Borders

It’s so sad to see Borders going out of Business…
So sad :(

Going out of business sale. I came in and got a few gifts to put away for Christmas along with a Williams Sonoma cookbook that I’ve had my eye on for a while now. Lines are cray cray, employees don’t give a shit anymore, but can you really blame them? Come in for a bargain, but think of this place as the Ross of bookstores for now.

since borders is going out of business. i came by for their sale.
it really wasn’t much of a sale. 10% off on the good sh*t. really. that’s tax homie.
anyways. i can’t complain too much because i’ve usually found what i’m looking for.
normally my search would start at the used book store. then eventually here.
it’s not that some of the titles were rare. they were just ones that were temporarily out of stock.
you’d be surprised. how fast the little prince will sell out.
i even got a book $ 5 cheaper than b&n. granted it wasn’t the same publishing company. but really. who cares.
it’s like dating identical twin sisters. where one wants you to take her to dinner. and the other just wants you to show up at 3am. what you want out of it is the same. just one a little cheaper.
for me. the best thing about this sale was the wimmins.
oh mah goodness. hot wimmins everywhere. in packs. it was ridiculous.
who knew that reading was sexy.
my theory is. they may have only been there because it was a sale.
if there were a sale on aglets. the wimmins would be there. doing the damn thing.
truly. i understand.
how wimmins can’t resist a sale. no matter what is being sold.
seriously. read. wimmins dig that sh*t.

RIP :(
I will miss Seattle’s Best especially!

I love Borders or any bookstore for that matter. It’s my heaven, the little place where i can indulge in books and not feel like a complete nerd for i am surrounded by several people who love to read. That’s why we are all here aren’t we?
Borders has it’s pros and cons
Pros: It has a wide variety and selection of books that satisfy even the most selective people. It has a wonderful staff. if you can find them… who are willing to help and find the books you are desperately searching for.
They offer free wifi and a small lounge area with couches and tables so you can be comfortable while reading a great book or sipping on that nice warm coffee they offer at their little coffee shop located inside the store.
The have chairs and comfy sofas located around the whole store
The restrooms are keep clean for the most part
There are always bargains on books both outside for display and inside as well.
They have a great music and dvd section and several other great stuff that you can buy,
Cons:
It’s kinda hard to tell what people are the ones who work here. since they don’t have a specific attire. The only thing separating them from everyone else, are the ID tags they have dangling from their necks and if you are walking around searching for someone who works here, it gets quite hard especially if their backs are facing you.
The little lounge they have gets really cold. It feels like i have to bring my blankets with me just to be warm, but that would get me many strange looks from many. But i guess it’s the way they get you to buy something from their coffee shop. When your hands are freezing, you need something warm in your hands and oh look the coffee shop is conveniently located in front of you, teasing your nostrils with the many delicious smells. So you are lured and kinda forced to buy something.
Also there aren’t many connections on the walls surrounding the lounge. So it’s a first come first serve kind of deal. You gotta get here and make you sure get the spot next to the connection or wait and lurk around until someone leaves that is located near the connection. Unless you have a battery life that last for a long time then you are good to go.
And the kids… oh man as much as i love them, they can be so loud and has everyone giving the parents some scolding looks to shut their kids up.
Borders has its good and bad and i’m still coming here no matter what, but some improvements can be made =)

Super disorganized. It’s a good thing they have a lady there who knew exactly which book I was asking for and where it was located.
I got a green tea latte from their coffee shop. It was really weak. I felt like I was drinking soy milk with hint of green tea.

I like borders. The cashiers are always friendly and the people at Seattles Best are always friendly. However… I never get any service on the floor. I have been there probably 10 – 20 times since moving out here 7 months ago and all I can say is the cashiers are great!
Today Bruce was my cashier. He was friendly and kind. He reminded me about my borders bucks available. He also asked if I found everything and if anyone helped me. He was awesome =)

Typical Borders Books. Large store. Good selection. Friendly staff. They had everything I wanted. Can’t complain.

I love Borders! Spent an hour and a half wandering the isles… there’s just so much to look at.
The staff is really helpful as well.

Alright so I went back to Borders today and I wanted to add a couple things that I don’t think I said in my old review. This place has an awesome selection of books. It’s probably one of largest selections of books any bookstore in San Diego has. Bookwise this place gets five stars.
Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I love going into a bookstore to do homework. You think this location would have more than one electric outlet, but it doesn’t. Or at least not in the café… If looking for a place to study, I would get here fast before rush hour or find another location to plug in your laptop.
Four stars because of their large selection of books. That’s what a bookstore is for, right?

Because my husband and I are pitiful joyless marrieds, we more often than not end our date night here. Mostly because we’re too lazy and sober to hit any bars.
They often have live music going on, their drinks are even more convoluted than normal (like a dozen ways to have hot chocolate with caramel, dark or milk, whip or not, yadda yadda), and they also have more stuff than books. For example, they have super cute wrapping paper for $ 2 and various themed trinkets for the seasons, like flocked Easter bunnies.
Bargain books are also marked down really low and have a pretty wide selection, which makes me absolutely cringe as a writer but rejoice as a still-​poor-​non-​famous writer.

I love bookstores.
I love this particular one because they have a large selection and very rarely do I leave without buying at least one book. Great outside racks of bargain books! It’s like shopping before you even get into the store itself.
Also, they’re open late, and they have coffee. And parking. And a good location with other popular stores. I’m much more inclined to go to this location rather than downtown because of all of those things.

When I need a certain book right away, Borders is the place I go. This happens almost every week, because I am an avid book reader and also need instant gratification to stay sane. This particular Borders is perfect for that.
Only a handful of times did they not have what I wanted, but the workers were helpful by showing me how to order it online.
Plenty of parking, but they share their lot with a ton of other stores, so on weekends it can be a tight squeeze. The lines can also become slow moving to the point where you literally have to refrain from screaming (but remember, this girl needs instant gratification to stay sane). Also, I wish they had more bargain books, or at least a better selection of them.
I recommend signing up for the rewards program because you get coupons all the time, and if you are a frequent book buyer like me, you end up saving a lot of dough.
Being a book fanatic, I do whatever I can to encourage reading in others, therefore I am overjoyed that Borders partners up with certain charities from time to time to do book drives. You can purchase a book of your choosing at checkout to donate to children in need of books! Awesome! Good job Borders, good job.

It was better in its early days, before what seemed like a decline in quality or profits or whatever from the entire chain. The music section is now more condensed than it was before. Shoot, I remember when you could actually sample the music from various listening stations spread around the music section. They no longer have much of that. This store does have an impressive literature section and most times, it has a that feel of a café with a bookstore attached.
I will say that there aren’t many negatives. The area and mall surrounding the store isn’t easily accessible, has much vehicular traffic, and the parking spaces in the lot are often quite tiny and filled to the brim with shoppers from both the store and the Old Navy next to it. I remember one particular instance where this guy was out in the parking lot hocking his new CDs. He caught me because he noticed that I was carrying money and intent on heading into the store so he basically suckered me into buying his CD. Thankfully, that doesn’t occur anymore. I always thought the bargain books outside the store were a bit of an odd placement for books and bookshelves. What happens when it rains?

This was my first time checking out this Borders location — I had an online coupon for 33% off almost any purchase, and seeing how it was closer to my office than the one near my place, I decided to go here to pick up a copy of Sam Zien (Sam the Cooking Guy)‘s new cookbook for his signing next Wednesday.
While the place was huge, apparently there was a book signing going on, as the front lobby was bustling. (It was for some exercise guru, I believe. EDIT — it was for Jorge Cruise; I recognized him from channel surfing.) I took some time to look around, and was surprised that the prices at Borders are a bit more expensive than Barnes and Noble. I had called ahead to get my book reserved, and it was ready for me at the counter. However — no offense, Hula — the purple haired granny that rang up my order was a bit kooky (she is energetic, I will admit). I was impressed that the lines went fast, though, and I’ll concede that getting the Borders Book Club card for free was nice (as opposed to B&N’s, which you have to shell out for).
My main gripe is the parking — or lack of it. I always thought that the parking in the Mira Mesa Marketplace area was bad, but out there is much worse. Even parking further away from the Borders location is close to nonexistent.
If I do need to go to Borders, next time I’ll head out to the Downtown or Carmel Valley locations.

WOMAN WITH THE PURPLE HAIR– IT’S NOT THE NAME OF A BOOK, IT’S AN ACTUAL PERSON!
And she rocks! She is an employee at the Mission Valley Borders and it seems like every time I go in to the store, I end up with her as my cashier and she brightens up my day! Why you ask? She is just a very positive person and you very rarely run into those people nowadays. Granted, she is a bit older and has bright purple hair which throws you off a bit but if you are lucky to have her check you out, you will leave her with a smile cause she is just «one of those» people.
Now to talk about the book store itself! It is HUGE and has computers everywhere to help you find the book you need and it also is very clean and organized! That’s surprising to me cause you know people grab books and move them around everywhere! I always look forward to coming to this Borders and the lines go really quickly which I have been to other book stores and the lines take forever but not here!
Thanks purple haired lady for helping me out and making me smile!

This is one of the better Borders I’ve stepped inside. Yes, despite my current employer (a certain other monopoly of the literary persuasion), I still indulge in trips to various other bookstores with my roommate. Despite that, I’ve felt this way about Borders before I ever became a bookstore employee. Sadly, this chain as a whole just gives me bad vibes, and for legitimate reasons.
Any time I go to a Borders, I have to seek out the staff. I don’t know where they hide, but it is certainly not at their customer information desk. I understand that staffing is problematic for a lot of businesses. However, if it is such a problem that a store is severely understaffed at critical hours of the day, then the business needs to put some of its chips elsewhere, like investing in good training for those employees that are available.
Borders is no longer at a point where they can thrive on their stock or size alone anymore. Though this store has a good selection in comparison to others. Speaking of selection, why was their music section almost completely barren? Granted, I am an avid mp3/​iPod user. However, any section of the store that looks like it’s been ransacked is a big turn off. I’ve had too many negative or lackluster experiences with this chain to really care one way or the other though.
I would like to see Borders give itself a face lift. Like, an aura cleansing or sorts. I always feel down when I walk into their stores. Maybe some feng shui? I wish I liked this chain more.

Borders rules over B&N. Especially if you are a member, and they email you coupons every month, which are never less than 20 percent off. Sometimes the box sets are really cheap which is a plus too.
Ordering books that arent in stock are pretty quick too. Had to order one for a Christmas present, and it got to the store in two days, and they called me to let me know.
This borders, is probably my favorite, out of all. I hate the set up of the downtown store, or spending more time searching for parking.
The magazine section could be better though, sometimes they don’t have the ones I’m looking for.

*Terrific* dumpster offers cardboard boxes, *free*, to meet most of your moving needs. Boxes are the right size for lifting, so you won’t hurt your back. Really good size for, say, books.
Said dumpster is behind the store. Dumpster does NOT smell like pee (or it didn’t when reviewed), so it might also do in a pinch if you’re between living situations.
They sell books here too. (Not in dumpster.)

This is a pretty sweet Borders location. Read, it’s quite spacious and they have a very good selection of books, music, and DVDs. You can also peruse through their 8 aisles of stocked periodicals which you can read for free if you simply buy a coffee and plop yourself down at a table. Think of it… you can be paging through $ 40 haute couture magazines, architectural digest, or even Guns & Ammo if that’s where you get your kicks… all the while sipping on a nice foamy latte.
Well, I don’t read Guns & Ammo and I personally have never shot or wanted to shoot a gun. That said, there’s plenty of intellectual armature here to add to your bibliographical arsenal: Philosophy by Kierkegaard, Semiotics by Barthes, Fiction by Kundera & Robbins, and Poetry by Llorca & Ginsberg. Add to that a good selection of movies and music and you have, in my book, a winning formula for a kickass store!
I just don’t like that they are so overpriced… especially compared to places like Amazon. Still, if I want instant gratification, this is the place I shop when I’m itching for books in the 619.