Amazon Books

Amazon Books

Opened October 25, 2016

I couldn’t wait to visit this store.

Now, I also support my local bookstore, Powell’s & other independent booksellers because I’m a responsible reader & consumer. The truth is that I do have a soft spot for Amazon books. They saved me when I was living in rural Texas with no access to a great bookstore.

The first thing I love about this store is that the books on the shelf are the same price as listed on Amazon at that current time. What that means though, is the reader will need to check or scan the product to find the price at the moment of checkout. This is my big hang-up at Barnes & Noble is finding a great book on the shelf & looking online at B&N to find it’s way cheaper.

The second thing I love is that the books are all forward facing. This makes browsing so much easier. I’m ashamed to admit that I initially judge a book by its cover, so this really appeals to me. The only negative to this is there isn’t as much shelf space, so the store only selects the books they think will sell quickly.

The third thing I love is the tag has the Amazon customer average rating easily displayed. When I’m book browsing, I’ve always got my Goodreads app or Amazon window open to read reviews, so this display saves me a crucial step in my book buying process. They had a local bookshelf with books that are popular in Portland, Oregon. There was also a bookseller’s recommendation wall & a local writer’s shelf.

They’ve got all the e-readers, Kindles, Echo & the rest on display with a crew similar to the Apple store to answer your questions. They are displayed well, with review tags & charts to help the reader find which device would work best for his/her need.

Lastly, the checkout process was interesting. If you’ve got an Amazon account, you use your app to buy the books & it’s like making a web purchase but in person. Of course, this makes returns easy, but who returns books?

THE VERDICT

Overall, I really enjoyed this book buying experience, even on a busy Saturday afternoon. This is only the third Amazon Books in the US with the fourth set to open near Boston. Where is your favorite bookstore & do you prefer online or in-store purchasing?

Check out our trip to The American Girl Store at Washington Square Mall.