Chapters

RIP Chapters Ste. Catherine.
Went today for their true closing liquidation sale. 50% off everything before they close by Oct. 1. No semblance of any sections left. Only cashiers and security working. No one on the floor. It is mayhem. Only go to the sale if you’re patient and understand that you won’t find anything you came for. If you buy something, it’ll only be because you happened upon it.
If you’re looking for any book to read, and don’t like libraries, then you might find something here. Otherwise, just spend the extra $ 15 and buy your new book from a location that actually has some sense of organization.
I don’t blame them — the current situation makes sense, but my 2 stars is a warning against wasting time. The store is a mess.

I’ve been going here for years and its great. There aren’t that many places for you to sit and read, but there aren’t usually that many people around so you can find a seat somewhere.
This place is going to be shutting down after being opened for over 30 years and I’m really sad to see it go. Theres lots of inexpensive calendar journal planner thingys. They also have a great section of young adult fiction, languages, recipe books (lots of vegan stuff!), self help, how to’s and much more.
Please go before it closes!

Great selection of Kate Spade stationary and decorations. I love that they sell both books and housewares — there’s something for everyone.
They also have a huge room filled with every magazine imaginable. The prices are comparable to B&N in the states.

When I moved to montreal from the UK, the first kind of bragging I heard was about Chapters being the only conclusive English bookstore in town! Fine that sounded promising
Now days have passed and I go to this bookstore weekly looking for novels, books, stationary and every time I encounter the following:
A– me approaching a sales rep to ask for orientation and all I hear while wishing as quickly as possible from my sight «this is not my floor» !!
B– when I can finally ‘track down’ someone who works on the floor and ask in clear English about a certain thing –the respond I don’t understand! They are mono lingual !! French
C– and the point is by far the worst of the three, the long queue waiting to pay and only one cash register is operating!!! I mean you can see other ‘senior/​managers’ pretending to be busy sorting mail etc but for the sake of business someone move and make me pay !!! Not only that the person in cash will start chatting to the clients about rubbish pretending not to see the ever long line full of miserable people begging to pay!
Chapters Montréal is poor in content in terms of publications and poor in customer service

The cousin to the US’ Barnes and Nobles or now-​defunct Borders, this is a cozy three-​level bookstore in the heart of Rue Saint-​Catherine in Montréal’s shopping district. This is the great place to duck away and read a book or magazine on the top floor where there is a Starbucks. The seating area at the Starbucks has windows with views that overlook the busy Saint-​Catherine street. This is the perfect place to just sit down somewhere and reflect while intimately looking out to the beautiful city of Montréal. The selection of books and magazines in this store is quite good. It’s interesting in that you’ll notice the Time magazine covers are different from their US counterparts (a practice that is true for every other foreign country). The staff is also helpful. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the bathrooms which are cramped and not the cleanest.
As for the Starbucks, they often have samples for free on display. I highly recommend this bookstore.

I love Chapters. In the early days, BA (before Amazon), it was the place I almost always bought new books and I enjoyed being able to sit back, read a bit of what I was buying into.
Of course, Chapters has changed a lot since then. They removed most of the comfy chairs, you can no longer bring a book into the coffee shop area, and in general, it has become a less friendly place. If I end up at Chapters these days, it is because I’m meeting someone and the coffee shop on the second floor allows me to gaze out and witness their arrival. It’s also a great place to watch the Santa Claus parade, provided you get there early enough to scoop up a window seat.
Recently, I had ordered a sewing book through ChaptersIndigo online, I rarely do this, but I had an offer for a disgustingly large amount of Airmiles and went for it. Anyhow, the book was actually a magazine, and definitely not what I was thinking when I ordered it. If I returned it, I would not get my miles, but if I managed to trade it in store, I could retain my credits. Anyhow, I explained this to the cashier and he willingly gave me a full refund, even without my receipt!
I said, that’s very nice of you, you didn’t have to do that, he replied that if I walk away happy, that was the most important thing… how sweet is that?!

I still remember when this used to be Coles and I loved coming here back then. Books were much better organized, they made the distinction between ‘Literature” (like Milan Kundera for instance) and «Fiction» (like Judith Krantz). Now they just slop in all together side by side. Not cool.
While it’s present incarnation as Chapters is nowhere near as charming as the old Coles, I still prefer coming here over Indigo, even if it is basically the same company. Indigo always seems a bit impersonal and generic while this old location, you can still go hide in the basement and be left alone while going over books before deciding which one you really want.
I guess my luck is a bit better than other reviewers because while it true, it can be difficult to flag down a salesperson for help, I’ve never really had a problem getting help in a polite way once I asked for it.

I have to agree with what someone else wrote about this particular Chapters — the staff’s job here often seems to be NOT to help you. While chasing after employees here can be an amusing game at times, it’s also just really silly of them to avoid me when I need help. For example, I’ll ask an employee a question and they will answer it, but two minutes later if they see me walking towards them to ask another question they will pretend they didn’t see me and suddenly speed-​walk in the opposite direction. This will go on even when I follow them to wherever they went (where they will inexplicably be standing over a box doing absolutely nothing, or checking their iPhone). Sometimes I have to ask a new employee and fill them in on what I want all over again.
On the plus side, there is a pretty good chance you will find what you are looking for here, book-​wise. And if you don’t, you will certainly find a suitable substitute. At least, that’s been the case for me. Also, if you need to pee at any point while in this neighbourhood, just come here. I really encourage it. I like to think that if they’re going to be weird about their service to customers, they can at least act as a willing receptacle for one’s urine.
And if you need any reading material while in the bathroom, well, you are in a bookstore.

I love coming to chapters, you can smell the fresh new books from outside. Its an amazing quiet place to read, and relax with a Starbucks coffee inside. Millions of books to choose from setup on multiple floors. The store is clean, and neatly organized.
The staff not always friendly trying to get recommendations.

This bookstore is the reason why every day I buy books more from Amazon than real bookstores. The salespeople here (most of the students in their early 20’s) seem to be trained NOT to help people but rather look the other way and ignore customers when we need some information… if I cannot get help for the salespeople then they do not deserve my money.
I’ll leave it at that

Probably the best bookstore in Montréal — and for that matter in Canada. Very similar in format to the B&N bookstore chain on the southern side of the 45^th parallel — including the obligatory Starbucks within.
They have most any book you can possibly want, along with videos, music, etc. Great place to run into to grab a book for yourself or something for the kids to read before a long trip.
While I don’t think it is quite as organized as B&N — or as warm and inviting as some of the B&N’s can tend to be, this can also work to Chapters advantage as well as not to keep people there all day sitting reading one particular book — that is just my opinion though.