Barnes & Noble

This certainly isn’t the largest Barnes & Noble, but the selection is big enough that you should probably be able to find what you’re looking for. Personally, I like that the store isn’t enormous – it’s much more approachable.
The staff is friendly and helpful, so with their assistance I was able to get in and out with the book I needed in less than 10 minutes. My only complaint is that I wish they had a computer or computers throughout the store so you could look up what section a book is located in on your own (maybe they have one, I just didn’t see it). Oh, and the parking lot is a cluster. But nothing they can do about that.

Pleasantly surprised to walk and be almost immediately asked if I needed assistance finding a book (which I did.) I found everything I needed in stock and was quickly and efficiently checked out.

Modern large-​scale bookstores scare me. Too many of the sections are are bigger and far more stocked than I believe they have any right to be. The test-​prep section for example. What does it say about our society that the number of books devoted to helping individuals perform better on standardized testing of all sorts is one of the largest single categories in B&N?
Anyway, I don’t judge the store for my societal views on this occasion. They sell what they must. Barnes & Noble is the only physical bookstore we have left that has a national presence. I support literacy, thus I support B&N.
My local Carmel Mountain store is smaller than some, but that’s okay by me. Usually the larger stores just devote that extra space to selling «Nook» accessories anyway. The usual bookflies can be found here, heads down and buried in their latest reads. I find their presence comforting, a sign that we’re not a completely hopeless and illiterate nation yet.
The employees I encountered on my latest visit were exceptional. I was offered assistance without feeling pestered. I was also given excellent advice about a purchase for my niece. I admit I found it rather difficult to find an appropriate book for a 12 year old girl: a demographic about as removed from me as there is. Becky, the cashier at the time, confirmed that, against all odds, I had managed to stumble upon a fine and age-​appropriate choice for my niece. She also convinced me that the purchase might be worth a read for myself before I wrap and ship it off. I very much appreciated her help.
Thanks Becky and B&N Carmel Mountain.
Happy reading!
–Justin

Staff are not very kid-​friendly, so if you have the choice, go to another location. I will definitely go to the Mira Mesa store next time — they have a much wider selection of books and stationery, great kid reading section, AND the staff are much nicer!

As a teacher and a parent-​I am never going back to this store due to the poor customer service. Browsing thru the carts of Bernstein Bears, Curious George etc books, I was told I was a fire hazard and to read at tables instead. Fine, so I carried my piles of books to a table to review. Went to get other books, only to find a guy took away my piles of books I wanted to buy. When I went to tell him he took away my books, his snarky response was, «you’re going to get the whole pile?» When I went to tell the manager about the crappy customer service-​i was given a lecture about my language, followed by a «what do you want me to do?» comment. So essentially no responsibility for their rude piss poor behavior. I had a basket of stuff I wanted and was browsing for more. No wonder Barnes and Noble is going in the way of the Dodo birds. Good time I have Amazon Prime-​my mistake. Cheaper too. I have another 20 plus years of teaching and thats their loss. To think in the 90’s, I job-​coached so many people with disabilities with Barnes and Noble, had respect for them and was a customer all those years.

We love Barnes & Noble. They may be more expensive than Amazon (our other primary place for books) but they have a great selection in stores. Also, my daughter LOVES their collection of manga books. Great place to hang out and browse!

I like the feel of this store. Roomy but smaller than the Encinitas store. So many books and helpful staff. They have a decent size kids section and have all the latest books. If you need something they don’t have they will look it up and have it sent or you can pick it up at another location.

I love this place. Great staff also. I believe in old school books still for my kids. I love taking them here to look for books.
They have great prices and sales. They also have a great kids club for free to earn points for books.
They have monthly themes. Next month is Star Wars so make sure you check out their scheduled events. Always fun for kids

I love a good bookstore, and this is one of them. They do a great job and I like all the options of finding gifts in the store for last minute items. Their magazine rack is great, too. Great location and it’s always clean and I feel the staff is very helpful.

I was in the Carmel Mountain Barnes and Noble in San Diego on the evening of February 12. I had an unfortunate encounter with store employee Cari. I had a simple question but Cari treated me with such disrespect and rudeness that I have never encountered before by a BN employee. She did not seem interested in helping me and at one point rolled her eyes. She was brash and utterly tactless. I am well aware that as a company, BN is not doing well. Store are closing and the company will most likely be gone in the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I urge you to take disciplinary action with Cari. Perhaps she needs to review customer service guidelines. Her attitude certainly needs readjusting as she is NOT a model employee for others to look to.

I would have given this store 5 stars for the great customer service I usually I get except for the horrible customer service I received yesterday by one of the employees. My 2 year old and I were in the kid section looking at those car books that have wheels, and of course being 2 he took them off the shelf. Not like I was gonna leave them there or anything, we were looking at them. I was reading one to him and the employee literally started putting them all back hurriedly and said «maam this is a hazard you need to keep these on the shelf. I said «but we are looking at them». He said «well you need to keep them on the shelf. I was puzzled. I’m sure he’s sick of picking them up of course, having been a bookseller at Borders for years I can understand. But wait until the customer is finished looking at the books before you put them away.
If you want customers to buy kids books, the kids have to want them. and if books are a «hazard», don’t put them on the bottom shelf for the target age group to take them off the shelf. And never ever ever SCOLD a customer.

I absolutely love this store. Sure, it’d be better if it had a coffee place inside, but there’s one right across the street anyway. The customer service is spectacular!

They have a great variety of books
a little pricey but completely worth it!

Great location and very friendly staff but parking is a NIGHTMARE! This complex is always busy so do yourself a favor and just go park near Boston Market and make the walk. You will save yourself time and frustration.

Book stores are far and few between these days. Smaller than Mira Mesa and Escondido, it does have a nice selection. I have found books here not carried at either of their larger locations. Staff is very friendly. Parking is tight so it is better to park farther away and walk. No coffee shop in the store but there is one in the strip mall.

While this is a smaller store than the one on Mira Mesa, I like this store because it’s easy to find what you’re looking for quickly, the staff seem like they aren’t ever too busy to help, and it’s close to where we live.

Smaller selection than most other stores, but it’s a good location.

Most of us book lovers still miss the old Borders. You could spend hours drinking your latte while browsing a dozen or more of foreign magazines (that is why I got hooked to this type of bookstores where you can go, do not even consume anything and read for hours… well, I guess that is also why Borders failed!). The only one left in this area is Barnes & Noble. It would be nice if they had a coffee shop inside, like the one in Mira Mesa, or if there were more available chairs to sit and the layout of the store was more welcoming. Still, it is a pleasant place to go and browse the latest books, and to get fashion and craft magazines, even though the repertoire of international mags is not very wide, mainly UK stuff.

Welp! There be no Borders bookstore anymore. There’s just B&N in da neighborhood.
So, you’re stuck with this one unless you’re willing to drive a extra 8 miles to the other bookstore.
I hate that damned parking lot. Might as well park farther away and walk to the store than compete with some asshole driver for a cramped parking space.
We like sitting down and reading a book or mag. Once inside, things seems pretty calm. Still, we don’t do that too often now that there are e-​books. We be paperless and kicking it in the comfort of our own homes or out in the park.
You want your kids to read a lot of books? What’s wrong with checking out some books from the public library? When the library’s closed, you then can stay home and read the library to your little kids. I think that’s a wonderful idea. Just wonderful! All the other bookstore customers who want peace and quiet would like that too.

I love books. This bookstore is HUGE.
The selection is fantastic, you could almost browse for the whole day.
The staff are friendly, the place is clean, there is plenty of parking.
I give it 4 stars as some of the books are expensive and some books difficult to locate!