roiphe and I find it hard to find her works in stock.
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The closest bookstore worth patronizing is about 30 minutes from where I live, which would not be a problem if I could ever find that for which I am looking. For example, over the summer my son was a member of a book club. Every time I would attempt to find the assigned material, it would not be there. Upon asking the employees of this bookstore chain about the availability of this book, I was told that I could order the book, pay for it right there and then, and pick it up when it came in. This is just a bit inconvenient, since I would have to not only part with my money that day but then make another trip to the store at a later date. Even more inconvenient is when, at the same bookstore, I ask about a book (that they do not have on the shelf) that is referenced in another book (which they do have on the shelf), and am told that they can order the book but that I would have to pay for it first. At that point I have never seen the book and do not know if I want to purchase it. Yet, if I want to even set eyes on it, I must pay for it first.
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Yes, I have trouble finding the books I want in a bookstore. I always have a list with me and most of the time I must order the books. At the store I frequent the most, they laugh when they see me coming and say "Oh, give us your list." It is great that they are understanding but it would be greater if they would carry my books or not take 2 weeks to get them.
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I live in the NYC area, so it's not impossible to find books, but I do run into this problem. I tend to shop Barnes and Noble. The ones in the city are fairly well stocked and clean, but the local one by me in Jersey is awful. I find that I shop barnesandnoble.com
now a lot more, b/c they will always have what you need at some point. They are always running free ship promos as well. There is nothing like being in a bookstore though, just love the feel of the books! Thanks for letting me share my opinion.
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Never.
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No.
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Yes. Do I want odd or unpopular books, or something? Even books which are well publicized and supposedly current seem not to be in when I go to buy them. Same thing at the library.
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Yes, I have trouble finding the books I want in stock. That's why I primarily use Amazon.com
, Barnesandnoble.com
or Christianbook.com
when I have a title I know I want. I just go to bookstores when I'm in the mood to browse!
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Yes, I often find that when I get to my local bookstore they don't have the book in stock that I came for. This happens most often with wonderful books that I read about online at various book club and review sites. While I admit the stores are always willing to order the book, it is just as easy for me to order online and I avoid having to drive back to pick up the book.
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Since I work at Borders Corp. I would love to hear any feedback from this question that I can take back with me to improve the customer service in our stores. We can't fix a problem unless we hear about it, and I would be happy to pass any feedback to our Customer Care Department.
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I enjoy reading an author from their earliest works to their newest. An example being right now I am working the 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain and the Maggoddy series from Joan Hess. It is so hard to find these books at the bookstores. I have had to resort to using the library, which in itself is a wonderful thing but what about those of us who like to collect a series?
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I would like to comment on the problem you faced recently in the bookstore. I manage a store in one of our local malls. It is next to impossible to keep a copy of every book that someone might come in and ask for. Of course, we are required to keep multiple copies of bestsellers, but we often only have one or two copies of other titles. We can however order almost any book that someone might need and can usually have it in the store in one week. In my experience, the problem of books that look worn seems to come from the fact that many of our customers treat the books as if they were their very own. I know this is a problem in all kinds of stores. There seems to be great lack of concern as to how items in stores are treated. Books are thrown on the floor, crammed back onto the shelf in a haphazard manner, and generally mishandled. I sometimes wish I could give lessons in the proper treatment of merchandise. But for now, I will just bite my tongue and continue rescuing as many books as I can.
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Usually what happens is, I'll find something that looks good, then notice it's the second or third in a series, and the only one of the series in the store.
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Yes, I have quiet a problem finding older books by newly discovered authors. With the independent book stores that specialize in, for instance, mystery or science fiction I found they were more likely to have at least one copy of each book in print by a particular author. With the chains, you're lucky if you can find any more than the most recent hardback and paperback. On the Internet it is pretty easy to find anything in print, only problem delay in delivery and the shipping charges.
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No trouble finding books but some are in sad condition and I pass them up.
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The availability of obtaining special books online is so much easier. The local bookstores simply do not carry certain books. I placed several orders last year with a neighborhood book shop. It usually takes 2 weeks for my order to arrive. They tend to carry the most popular and current books that are on the market. However, if you're interested in an author's early publications, they are hard to come by. After reading The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, I wanted to read all of his books. I was amazed to discover that not one bookstore carried any of his other books.
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I usually buy only hardcover books using gift certificates. If I can't get hardcover, I just wait for the book from the library. Also I buy books for our school library and rarely can find what I want in hardcover. They always have the old standby classics and Newbery winners (in all styles and colors) but publishers and stores are not stocking enough of the new children's books especially in hardcover. The popular series books like Magic Tree House, Bailey Kids, even American Girl fiction -- all just softcover.
I think the reason that books get shopworn is because of the bigger chains' invitation for people to lounge and read. I think people actually read ENTIRE books at the store; thereby not spending any money. Also, people at these bigger places do not handle the books very gently. I see them bending the spines and flattening the books, folding them over, etc. I see this as customer disrespect. Maybe that's why they stores are cutting back on what's out????
The other thing could be that the buyers really don't know what kids want. From some of the staff recommendations I see posted (I'm a children's librarian at a private school) the people at the book stores don't have a clue about what kids are really into! Thanks!
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Sometimes we do have trouble finding books the "superstores" should have on the shelf--or finding a clean copy --- but the biggest problem we have is with the service. The employees just don't know books --- and they don't seem to be learning anything about books either. They jam stuff on the shelves, and don't know the simplest titles. They treat it like just another "product" --- no difference between flipping burgers and shelving books. Yes, there are exceptions --- I used to work for one of the big chains and there were "book people" in my store, but that seems to be the exception more than the rule.
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Very Rarely! I shop at the Tattered Cover in Denver.
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Not only do the stores not have what you want, they are in such terrible shape --- books on the floor, inadequate salespeople, poorly placed displays, unreliable computer information, misfiled books, misfiled stock, in general a real mess --- that I don't want to go in. The Barnes and Noble on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn is an exception. It is a lovely place to be but a trip from home so I don't get there often. I buy most of my books now online. Thanks for your informative newsletter.
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Not very often. I usually find what I'm looking for if I can get past the stacks and stacks of Grishams, Kings, and Pattersons. Occasionally if I'm looking for a brand new release it takes a while for them to get it onto the sales floor but I'm generally satisfied with the bookstores in my area.
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I sometimes do have trouble if it is an older title or if I go to a smaller store.
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This is in response to what Carol wrote about shopping with her son in a bookstore, looking through the children's section for a book to buy for a gift. She mentioned that some of the books were too shop-worn to purchase as gifts and the disappointment in not being able to find what she was looking for. As the former owner of an independent bookstore, I understood exactly what she was talking about --- but, from, perhaps, the opposite perspective.
On a regular basis, we had parents come in with children in tow. As the parents browsed the adult sections of the store, they let their children run loose, without supervision, in the children's section. (One parent regularly came to book group meetings at our store and instructed her children to stay in the children's section and play there until she came to get them an hour later!) You might be amazed at what damage little hands are able to inflict upon the wonderful selection of books we had on our shelves within a short period of time. Book covers were torn, pages wrinkled, corners bent, and food-laden finger prints were left behind. We constantly had to intervene. Pop-up and activity books were the worst, though. Parents would even reach up to grab a pop-up book from the shelves (because they were placed above the child's reach) and hand it to the child. Many times during the day, the children's section had to be rearranged because of children taking books from the shelves and leaving them in piles on the floor or on the little tables. When parents were ready to leave, they came to get their children, leaving the entire mess behind, seemingly oblivious to any damage caused by their young ones. We constantly had to discard expensive books (and remember, we bought them first) and replace them. The children's section was my favorite part of the store, but it was also heartbreaking to watch what so often happened there, purely because parents lacked the social graces (or parenting skills) to make their children (or themselves) accountable for what they had done. The value of a book, for children or adults, is far greater than merely the monetary expense. For those who have experienced the treasures buried within the pages of a beloved book, books will always be regarded with the utmost respect and esteem.
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Yes, I've had trouble too finding books in the bookstore....one reason why I've been known to purchase books on the web.
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I don't usually have a problem between Barnes and Noble and Sam's Club I can usually find my books.
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Yes, I do. The last two runs to the bookstore were to purchase a specific travel book on Paris and to buy a children's book touted in a workshop. Neither was available. Perhaps technology will allow print-by-demand and avail the reader access to titles longer than storage space constraints and publishers now provide.
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Because of the trouble I have had in the past finding books that I want in bookstores or just tired of being ignored when I needed help from a sales person, I now buy all my books online!
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Yes, we also have 3 large chains in our area. There favorite response is "can we order that for you?" No, I want it now. Especially items in your newsletter, NY Times review and USA Today. That is why Amazon.com
is so successful.
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This may be unusual, but I usually do not have any problems finding the books that I want. I also buy books for our lending library and still do not have any problems. If the book is not in, they can usually get me a copy within a couple of days.
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As a student of religions and always interested in learning more about different religions, I find a very limited selection in the New Age/Occult/Witchcraft sections of bookstores and very few selections in public libraries.
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Yes, I have trouble finding books in stock at my local bookstore. So much so that I have opted to now order over the net. I also have had the unpleasant of experience of finding what I want only to not be able to purchase it because it is shop worn. I refuse to pay the purchase price of an item as new when it is, in my opinion, "used." Thank goodness for the net!
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I usually don't have any trouble shopping for what I want and I usually find more! Also if not in stock, Barnes and Noble are great about ordering and usually have the book within a week. As a public school librarian I often use them when I just need a few specific titles. Amazon shipments also come within a few days if a book isn't available in our local stores.
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Yes I have trouble getting the books I want. Many bookstores haven't accepted the print on demand format and will not order a book from one of these types of publishers when asked to. I've had book stores tell me outrageous things about books that are available just so they don't have to do the work of ordering them in. Bookstores need to get with it when it comes to print on demand. There are a lot of quality books written in this publishing style and should be promoted more openly. Thank you.
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No. I frequently have to visit more than one store to find what I want and, even then, I often have to either put my request onto a waiting list, or else just wait until it becomes available locally. Thank the gods for Amazon.com
.
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Absolutely. For example, one of my favorite authors is George Chesbro (author of the "Mongo" series) but I never can find his excellent books in stock. He would be considered parallel to Dean Koontz if he had a bit wider exposure.
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YES. I have terrible trouble finding the books I want in bookstores. I love to read series and often find the most recent one in stock and then when I go to find the older ones they are not there and must be ordered. It is very annoying. Love your newsletter.
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Yes, for some reasons most book stores think romance is dead.
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My future son-in-law has been asking for Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World. We tried to get this book for Tony at Christmas. We were told at a Barnes and Noble in our area that there was no such book. We were, however, able to find 2 other books on his wish list at that store. Tony's birthday is now upon us. My daughter insists there is such a title & she saw it at your store in Baltimore, Md. Please help! We would really like to give this to Tony for his Birthday. We are in Wooster, Oh, 44691. Could you please direct us to the nearest location that we can purchase this book? We thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance.
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It's hard to find good horror novels anymore, thank God for King, Koontz, Saul, Clegg and a few others that are still writing them. I find that when I go to that section in a bookstore there are not many to choose from anymore.
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Finding books I like "in stock" is sometimes a problem. When we had more independent bookstores we had more choices and I miss that. The independent bookstore owners were usually very literate and also very well acquainted with their customers needs. Yes I miss them very much. The big chains, one of which I actually work for, cater to numbers so a lot of literature and poetry is not available. But it can be ordered so that helps. Yes I think mall bookstores especially are only interesting for their emptiness of really good books. I think the Romance genre and the Sci Fi genre are usually well represented in these stores though.
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I often find it difficult to locate books in stock that are not in the mainstream. If I am looking for specific topics or areas of interest, other than bestsellers or recent publications, I may seek an alternative title if it fits the criteria and is a satisfactory substitute. It depends on the size of the store, its physical size, their stockroom, and more importantly the buyer. I can often order a book and have it within a day or so, but if the buyer doesn't select it for inclusion in the stores resources I end up having to acquire it elsewhere. [email protected]
YES. I do have trouble locating the books I want at bookstores because most of the titles that I am constantly looking for are out of print works by several of my favorite writers.
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Yes, sometimes --- when it is out of print, highly specialized, or there is some other reason why it is not in stock/on order. In some cases I have found the book(s) I wanted in a used book sale/store or on the Internet (several sites for this).
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I run into this often enough, especially with a book that's been in print for a while. But now, if it's something specific I am looking for, and not just 'something new and good to read,' I head directly to Amazon.com
. They always have it!
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Yes, I do have trouble finding the books I want in stock. I almost always have to special order them.
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Do I have trouble finding the books I want when I shop bookstores? Yes. But that may just be the fault of the Internet. Before Bookreporter.com
and many another web resource, I was dependent on the print media (a very few really good reviews and journals like The Ruminator Review (formerly Hungry Mind Review). I still follow The Ruminator, but now I have access to reviews from all over the world at my fingertips. I find something published in England or Africa and want to read it, well, if not now at least soon, but it hasn't been released in the U.S.A. I also shop for a whole bevy of children and young adults to whom I am related. I am their book fairy uncle. But too often books which I want to give them are out of print. And even with a handful of good used bookstores to choose from, I still come up empty. The solution? Sometimes gift books happen in these kids lives without a birthday or other commemorative sort of day in sight. When I find the right book for the right kid, I get it and give it.
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Yes, I have difficulty finding book I want in bookstores, but not online.
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I used to find this frustrating, although Borders (where I usually shop) is great about ordering any title you want. However, I also purchase many, many books from Amazon.com
which has found every book I have ever looked for (and more I have stumbled across) which has remedied this problem for me. Books are my addiction!
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.au This is a big problem for me as I live in a small country town and most of the time I can never find what I want on the shelf and in stock. If ordered it usually takes at least three weeks to arrive and the same goes when ordering online.
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If books are not available in the store, I normally go to Barnes and Noble online to order them. In most cases, the books can be found. The two local book stores in my area are Barnes and Noble and Borders. Both are well stocked but if time is not a factor, ordering on line seems to cost a little less...even with shipping charges.
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Bookstores almost never have the books I want it stock. The answer from them is always the same --- we don't have it but we can order it. Thanks but no thanks. I'll order it from Barnes and Noble or Amazon. With those orders, there is no second trip to the pick store to pick up my order, the order is tax free and free shipping. Unfortunately, good "browsing" bookstores seem to be extinct in my area.
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No --- the Chicago area has many fine bookstores and then there is always Amazon Books.
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I rarely have trouble finding new releases at chain stores, but it's another story if the book is a few years old. Some books I like to collect. Some books I'd like to read that I had missed when they were first released or popular. These I can rarely find in bookstores in my area. The few used bookstores are not stocked well, but they do offer some variety.
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Good question --- because I'm hoping that some of the BIGGER CHAINS will read our responses. I am lucky in that I live in an area with quite a few good independent bookstores, which tend to be well stocked. But every now and then --- particularly when I travel --- I'll find myself in a mall store, invariably a chain, and all I can find are current bestsellers and a very, very few perennials (i.e., not even a good backlog of classics: no Trollope, no Sterne, usually one Jane Austen, with a movie-tie-in cover). We wonder about the declining literacy of our population and then we don't give them any real choices.... hmmm.
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I have trouble finding books about hobbies and some of the classics. They never seem to be in stock. [email protected]
Yes, I have trouble finding books in stock. Especially when I discover a "new" author (to me) and I want to read some of their previous works, it is often difficult to locate the older books.
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It often depends on the bookstore and also the kind of book for which I'm shopping. I once looked for months for a book on women's interest before I found it at a Borders. It had just been replaced after being out for a long time.
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Yes, unfortunately, I do have trouble finding the books I am looking for in my local book store. Right now, I am looking for at least four specific books that are not at my local Borders. I hate to order them as my experience there has not always been successful. Sometimes they come in a timely fashion and sometimes I never hear from the store again. For that reason, I have become a big fan of Amazon.com
. The shipping costs kill me, but it usually beats the alternative of having to order the books and having them come in much later than I want. With Amazon, I know they will be at my door in a few days.
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Yes, am presently looking for Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions. It's not in either of the large book stores locally. Also out at the library, in fact over due three weeks.
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Only trouble finding books in a bookstore are older titles that may be out of print --- but the store will try to order for me.
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I buy most of my books online, and thus am not faced with the problem of books not being in stock. In addition you save lots of money that way. I still need a bookstore fix periodically. Nothing is more soothing than to spend an hour or two browsing in a quiet bookstore (quiet, that is, if you avoid weekends). I generally buy a book at the store as sort of payment for the privilege of taking up their space.
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As a general rule, no they don't. Ahh, but they can order it.
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Not unless they are published outside of USA then they have to be special ordered.
