Barnes & Noble or Borders?

[The Book Cave]

I love the decor of B&N, but the employees @ Borders are much more knowledgeable. The ambience of Borders reminds me of vacationing @ the shore. B&N's vibe is like attending a lecture.
I prefer book buying where the employees actually crack open a book. *Little pet peeve*
It drives me mad... mad, I tell ya : o to talk books to an employee & see their eyes glaze over. Hello? Hello, you there? Oh, go get a shot of caffeine & get back to me, fool.

Independent booksellers need our help. They are the true unsung book/author heroes.

[L J Edwards]

I must share a story here, one that I tell and nobody believes me, but my Sister was with me, and I promise this happened. We were in the newly refurbished Books-A-Million. First time since they reorganized the place. We were looking for a few books from a list for a neighbors young teenage son (required school reading) We were not familiar with the new layout (Did not find it in fiction) so we went to the information desk. A young man/boy/child (maybe 21 years old) was at the desk. I asked for the "literature or classics" section. He looked at me dazed and confused. I said "You know like Shakespeare" still no answer I said "Where would I find Shakespeare?" He didn't have an answer so he moved over to the computer and I realized he was going to look it up. His fingers paused over the keyboard and he looked at me with a puzzled look and I said "Shakespeare?" and he said (I swear this is what he said) "Is that the first name or the last name" OK I don't think I need to say more.... After some discussion he confessed he had in fact heard of Shakespeare but wasn't sure if that was the "dude's" first or last name....

Now back to question at hand... LOL

I have 2 of each within very close proximity to my home. I go to both of them often and ultimatly prefer the B&N. But it honestly depends on what I'm shopping for. Borders is getting rid of their DVD's and CD section thank goodness because it was always pretty bad in my opinon (I've loaded up on the 50% off sale in the last few weeks though) so if along with books I planned to pick up a CD or DVD I will always head to B&N.

The B&N in my area is always much more organized and the staff seem to be more knowledgable. As far as the extras, I prefer the B&N coffee (or starbucks) to the Borders coffee shop, and I like the B&N journal/stationary section better than Borders.

I just like many posters here love all bookstores and will never shy away from one...LOL

[Susan Kelley]

I prefer independent bookstores though there aren't many of those left. I think B&N has more books but Borders is quieter and less crowded in my part of the world. I think it's because there are two Borders within 10 miles of each other and only one B&N.
The coffee shops for both are filled with college students with their text books and computers spread out all over the table. It's tough to even get a seat.
I do agree that the Borders employees seem more knowledgeable, but neither of the big stores get a good grade for friendliness. I try to support the indies when I'm near them.

[Dusty]

I live too far away from both (ever heard the term "BFE"?, well it's real and I live there) so I never go...I do online ordering...I'm afraid I contribute to the demise of the indie book stores...

[BarbaraZ]

Our Borders and B&N are equal in many respects. So, it is the coupon or special that gets me into one or the other. We lost our last independent so long ago. It was really special too.

[Charlotte Garnatz]

love the decor of B&N, but the employees @ Borders are much more knowledgeable. The ambience of Borders reminds me of vacationing @ the shore. B&N's vibe is like attending a lecture.
I prefer book buying where the employees actually crack open a book. *Little pet peeve*

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That is a sweeping generalization, don't you think? As a B&N employee, the response I have for customers who chastise me for not being familiar with the exact book they are looking for is "Well, unfortunately, I can't read them all".

We have 78 employees on staff. Some of them are avid readers in specific genre's, others only have time for textbooks right now, & others read a little bit of everything & follow book blogs, Shelf Awareness, & other websites so they can stay current on the industry. But then again, I have no life.

I assure you, most booksellers are NOT working at a bookstore, any bookstore, with the hopes of getting rich. They are there because they love books.

[Patricia Ramirez]

I have to agree with you. Any store's staffing is going to be a reflection of the people doing the hiring and not the company itself. I love the employees at my local Barnes and Noble, and I have never had a situation in which I have needed assistance and somebody hasn't been able to help me in a satisfactory manner. I don't expect every employee to know everything about every book -- but inevitably someone does.

But hey, what is more fun than browsing shelf after shelf yourself, anyway? Seriously, that is the best part of physically going to the bookstore. If I know what I want, I generally just order it on Amazon or Ebay. But where's the fun in that?

[Sharazad Moore]

I love both. I could sit in Barnes and Noble forever. Borders has better sales though. As for Independent bookstores, I have a used book fetish. So I love small secondhand book stores.

[Ignacio]

I do go to both but 9 times out of 10 I'll end up going to Borders even though it's slightly further away from me. Both stores have friendly employees but Borders seems, to me anyways, to have a more laid-back and cozier environment. By the way, I like the decor at Borders better!

As far as prices and book purchases go, I tend to do most, if not all, my purchases at amazon.com (hard to beat the price) and will go to Borders whenever they have good sales. Barnes and Noble are, a lot of times, a bit more expensive.

[Patricia Ramirez]

I am a B&N girl, all the way. The one in my town is actually staffed by people who know what they are doing, and that helps. I love walking into their vestibule and getting hit with the smell of books and coffee. Seriously, is there anything better?

Funny thing, we recently got a Borders in town, and it is in a much more affluent locale. The clientele and staff almost feel like they are trying to one-up one another as far as book-snobbishness goes. Not the most leisurely of places to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, we don't have many independent booksellers locally. Not for new books, anyway.