I worked at a Barnes and Noble during this whole redesign of the store and hated it. Going through the store I would hit dead ends and when finally able to make it out of the area I was in, I felt like I needed a piece of cheese to celebrate. Nothing makes since. It’s a maze. And there is no way there will be accurate stock at any of the stores because it seems like genres are misplaced. Be nice to the workers because they had no say in this.
Oh joy, they're doing that BS "if we make people hunt for the thing they want, they'll see all these other things and buy more!" BS that Sears was pushing the short while I worked there. Because someone who's just popping in to check for one thing has time for that crap and the thing I want to feel while trying to find a book is *trapped in a maze and unsafe*
Speaking of Barnes and Noble changes, they got rid of the educator discount. If you were a teacher you used to get a certain percent off books to help teachers afford to buy books for their classroom. That’s now gone. That was the only thing that got me to go to B&N.
That is so messed up :(( they should be supporting teachers, I just reread a book that I read in school this week and wouldn’t have picked it up if I didn’t have such a great English teacher. I hope B&N brings the discount back
@Cue The Trumpets yeah my mom was just informed this weekend about the dissolved teacher membership and they gave her a year free of their premium membership
you can still get the educator discount you just have to set up an order through this 3rd party site, it's the same 20% discount. I think they took it away cause educators were using it for personal use rather than for their classrooms
Hearing about the changes to the kids sections make me a little sad, I remember going to these huge bookstores when I was young and being absolutely ecstatic over the fact that they had seating areas where I could just read in peace surrounded by a seemingly infinite number of children's books. Stocking less books, giving no seating space, and transforming entire sections into toy stores doesn't sound like it'll inspire much love for reading in the next generations 😬
It also means they're essentially opting out of the market of younger adults who have small kids because they can't trust that there's anywhere to sit their kids while they're looking for books for themselves. It's a really bad strategy all the way around.
I used to love taking my kids to the Borders and B&N because there was always fun places to sit and play and read. My youngest has totally missed out on this. It's just sparse now. What a loss!
exactly!! im so heartbroken. a lot of my favorite memories were made there; reading with my mom, doing the scheduled group reads, and making friends at the play area with thomas the train :( its not the same anymore 💔
I’m going to be the annoying librarian in the comments and remind everyone that libraries are an excellent alternative to buying books if you’re not worried about reading something right away. Just a reminder that capitalism influences us to want things NOW and I get if that’s important to you, but please consider libraries. Most of the time they are free to join, have hold lists, and fun programs that are free as well. There are also library systems that allow you to make an online account regardless of where you live, so check that out too if you prefer audio books or ebooks :) Happy reading!
Libraries also consider their disabled patrons when doing redesigns as they try to make information access accessible to all. Unlike every other store barely following the ADA lmao
Has anyone else noticed that every store is taking out chairs. It’s so stressful! I just wanna sit for a few minutes gather myself eat a snack and plan my next move. I’m so grumpy about it.
I worked at an Athleta (which only sells women’s and girls athletic wear) and we would get grown ass men coming into the store with wives and girlfriends, who would literally sit on our low level display table as if they were chairs. And i wanted to scream, because like nobody wants your dirty butt all over the clothes dude! Like seriously
I was okay with getting rid of the comfy chairs. The number of times I had to pick up 30 or 40 magazines that somebody spent four hours reading and then not buying and then just left in the chair... Also people spilled food from the cafe and they were turning into fabric Petri dishes.. gross.
I used to love to hang out in my local bookstores, and they slowly started disappearing until it was just my friends and I sitting in B&N to hang out and read, talk, and enjoy each others company. Now, when I go into my local B&N, it feels more like a gimmick store with toys, merch, food, etc. I seriously have to look hard to find books, which is something you should never have to do in a bookstore.
They forgot that booktok it’s all about aesthetics too. If you do an ugly remodeling, people will stop going there. It’s all about the experience, the Instagram photos and then the books.
The fact that 90% of the nonfiction books are gone is what I hate the worst. The arts and crafts section used to be at least 5 entire bookcases and now it's 3 shelves. At the same time, the Christian book section has grown amazingly. It makes no sense to me at all. I used to have a membership and now I just buy all my books from Amazon.
I'm pretty sure I am the one person that is keeping the non fiction section alive at my store. The psychology section has turned into self help. And they just decided to hide the rest of the science and nature sections in the back.
The sections depend on what sells at the store. At my store the manga section has almost tripled in the few years I've been, whereas the reference has shrunk, one sells the other doesn't.
Yes, I was also a victim of the B&N remodel in real time. One day I’m quietly munching on my lunch at the cafe and next I’m answering riddles in a labyrinth to find the bathroom.
How does B&N not understand their demographic? It’s majority book nerds who don’t want unnecessary human contact and would rather browse in a safe and quiet aisle versus an open concept design. I remember going before the redesign and never making eye contact with anyone lol. Now all B&N is selling is book tok recommendations especially in the YA section where as I used to be able to discover books I’ve never heard of. It’s definitely frustrating but has prompted me to find local independent book shops in my neighborhood with the same vibe old B&N once had.
i used to be a library worker, and one of the things that really made me unhappy was the changes that were being pushed through to make our libraries more like retail stores. every year, it was more about the numbers, numbers, numbers, and less about the individual person's experience.
@@ToastyJunebugs we had to keep stats for number of visitors, items checked out, items used in-library, how many people came to programs, etc. because it was all tied to funding. and when funding is based on quantity, the quality of service can suffer. workers get burned out
@@K.ArashiIt doesn't help there is certain areas wanting to get rid of their libraries due to "not getting their money's worth" and some bs culture war some of the conservatives started
I worked at B&N as these changes were beginning to happen. Another thing my managers were pushing was not putting books of the same series next to each other on display tables, which we frequently had customers ask about. “Why is the second book on the table, but the first isn’t?” “Oh, the first book is on that other table,” or “Oh, the first book is hidden on a completely different section of the table.” Apparently it’s to get them to “look around more” and spend more time stalking the shelves. It was odd. Thanks for making this video! I totally agree with your points.
That’s a bizarre reason. As a shopper looking to begin a new series, if the first installment isn’t around the other versions, I’m just going to assume it’s out of stock and maybe try looking for it elsewhere / another time
That so ridiculous. How do they not get that I'm going to assume you don't have it then and buy it elsewhere instead of looking around or hunting someone down through a labyrinth.
Imagine someone watching this realizing they also spend a lot of time at Barnes and Noble, give advice to friends, talk loudly on the phone and even once explained Yellowstone at B&N then realizing they are that individual Swell was talking about
Would love to see you do a deep dive on the publishing industry!! Like how they’re pretty much pricing out children & YA readers, by raising prices (specifically hardcovers), parents are more unlikely to actually buy them and young adults/teens don’t really have their own money to buy said titles. THEN they can pretty much turn around and say ‘well, there’s no demand for these types of books so why would we give deals to these types of authors/promote them’ OR LIKE B&N we need proof of sales 😐
Yes, books are getting so expensive. And kids/teens aren’t always able to read ebooks at school and stuff because they’ll have no electronics policies during class, especially on exam days, cause they don’t want you cheating. And they have libraries at schools ofc, but they may not always have a ton of resources.
I work in publishing and the price raises (at least where I work) are from this bizarre mentality of "oh sales numbers went down, so to keep profits the same we need higher prices. Ok we raised prices and sales numbers went down again? Guess we have to raise prices again." And rinse and repeat without ever realizing that the sales numbers are going down because people can't afford the ever-increasing prices. It's super frustrating as a reader who can't afford the new prices and as an employee who can't convince the higher ups that they're shooting themselves in the foot
I was hired at B&N after the remodel (Nov. 2020) so I can't speak on that much. But the remodels are not done. One of the worst changes they are making (in my opinion) is the separation of book formats. The fiction and mystery/thriller sections is now split up into 3 sub-sections, mass markets, paperbacks, and hardcovers. It makes it difficult for customers to find books, especially our elderly customers, and makes them more reliant on booksellers to help locate certain titles. They are also phasing out shelf dividers and shelf talkers to separate sections. So if you're trying to look for something in literally any non-fiction section, good luck. They want us to rely on faced out books to designate sections. Who ever made that decision has obviously never worked in retail and is greatly overestimating the intelligence of certain customers. There's been a weird shift to a more "retail-y" vibe with the increase of toys that are sold and the lack of seating. It feels more like a "book store" rather than a "bookstore", if that makes sense.
no bc heads of retail companies don't know jack shit about retail! they'll force shit onto us, they'll design stores that just don't make sense at all! idk why they put so much faith into customers when anyone who's worked retail will tell you that customers are stupid.
Recent customer, am almost 30, and had a lot of difficulty finding/navigating the subsections-my spouse and I were like we need a map! Even the booksellers were having difficulty navigating where the books were (was looking for “How to Sell a Haunted House” by: Grady Hendrix). Finally found the book on top of a table near the children’s section? It made for an overall unpleasant experience when it used to be a welcoming and warm one. It reminds me a lot of the recent remodels that have been done at Target stores.
As someone who still works at B&N, I couldn't agree more. I completely hate the fact that the biggest sections got split into different paper formats and it's ridiculous!
That's an interesting thought, and I wonder how true it is across all the demographics that they market to. Like, as much as I and my internet friends would enjoy a dark academia b&n, someone like my dad (who is a huge reader but a very different demographic) probably wouldn't.
I’m Canadian and our version of Barnes & Noble - Indigo - did a similar rebrand a while back. Now 75% of the store is devoted to “lifestyle” products like home decor, kitchenwares, board games, fashion, snacks, and recently adult toys. At first I didn’t mind because their housewares are actually really cute… but now the stores are maze like and the books are shoved into back corners, and there’s nowhere for people to sit and read, which was such a nostalgic part of my childhood.
They are currently recovering from data hacking and actually don’t have book shipments coming in due to this, so the reason the books seem shoved to the corners is because they don’t actually have enough books right now
@@KettenDriver Canada is a little bit less conservative than the US lol. People are a bit shocked when they see it here but not enough to make a fuss about it.
@@zoem2528 they recently renovated their downtown Ottawa store into their new lifestyle concept, it’s been in the works much longer than the data hack has been a factor, and it’s just like this though. A huge maze with books sidelined in favour of scattered and chaotic looking housewares displays, and nowhere to sit and lounge, especially when compared to their old 2-story Rideau Street store.
Throw in there hardly is a selection of books. I can't find certain topics now since most of the books are cook books, manga (as much as I do love a good manga series every once in awhile), or YA novels in there
The way I sprained my finger to click this video lmao. I work at a BN and am so interested in the public discourse on this! The theory behind the remodel was to make the store emulate a more indie bookstore feeling-- that's why there are alcoves of different sections instead of regular shelves. The plans were actually decided on before lockdown, but lockdown did give them the opportunity to implement them more speedily. The thing is, you will find a pretty significant difference in shelving from store to store because of this whole "indie bookstore" intention. There aren't really corporation-wide shelving and display standards so much anymore, it's largely discretionary at this point. That's both good and bad imo-- it gives booksellers more individuality when it comes to what they promote, but they've also gotten rid of local store lists, which makes it very difficult for us to find things sometimes.
That’s interesting. And I kind of get it, there’s an indie bookstore near me that feels like a maze, and I kind of love it, because it’s just cozy. Although the ceilings are pretty low in some spots which probably helps. The ones near me are making these like big squares out of multiple shelves, and there is seating inside them, but I kind of hate bc it makes the store feel more crowded, and I can always see a whole bunch of people, which I don’t like. I really like symmetry so I never minded everything just being in these nice straight rows. So definitely mixed feelings. I haven’t been in one in a couple months, bc I’m trying to buy fewer books, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’ve changed anything at my local stores when I go back
Yeah I watched a video about the B&N remodel and the "indie bookstore" theory behind it and it sounded like a good idea. It seemed to give local branches so much more control and ability to react to their specific demongraphic. So it's interesting to hear it's not good in practice.
I'm not _thrilled_ with the one near me, but it's in a fairly expensive area, so space is at a premium and some of the aisles are a bit tight. One issue in particular is that they've got an elongated U section with an inset (scifi/fantasy on either side of the inset, manga on the inside of the U) and it's a heavily trafficked area. I can't comment on the store's profits and what they should devote more space to - whether or not this placement is a good idea, I just know that whenever I've been there that area has always been a bit tight.
@@xxxnightsky14 I think that so often there are things that are good ideas for independently owned or smaller chains that people really like, but when big, constantly busy chains try to implement them, it just isn’t a good idea in practice for the bigger places
Oh! Hello from Canada we already had this happen to our one good big bookstore called Chapters. The CEO decided it was going to be a bookstore+, and the + was cheap home products like towels and candles, kind of like someone took a book store and merged in a bed, bath, and beyond, and then crammed a Starbucks into all of them. So all the locations lost 30-50% of their floor space to junk people have to walk past to get to the books... and now they're adding a small electronics department to them to sell ipads! Just trying to turn themselves into a knock-off walmart/home sense instead of focusing on like, having good and talented staff (lord they try so hard the Chapters folks) with time to talk with customers and help them find good books and stuff, a welcoming space... truly short-sighted, misses the point of what retail's advantage over Amazon is. Amazon is the god of cheap crap, why pick that fight? (also they call it Indigo now I guess?) As of 2022, they are fully just turning into a bedroom goods and soft products store? I don't really know how to describe what it is.
Hey! I even saw high end designer s*x toys (like 200$ a pop) in one of the Ottawa Chapters. It is getting Wild here. Like I don't mind the coffee cups and blankets, that's fun for a reading night in and I get it, but wow at everything else.
Oh yeah all that happened with the move from even calling it Chapters to Indigio. Except everyone I know still calls it Chapters. Honestly tho, Black Bond is my number one place for books now. You get such good recommendations from the staff.
Yeah, they pretty much sell everything except books now. Also, the products they sell are cheap in quality but definitely not in price. One time during Christmas I saw them selling standard wrapping paper for 15 dollars😬
The chapters locations I've been to definitely have a lot of knick knacks and non book things, but I don't find a lack of book selection at least. What bothers me is that I can order I book for so much cheaper online from them, to the point that it would cost me $20+ extra to buy in store rather than order for pick up 🙃
Reminder to visit your local book stores, no matter how old they look, lots have tarde programs and many titles. One vintage bookstore in my area even has a membership program and cats sleeping on the shelves. Can’t be beat honestly.
@@pendlera2959 That’s pretty disheartening, I’m sorry you can’t partake in the cat book stores. I hope you find a (insert animal your not allergic to) bookstore in the future so you still get the floofy vibes.
I wish I could visit my local bookstore but it literally just got exposed as treating their poc employees unfairly and no equal pay for them, a lot of SA and harassment allegations came out too big sad because I loved going there
I was living in an area that had a few leftists bookstores (found some of the coolest secondhand art books from there). I miss living in an area that has those now
It’s so fascinating to hear about your perspective on this, as I am a Waterstones bookseller in the UK, and since the hedge fund that owns us purchased B&N and appointed our CEO as your CEO as well, the Waterstonisation of B&N started. The shelves that you do not like are the “new kit” they introduced in London a long time ago now and they want to turn all Waterstones into these lifeless look-a-likes. So now that B&N is doing the same, basically they are hoping to do the same things across the pond as the did in the UK to increase sales, heavily relying on other merchandise that isn’t books. Unfortunately, this is going nowhere and will only increase.. Hope this was helpful x
As a Barnes and Noble employee most of us hate the remodel/changes.... We understand that most people who come to the bookstore come for ya know....books and we also dont understand why we are merging into a toy store.... also the lack of a customer service desk in the remodel is frustrating for both customers and us employees.... they no longer also want to go for a cozy book shopping vibe and more of a corporate shopping stale vibe.....
"I'm worried that you guys are ruining the vibes and that my genius friend who I've never spoken to is not coming back." Damn, these are peak pisces vibes and I can relate...
Borders and Barnes & Noble were like my get aways 20 years ago... Once Borders was shut down forever, I knew change was in the air as far as physical reading places to go to (aside from libraries). I haven't been to a B&N in almost 20 years now. When I was a teen in the 80s, my get aways were Waldens Books and B. Daltons Books.
Borders essentially used these tactics right before they failed, including things like removing seating in the stores to discourage reading at the store.
Their website is absolute trash. I have gone on it more than a few times fully intending to buy a book, but ending up frustrated and on Amazon instead.
"do you see what youre doing? youre messing with the vibes" PREACH!! give more places to loiter and study and hang around so that you spend a ton of time in there!! but i wont hang out in a place blocking their windows or replacing shelves with toys. im scared to travel an hour away to my b&n lmao
Went to Barns and Nobles recently after a long time and wow...The place looked so...cheap? Idk how else to say it. Reminded me of a like yellow tinted old thrift store that no one cleans or something. Just a bad vibe. I left because the place was so depressing. Nothing like I remembered.
As someone who works in a Midwest B&N, I am shell shocked at a multi floor store?!? 😂 my store is 75% original decor from our 2000 open. Wish we could get a remodel 💀
Don't you love when bookstores go from "sit here, and read a part of the book before you buy it, maybe while enjoying a coffee and a snack" to "BUY THIS CRAP AND GO HOME IF YOU WANT TO SIT"? I love it. I love capitalism destroying all things lovely and human in favor of aggressive selling tactics. This isn't hell at all! /sarcasm /copium
I’m like 99.9% sure that the new, ugly carpet was just way, way, *WAY* cheaper than the considerably better looking green stuff. The fact that it hides stains is almost certainly just a happy accident/surprise bonus. Of course, I could be _completely_ wrong about all of this, it’s certainly happened to me plenty of times before, but… I dunno, I really feel like that’s their MO. 🤷🏼
I think book stores are one of the things we grew up with and has held on despite amazon and new tech. Kind of like your parents/ grandparents moving out of the home you grew up with familiarity. The new house may be thier home, but it isn't the home you grew up with and doesn't feel the same or have the same memories.
The part of the remodeling that irks me is that it seems the Middle Grade section has annexed by the "Young Readers" section and books like Skulduggery Pleasant that have people exploding in gore is being shelved alphabetical with like Captain Underpants and Dogman. Middle Grade is a huge category that is only getting bigger. They need their own shelf near the YA, it seems so short sighted to stick them under the Babar illustration in the reading corner.
That just sounds like it'd confuse me as a kid who loves books and deter me from going to that store. I loved the Percy Jackson series when I was 11. Would those be in children's or YA? If they were in childrens', I probably would have felt embarrassed going over there. If they were in YA, I probably wouldn't have read it that young, as I probably tried the first book on a whim after finding it with all the middle school stuff.
@@RariettyC yeah i think we need a middle grade and a new adult section because i’m tired of books in the YA section being not appropriate for teens (by my 15 year old standard i don’t think a book in the teen/Ya section should have rated R language and like rated R romance stuff) and i’m tired of middle grade books being put in children’s
@@abbeyy. Yeah, I personally don't like that books marketed at teens seem to be more R rated now more than ever. I don't have interest in reading R rated books, I feel like I should be able to do that.
I used to work in kids in 2021-2022, our managers said middle grade was just renamed young reader because people were confusing middle grade with only for middle schoolers and it was getting fewer readers (thus "young reader" being vague and wanting to bring more of an audience). BUT THEN people were confusing young reader with YA. I had thought middle grade and young reader was all the same content, just a renamed section. I had rarely seen any gore in my section, that's such a disappointment that that's happening (occasionally I did). I had no idea they changed the content of MG before I started working. There were definitely graphic novels the computer said were in kids that were super graphic (no pun intended) and I'd want to move them but often was told not to since booksellers wouldn't be able to locate it. The computer sometimes had us put things in weird sections, I have no idea who dictates that. To be fair I was only there a year lol.
Thank god, that someone with a platform is speaking out for us b&n patrons!!! The remodel is definitely ruining the vibe even all the way here in NJ!!! They removed the entire 2nd floor and made it a company office that over looks the first floor???!?!?!?!?! 💀💀💀
the thing with me and remodels/reorganizing things is if i really don't like it and it changes my routine too much, like them taking away a lot of the seating areas, i'll just... stop going
The reno’d Barnes and Noble near me has Target energy which is a horrible energy for a bookstore. I went in once since it switched over and don’t want to ever go in again. I’m lucky I’m not far from two really awesome indie bookstores and several really great libraries because I will be avoiding that B&N unless I’ve been given a gift card, in which case I will be deciding what I want before I go and leaving as fast as I can.
Thank you for making this video! So, I'm not the only one. 🤔 In Rochester, NY, they've taken the armchairs and table and chairs away and also have less seating in the café. We go to "hang out" at the bookstore, and there's nowhere to sit, nada ... anymore. If all the tables fill up in the café, which is easy to do now, there is nowhere to sit and read your books. There have been times when we walked into the store, couldn't find a place to sit, so walked right back out. Stopped at a bakery on the way home, and had our own cozy reading, hanging out time with cats and candles. Which is nice! But we didn't drive across town so we could just turn around and sit and read at home. Signed ~Frustrated and Unhappy with the new B&N
Hearing this I'm so thankful that, where I live, the reading boom caused by the lockdowns and tiktok lead to a surge in independent bookshops (which all seem to be doing quite well) and a lot of chain bookshops playing up the "cosy/slow-living" vibes instead of whatever this is. Here there are more cosy corners and cafes being added, not less, because they've realised people coming in want a whole experience, not a physical amazon.
i feel like taking seating away and having the space more open and less intimate is like that to promote the 'sale' instead of browsing... destroying the library vibe if that makes sense
Which is completely the anthesis of what the average book lover wants when they go the bookshop. Does the management even read? Bunch of out of touch boomers just thinking about profit without considering what their clients wants in terms of experience.
This makes me so incredibly sad. Before I moved overseas last year, the B&N near us was fine, so I didn't think anything of it, but seeing what they've been doing to them all over the place, just, I am so sad. Barnes and Noble, specifically the one in Anchorage Alaska, where I was born and raised, was my go to place when I worked nights. It was the only place open with coffee and snacks till I had to be to work. I did so much homework there, but most importantly, it is where I met my husband. It is where we can many dates, where he proposed and technically where we got married! I even visited back home while I was pregnant with out first kiddo and gods does this make me sad.
The Barnes and Noble near me closed, and I was so sad to see it go but not that sad because I prefer my local bookstore. And then the remodels started, and I was like oh maybe it's a good thing. Now a different indie bookstore is taking over the space. So it all turned out to be a big win!
Omfg Amanda thank u for this video I thought it was just me. They moved and remodeled the one near me AND IT PISSES ME OFF. Shelves mad tall it feels like it’s towering over me and I get claustrophobic, the sections just placed all Willy nilly like a maze instead of regular aisles, it feels like an AI attempt at making an ikea set display😭😵💫I feel like a mouse in a maze trying to find the manga section instead of cheese💀
The fact that the windows are covered is so sad. I have a favorite B&N that’s two stories with GORGEOUS windows and if they cover them I’ll be devistated
I work for b&n. I get you. My store hasn’t been hit too hard by the remodel but I dread the day we do. We get so many complaints re: the hardcover thing, and I wish there was something I could do about it, but we’re just one little store :/
Yeah, apologies about the manga thing, we kinda just came out of nowhere and took over. It is crazy to how much it's changed though! I remember when it only had one shelf and it wasn't even the full space of the shelf. Maybe B&B will hear the complaints and maybe do changes? Idk, but B&B really messed up with the design.
lol, it's amazing how manga (and graphic novels) have seen such a surge in popularity. The two-story mall B&N near me used to have like 2-3 shelves at the most of the two, and now the manga/gn section takes up like several walls. And the manga section is always packed during peak hours at the mall. As far as I can recall, one B&N had a huge wall of manga with an accompanying 2 and a half shelves of more manga/graphic novels/gaming books. everyone else only had the 2 shelves.
Barnes and noble was cozy af and felt like an old library. Now it's bright white and fluorescent and it triggers my anxiety. They also significantly downsized the one by me.
I went to Barnes & Noble shortly after Christmas and they remodeled it to the point where I couldn't find what I was looking for. I had to ask someone for help which I hate doing.
I will circle the store 3 times, try to see if the location is listed online or it’ll pull up a little picture, sometimes I’ll even just leave if I don’t really need or really want what I’m looking for. I will do all of these things before asking somebody for help
ugh, and this is why Half Price Books is superior to Barnes and Noble. Even a HPB the size of a warehouse makes more sense than whatever B&N is trying to do. You're so right though, there's not as many seating as there used to be. Not that that stops people, tho. Like, especially when it's carpeted, people are gonna sit whether there's seating or not. Just means there's gonna be more "obstacles" for other customers to navigate around, just really adding onto the whole labyrinth vibe.
They closed the closest Barnes and Nobles to me right after lockdown. I guess enough people were like "We gotta read too!!" So we're getting a new one a few blocks away. I'm ready for the re-design that I probably will hate
Honestly, as someone who works full time for Barnes&Noble I would be more than happy to answer the questions/theories you have for what's going on (as an employee that knows what's up more than what people just see on the surface/articles being released. Not in a legally representing B&N way). Not defending everything, and also I'm sure the really large stores in the large areas (LA, New York) are going to be much more annoying in their renovations and layouts. It's honestly just a really big combination of a lot of great changes, and a few really bad /annoying (that are more obvious/large scale) renovations and changes. And explaining the educator discount, it's not actually gone. You just can't use an educator card/discount for non-school and education purchases now. So your second cousin can't get the 20% discount for a candle, using your (FREE) educator membership. It's just a lot of information that isn't really out there well for some reason :)
just thought you should know that as a mommy, i don’t have the time to remember anybody’s upload schedule… but seeing you at the top of my recommended every few days makes me genuinely happy. so thank you, amanda! 🥰
Former B&N employee - was in my local store a few months ago and it was all sorts of messed up. I swear I had flashbacks of other times we did store relays and moved sections around. Only back then we never got so lost and things made sense
I was on vacation in Florida and I decided to check out the Barnes and Noble near the hotel. When I went in I felt overwhelmed because it felt like a MAZE. There were dead ends, book shelves wrapped around in a circle and lots of desk shelves with book. Despite all of that, they had way more books that I’ve seen a Barnes and Noble have. Which made gave me complicated feelings. Barnes & Noble is my safe space as well lmao so I get how you feel
This looks exactly like Waterstones here in the UK. Barnes and noble is owned by Waterstones, which is solidly a book store, but has much less of a library feel that your Barnes and noble seems to be. The Waterstones near me only has a few shelves along the wall of books, and is mostly tables of curated books, which change super often so it's nice to just pop in and have a look at the new offerings and discover something new. It isn't a large store but also has a section for gifts, for cards etc. Which means I often go in for the purpose of finding a card and leaving with several books for myself and forgetting the card. The store has been this way for as long as I remember, the one I went to as a kid had an aquarium! Obviously this works very well in the UK, where you just happen to be walking by a Waterstones on the way to somewhere else. Interesting to see how it'll work in America where things seem to be more destination driven
The bookstore at The Grove is one of my favorite places in the entire world and this video is so depressing to watch because of that. It truly was a wonderful place to go and I made sure to make a visit every time I’m in the city. Now I’m concerned my local B&N are also going to be making similar changes.
can you also talk about the Target remodel bc they added pipped in music and waaaay harsher lighting, it made me realize old Target was much more sensory friendly and quiet
There used to be a 2 story Borders in San Antonio, Texas that was the PINNACLE of bookstores. It was a paradise. I would go there on vacation. It had the best kids area, a fantastic cafe...it was just delightful. Utterly delightful. The 2nd story had giant windows where you could see over the whole city. Barnes and Noble could never.
I don’t think they’ve remodeled my local stores yet, but some of the things you mentioned in the video have happened… there are a lot of booktok tags and it makes me roll my eyes. The expansion of the manga section has been great for my household though
Back when I worked at Barnes and Noble (cafe, 2015) there was a 3D printer sat on the counter at customer service to be used in some event they were having. Someone stole it. I don’t know how they did it, but they grabbed it and walked right out of the store with it. 🤷🏽♀️😂
I went into a Barnes and noble recently and tried to find a David Sedaris book. I gave up after searching forever and asked an assistant and they led me to this tiny row on this small shelf off to the side that I’d have never found
God I feel the exact same way with the newer libraries in my country. White walls, white bookshelves, ultra bright light. The Apple Store aesthetic is a fucking disease. There is no creativity in these design choices! It doesn’t foster learning or relaxation! Wtf.
As a former Architecture student in France (shifted to a fine arts degree), I agree with you that the minimalist trend (especially in bookstores) are an eyesore. I find the oversimplified aesthetic of stores nowadays trying to replicate the Apple store design as uninspired and, in the case of B&N, doesn't really invite me as an avid reader to buy their books or read there. I could have mostly imposed a Dark Academia aesthetic for that bookstore since that's more fitting as a place to read and buy books, yet for some reason my idea gets often tangled with the issue of being "too expensive" to build and that the Dark Academia aesthetic is often historically synonymous with elitism and white privilege, which is often decried by woke people.
I watched a video about the redesign not long ago, and the TLDR is they’re doing this because they’re trying to emulate the layouts of the small bookstores they put out of business. Which is kind of hilarious because they are doing such a bad job that it’s making me seek out small bookstores because I dislike the experience of shopping there so much
I feel this. It's happened here too where they destroyed my favourite local bookstore with a horrendous remodel, then the chain stores started to be taken over by home goods, and now there are no good bookstores. I became a library fan. The vibes are great, lots of cozy places to sit, and the books are free!
Back in high school, in the early 2000s, my mom or my friend's mom would just drop us off for a few hours at the mall. We would sit on the floor of the bookstore. We got in trouble quite a bit for it until the actual owner was in and told them that he'd rather have kids reading than not.
Hey I live in England and idk if anyone’s mentioned this yet. But I’m pretty sure that barnes & nobels and Waterstones (in the uk) are owned by the same company. I noticed that the remodelled shelves look exactly like the set up in Waterstones, there’s also different sections in for toys and board games and stuff. Just thought it’s interesting.
I work for a bn that got the remodel last year and I've heard a lot what you said from customers too. The new book rooms do make it easier to steal so we were told to make sure we're around them often but most people forget. They also obstruct a lot of view which makes it kind of difficult telling customers how to navigate the store. I hear that we're more like a toy store now on a daily basis, with mixed feelings. Parents love it, older people despise it. The retired crowd don't seem to care that much. My store is only a single story so thankfully nothing is too confusing, but it's also been 9 months since our remodel and I'm still relearning the store 😆
My barnes and noble downsized from it's own building to a significantly smaller location in the strip mall that shares the same parking lot, and I hate it. They shoved all those shelves from the first store in there, and it's a MAZE. I looked for the graphic novel section for at least fifteen minutes before I found it and it was a much smaller location than before. There's hardly any room at all which sucks because there used to be a whole cafe in the old location
The Barnes and noble in union Square NYC is really nice! They have the nice old fashion bookshelves with the ladders that slide along the walls, and the upper floors still have that library like feel, also my great grandfather designed the building!
I love your passion about B and N! I used to be a huge reader, but I had a stroke 2 years ago and I don’t enjoy reading any more. I totally get where you’re coming from and I loved your big stack of to be read books! 💜
This video is just a mood. Also please note it could be worse. My local chapters/indigo (Canadian barnes & noble) closed and now its a clothing store. :(
I'm right with you.. I live in Texas, we have a bookstore chain called Half Price books (it has new and old thrifted books) i have 2 that I go to, they've never been changed, at all if they change anything I will rebel.
@@noralewis5390 I think it depends on the store. Recently I’ve been going to the giant flagship store in Dallas, and I know they have some. But I can’t remember if every store does
In 2019 I was training to work at a b&n that was opening in a new shopping/business center in my N. Virginia hometown. I was excited to work at one of my favorite stores and to have a location closer to where I lived. Until I learned then”concept” they were going to be using for this store. It would have a full sit down restaurant/food and less books than an average b&n, the new shelves were slimmer so all the books were front facing with only 1-2 of each book out. The shopping experience would be more hands on with encouragement to stay with customers the whole time they were in the store to try and sell more books. The actual store space was huge and open concept with all of the shelves pushed right against the walls and no aisles. I eventually left going for that job for something better, but went back to visit after they opened and it was such a strange experience, the restaurant was empty any time I went by and the shelves look so empty and sad, and I felt bad any time an employee would come by to try and help me find something lmao all of the genre sections were tiny but eventually I know they moved around certain genres to make room for more popular genres and expand the kids section. I’m glad I live in NYC now because none of the stores seem to be leaning towards whatever is happening to the store in this video :/
I miss the old B&N so much. When my husband and I moved in together over 20 years ago, our favorite laid-back date nights were dinner at a brewpub and then tipsily hanging out at the B&N nearby (which almost always ended in my buying several books by the end of the night).
I hate the trend of making every single room in the house have plank floors. Obviously there’s some rooms where carpeting would be a terrible idea. But I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and set my feet down on a cold, hard plank floor. And area rugs are freaking expensive
I'm at Barnes and Nobles at least once a week (it's right next to Publix, so I can't resist the temptation whenever I go to the store), and it seems like lately every time I go, they have moved some of the shelves around. Every week, the Romance and Adult Fantasy sections are in a different place. I love going to Barnes and Noble, but literally every time I waste at least 10-15 minutes relearning the layout.
They did this to the one in the Americana and the YA/general fiction sections feel so empty now. They made a u-shape with a bookshelf in the middle and there's like a chasm between them.
I work at BN right now and while I can’t speak for other stores, this sounds different from how my store is currently set up. For now. Mind you, we’re a big store, but the idea is that all the stores need to look similar to each other enough so no matter where you are in the country, you’ll know where stuff is. And my store is getting ready for the Reset so…I guess that’ll be happening soon. And trust me when I say no worker is actually happy about the recent changes. It also has resulted in a crackdown on specialized sections (we had an entire bay in fiction dedicated to black writers that had to be taken down before an area manager’s boss came for a visit because not every store has a section like this); there are no longer allowed to be cards that indicate where in a section you are (ex: the History room is hard enough to navigate but now there’s nothing to dictate which area of history or which country you’re even in); and other crap like the new membership programs that seem redundant at best and counterintuitive at worst. Also, just as a rant from a worker, we are now starting a new shelving process where we are no longer going to be using carts to carry all the books we need in a section - the receiver will simply unbox the section, tell people to come get them, and we have to carry armfuls of books back and forth. “To save time.” One more note: Two friends from work went on a trip to Texas the other weekend and went to one of the stores. The current owner of BN had also visited once and apparently when he asked one of the employees if they felt the company treated them right, they just. Laughed. No actual response. Just laughed. TL;DR - To quote John Mulaney: [We] also wish we weren’t doing what [we’re] doing.
Omg yes. I went to one in Arkansas when I visited my aunt in March. I typically do library reading and haven't been in a Barnes and Nobel since the pandemic started. I was SHOCKED how hard it was to find shit. They not only separated hardback from paperbacks in genres but they separated those sections of those genres. So hardback mysteries were across the store from paperback mysteries. I had to do WORK to find out they didn't have Cat Sebastian's Page and Sommers books.
i specifically need classic books for school, and recently i went to find some new ones a couple months prior to my exam. i was STRUGGLING to find anything. i could find the colleen hoover, booktok, and romance sections just fine. but i had to go on a literal salem witch hunt to find classics that aren’t the overpriced collectors ones. it’s nearly impossible to find anything now, and so now as a result, i end up annoyed anytime i try to find a book. truly a tragedy.
Which is crazy because there’s obviously still a huge demand for a lot of those books. And a lot of times we needed specific editions of a book if it was abridged or translated, they would give us the ISBN. Now people would have basically no choice except to get them on Amazon.
As someone that chills in libraries and bookstores this hurts me. So many places feel hostile "give us your money and leave" vibes I don't need bookstores to join that group.
I went to Barnes & Noble recently and something felt off. It felt empty and like a scholastic book fair almost. 💀 This just made it make sense to me.
omg SAME
i didn’t realize this happened but now i see it! i go in and just feel blah
That’s a great way to explain it. The scholastic book fair was always organized weird
I worked at a Barnes and Noble during this whole redesign of the store and hated it. Going through the store I would hit dead ends and when finally able to make it out of the area I was in, I felt like I needed a piece of cheese to celebrate. Nothing makes since. It’s a maze. And there is no way there will be accurate stock at any of the stores because it seems like genres are misplaced. Be nice to the workers because they had no say in this.
Oh joy, they're doing that BS "if we make people hunt for the thing they want, they'll see all these other things and buy more!" BS that Sears was pushing the short while I worked there. Because someone who's just popping in to check for one thing has time for that crap and the thing I want to feel while trying to find a book is *trapped in a maze and unsafe*
OK, the "piece of cheese to celebrate" made me do a spit-take...🤣🤣🤣
@@FranNyan yeah that is exactly what my previous manager said. “We want them to hunt and find other stuff to buy.”
@@dancer4pcda because making in person shopping an unpleasant experoence is such a brilliant way to keep them coming back
I also work at one when the remodel happened and I can tell you it wasn't fun either😂
Speaking of Barnes and Noble changes, they got rid of the educator discount. If you were a teacher you used to get a certain percent off books to help teachers afford to buy books for their classroom. That’s now gone. That was the only thing that got me to go to B&N.
Ohhh… as a former employee this is even more disappointing than changing the layout 😞
That is so messed up :(( they should be supporting teachers, I just reread a book that I read in school this week and wouldn’t have picked it up if I didn’t have such a great English teacher. I hope B&N brings the discount back
You'll have to look into but teachers get a free membership for a certain amount of time as an apology.
@Cue The Trumpets yeah my mom was just informed this weekend about the dissolved teacher membership and they gave her a year free of their premium membership
you can still get the educator discount you just have to set up an order through this 3rd party site, it's the same 20% discount. I think they took it away cause educators were using it for personal use rather than for their classrooms
Hearing about the changes to the kids sections make me a little sad, I remember going to these huge bookstores when I was young and being absolutely ecstatic over the fact that they had seating areas where I could just read in peace surrounded by a seemingly infinite number of children's books. Stocking less books, giving no seating space, and transforming entire sections into toy stores doesn't sound like it'll inspire much love for reading in the next generations 😬
It also means they're essentially opting out of the market of younger adults who have small kids because they can't trust that there's anywhere to sit their kids while they're looking for books for themselves. It's a really bad strategy all the way around.
I used to love taking my kids to the Borders and B&N because there was always fun places to sit and play and read. My youngest has totally missed out on this. It's just sparse now. What a loss!
It could if the Manga section is close to it.
exactly!! im so heartbroken. a lot of my favorite memories were made there; reading with my mom, doing the scheduled group reads, and making friends at the play area with thomas the train :( its not the same anymore 💔
yaaa the last time i went to the kids section in barnes & noble, it literally looked like a toys-r-us. i was so confused and disappointed
I’m going to be the annoying librarian in the comments and remind everyone that libraries are an excellent alternative to buying books if you’re not worried about reading something right away. Just a reminder that capitalism influences us to want things NOW and I get if that’s important to you, but please consider libraries. Most of the time they are free to join, have hold lists, and fun programs that are free as well. There are also library systems that allow you to make an online account regardless of where you live, so check that out too if you prefer audio books or ebooks :) Happy reading!
Libraries also consider their disabled patrons when doing redesigns as they try to make information access accessible to all. Unlike every other store barely following the ADA lmao
Would work great if my local library was actually open outside work hours… or if my job gave a go-to-the-library holiday once a month
Literally libraries are SO superior to book stores and I'm so glad someone else is commenting on Libraries bcuz I LOVE libraries
@@bookcat123 there are usually still a lot of resources you can access remotely as a library member!
I'm also a librarian and I approve this message! 🫡
Has anyone else noticed that every store is taking out chairs. It’s so stressful! I just wanna sit for a few minutes gather myself eat a snack and plan my next move. I’m so grumpy about it.
I worked at an Athleta (which only sells women’s and girls athletic wear) and we would get grown ass men coming into the store with wives and girlfriends, who would literally sit on our low level display table as if they were chairs. And i wanted to scream, because like nobody wants your dirty butt all over the clothes dude! Like seriously
I was okay with getting rid of the comfy chairs. The number of times I had to pick up 30 or 40 magazines that somebody spent four hours reading and then not buying and then just left in the chair... Also people spilled food from the cafe and they were turning into fabric Petri dishes.. gross.
So not great if you're disabled, I'm mad about it too :(
As someone who needs to use a mobility aid sometimes, no seating in public spaces is extremely frustrating.
@elise85391 fr! Nobody wants that! And it sucks that it's the only option for people who want to sit!
I used to love to hang out in my local bookstores, and they slowly started disappearing until it was just my friends and I sitting in B&N to hang out and read, talk, and enjoy each others company. Now, when I go into my local B&N, it feels more like a gimmick store with toys, merch, food, etc. I seriously have to look hard to find books, which is something you should never have to do in a bookstore.
It seems to be getting the GameStop funko pop treatment sadly
I always liked that they had some other stuff, but the clip she showed in the video it seemed like way too much space is being devoted to that
B&N is turning into G&N - Gimmicks n' Noble.
They made Barnes and Noble a Walmart of books.
I have the same memories in a Borders near our neighborhood's mall. We used to go hang out at the mall and then visi Borders. I loved it so much..
They forgot that booktok it’s all about aesthetics too. If you do an ugly remodeling, people will stop going there. It’s all about the experience, the Instagram photos and then the books.
The fact that 90% of the nonfiction books are gone is what I hate the worst. The arts and crafts section used to be at least 5 entire bookcases and now it's 3 shelves. At the same time, the Christian book section has grown amazingly. It makes no sense to me at all. I used to have a membership and now I just buy all my books from Amazon.
Loved getting mycology books and different nature books I found only textbooks and travel books my last vist
I only buy nonfiction books from there so that has been my main disappointment as well. Doesn’t help that the selection was already sparse.
@@mimipeahes5848I only buy non fiction books too! History, art, science, heritage etc for reference 😍😍😍
I'm pretty sure I am the one person that is keeping the non fiction section alive at my store. The psychology section has turned into self help. And they just decided to hide the rest of the science and nature sections in the back.
The sections depend on what sells at the store. At my store the manga section has almost tripled in the few years I've been, whereas the reference has shrunk, one sells the other doesn't.
Yes, I was also a victim of the B&N remodel in real time. One day I’m quietly munching on my lunch at the cafe and next I’m answering riddles in a labyrinth to find the bathroom.
Get riddled
I love this comment 😂
The whole rant about “deep green would’ve been bitching! Oh we need to talk about the carpets!…… Ew! EW!!” etc is so funny I’m losing it
The green carpet was so ugly. That's the one part of the video I was like idgi lol everything else i agreed with
Barnes and Nobles to read a book and learn something new
How does B&N not understand their demographic? It’s majority book nerds who don’t want unnecessary human contact and would rather browse in a safe and quiet aisle versus an open concept design. I remember going before the redesign and never making eye contact with anyone lol. Now all B&N is selling is book tok recommendations especially in the YA section where as I used to be able to discover books I’ve never heard of. It’s definitely frustrating but has prompted me to find local independent book shops in my neighborhood with the same vibe old B&N once had.
i used to be a library worker, and one of the things that really made me unhappy was the changes that were being pushed through to make our libraries more like retail stores. every year, it was more about the numbers, numbers, numbers, and less about the individual person's experience.
Why the heck do numbers matter? It's a free place for people to hang out and learn.
@@ToastyJunebugs we had to keep stats for number of visitors, items checked out, items used in-library, how many people came to programs, etc. because it was all tied to funding. and when funding is based on quantity, the quality of service can suffer. workers get burned out
@@K.ArashiIt doesn't help there is certain areas wanting to get rid of their libraries due to "not getting their money's worth" and some bs culture war some of the conservatives started
I worked at B&N as these changes were beginning to happen. Another thing my managers were pushing was not putting books of the same series next to each other on display tables, which we frequently had customers ask about. “Why is the second book on the table, but the first isn’t?” “Oh, the first book is on that other table,” or “Oh, the first book is hidden on a completely different section of the table.” Apparently it’s to get them to “look around more” and spend more time stalking the shelves. It was odd. Thanks for making this video! I totally agree with your points.
OH MY GOSH AND THE PINK WALLS MADE ME SO MAD.
That’s a bizarre reason. As a shopper looking to begin a new series, if the first installment isn’t around the other versions, I’m just going to assume it’s out of stock and maybe try looking for it elsewhere / another time
That so ridiculous. How do they not get that I'm going to assume you don't have it then and buy it elsewhere instead of looking around or hunting someone down through a labyrinth.
Book shoppers don't want to look AROUND for the other installments in a series! Have these people NEVER bought books?!
Imagine someone watching this realizing they also spend a lot of time at Barnes and Noble, give advice to friends, talk loudly on the phone and even once explained Yellowstone at B&N then realizing they are that individual Swell was talking about
i want him to legit become her friend he sounds so interesting
Aw I hope it would make him happy! People deserve to hear about the impact they’ve made on this world:)
Would love to see you do a deep dive on the publishing industry!! Like how they’re pretty much pricing out children & YA readers, by raising prices (specifically hardcovers), parents are more unlikely to actually buy them and young adults/teens don’t really have their own money to buy said titles. THEN they can pretty much turn around and say ‘well, there’s no demand for these types of books so why would we give deals to these types of authors/promote them’ OR LIKE B&N we need proof of sales 😐
Yes, books are getting so expensive. And kids/teens aren’t always able to read ebooks at school and stuff because they’ll have no electronics policies during class, especially on exam days, cause they don’t want you cheating. And they have libraries at schools ofc, but they may not always have a ton of resources.
YA books now feel like they thrive on older audiences who prefer reading them over books aimed at adults
I work in publishing and the price raises (at least where I work) are from this bizarre mentality of "oh sales numbers went down, so to keep profits the same we need higher prices. Ok we raised prices and sales numbers went down again? Guess we have to raise prices again." And rinse and repeat without ever realizing that the sales numbers are going down because people can't afford the ever-increasing prices. It's super frustrating as a reader who can't afford the new prices and as an employee who can't convince the higher ups that they're shooting themselves in the foot
It's actually so reassuring to see that there are people who hate change as much as I do
oh just wait til you learn about conservatism.
@@miguelwastaken Of all the replies I wasn't ready for this is tops. Perfect reply✨
I was hired at B&N after the remodel (Nov. 2020) so I can't speak on that much. But the remodels are not done. One of the worst changes they are making (in my opinion) is the separation of book formats. The fiction and mystery/thriller sections is now split up into 3 sub-sections, mass markets, paperbacks, and hardcovers. It makes it difficult for customers to find books, especially our elderly customers, and makes them more reliant on booksellers to help locate certain titles. They are also phasing out shelf dividers and shelf talkers to separate sections. So if you're trying to look for something in literally any non-fiction section, good luck. They want us to rely on faced out books to designate sections. Who ever made that decision has obviously never worked in retail and is greatly overestimating the intelligence of certain customers. There's been a weird shift to a more "retail-y" vibe with the increase of toys that are sold and the lack of seating. It feels more like a "book store" rather than a "bookstore", if that makes sense.
no bc heads of retail companies don't know jack shit about retail! they'll force shit onto us, they'll design stores that just don't make sense at all! idk why they put so much faith into customers when anyone who's worked retail will tell you that customers are stupid.
My bookseller girlfriend is screaming in frustration when I read your comment to her 😅 The separation by format, what the hell?
Recent customer, am almost 30, and had a lot of difficulty finding/navigating the subsections-my spouse and I were like we need a map! Even the booksellers were having difficulty navigating where the books were (was looking for “How to Sell a Haunted House” by: Grady Hendrix). Finally found the book on top of a table near the children’s section? It made for an overall unpleasant experience when it used to be a welcoming and warm one.
It reminds me a lot of the recent remodels that have been done at Target stores.
Lily I'm a current B&N Employee and I completely agree with you. Some of these changes are insane especially in non fiction areas.
As someone who still works at B&N, I couldn't agree more. I completely hate the fact that the biggest sections got split into different paper formats and it's ridiculous!
they went for modern when the vast majority of readers are dark academia... it's giving airport bookstore
That's an interesting thought, and I wonder how true it is across all the demographics that they market to. Like, as much as I and my internet friends would enjoy a dark academia b&n, someone like my dad (who is a huge reader but a very different demographic) probably wouldn't.
“Airport bookstore” is a perfect description.
I think we have to consider the tastes of folks who don't get on the internet. Dark academia is v generational IMO
I don't like Dark Academia either but I'm also nostalgic for the faux marbled green and oak look of the late 90s. There was nothing wrong with that.
I don’t even know wtf Dark Academia is, I’ve been an avid reader since I was a kid lol
I’m Canadian and our version of Barnes & Noble - Indigo - did a similar rebrand a while back. Now 75% of the store is devoted to “lifestyle” products like home decor, kitchenwares, board games, fashion, snacks, and recently adult toys. At first I didn’t mind because their housewares are actually really cute… but now the stores are maze like and the books are shoved into back corners, and there’s nowhere for people to sit and read, which was such a nostalgic part of my childhood.
They are currently recovering from data hacking and actually don’t have book shipments coming in due to this, so the reason the books seem shoved to the corners is because they don’t actually have enough books right now
Having adult toys in a bookstore is wildddd 💀
@@KettenDriver Canada is a little bit less conservative than the US lol. People are a bit shocked when they see it here but not enough to make a fuss about it.
@@zoem2528 they recently renovated their downtown Ottawa store into their new lifestyle concept, it’s been in the works much longer than the data hack has been a factor, and it’s just like this though. A huge maze with books sidelined in favour of scattered and chaotic looking housewares displays, and nowhere to sit and lounge, especially when compared to their old 2-story Rideau Street store.
Throw in there hardly is a selection of books. I can't find certain topics now since most of the books are cook books, manga (as much as I do love a good manga series every once in awhile), or YA novels in there
The way I sprained my finger to click this video lmao. I work at a BN and am so interested in the public discourse on this! The theory behind the remodel was to make the store emulate a more indie bookstore feeling-- that's why there are alcoves of different sections instead of regular shelves. The plans were actually decided on before lockdown, but lockdown did give them the opportunity to implement them more speedily. The thing is, you will find a pretty significant difference in shelving from store to store because of this whole "indie bookstore" intention. There aren't really corporation-wide shelving and display standards so much anymore, it's largely discretionary at this point. That's both good and bad imo-- it gives booksellers more individuality when it comes to what they promote, but they've also gotten rid of local store lists, which makes it very difficult for us to find things sometimes.
That’s interesting. And I kind of get it, there’s an indie bookstore near me that feels like a maze, and I kind of love it, because it’s just cozy. Although the ceilings are pretty low in some spots which probably helps. The ones near me are making these like big squares out of multiple shelves, and there is seating inside them, but I kind of hate bc it makes the store feel more crowded, and I can always see a whole bunch of people, which I don’t like. I really like symmetry so I never minded everything just being in these nice straight rows. So definitely mixed feelings. I haven’t been in one in a couple months, bc I’m trying to buy fewer books, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’ve changed anything at my local stores when I go back
Yeah I watched a video about the B&N remodel and the "indie bookstore" theory behind it and it sounded like a good idea. It seemed to give local branches so much more control and ability to react to their specific demongraphic. So it's interesting to hear it's not good in practice.
I'm not _thrilled_ with the one near me, but it's in a fairly expensive area, so space is at a premium and some of the aisles are a bit tight. One issue in particular is that they've got an elongated U section with an inset (scifi/fantasy on either side of the inset, manga on the inside of the U) and it's a heavily trafficked area. I can't comment on the store's profits and what they should devote more space to - whether or not this placement is a good idea, I just know that whenever I've been there that area has always been a bit tight.
@@xxxnightsky14 I think that so often there are things that are good ideas for independently owned or smaller chains that people really like, but when big, constantly busy chains try to implement them, it just isn’t a good idea in practice for the bigger places
@@xxxnightsky14 I mean, it's definitely working for the company financially, so the flaws aren't making too much of an impact I guess.
Oh! Hello from Canada we already had this happen to our one good big bookstore called Chapters. The CEO decided it was going to be a bookstore+, and the + was cheap home products like towels and candles, kind of like someone took a book store and merged in a bed, bath, and beyond, and then crammed a Starbucks into all of them. So all the locations lost 30-50% of their floor space to junk people have to walk past to get to the books... and now they're adding a small electronics department to them to sell ipads!
Just trying to turn themselves into a knock-off walmart/home sense instead of focusing on like, having good and talented staff (lord they try so hard the Chapters folks) with time to talk with customers and help them find good books and stuff, a welcoming space... truly short-sighted, misses the point of what retail's advantage over Amazon is. Amazon is the god of cheap crap, why pick that fight? (also they call it Indigo now I guess?)
As of 2022, they are fully just turning into a bedroom goods and soft products store? I don't really know how to describe what it is.
omg yes! like there is just a full on dishware selection??!! I just want my books, not a new living room
Hey! I even saw high end designer s*x toys (like 200$ a pop) in one of the Ottawa Chapters. It is getting Wild here. Like I don't mind the coffee cups and blankets, that's fun for a reading night in and I get it, but wow at everything else.
Oh yeah all that happened with the move from even calling it Chapters to Indigio. Except everyone I know still calls it Chapters.
Honestly tho, Black Bond is my number one place for books now. You get such good recommendations from the staff.
Yeah, they pretty much sell everything except books now. Also, the products they sell are cheap in quality but definitely not in price. One time during Christmas I saw them selling standard wrapping paper for 15 dollars😬
The chapters locations I've been to definitely have a lot of knick knacks and non book things, but I don't find a lack of book selection at least. What bothers me is that I can order I book for so much cheaper online from them, to the point that it would cost me $20+ extra to buy in store rather than order for pick up 🙃
Reminder to visit your local book stores, no matter how old they look, lots have tarde programs and many titles.
One vintage bookstore in my area even has a membership program and cats sleeping on the shelves. Can’t be beat honestly.
If I ever find a cat bookstore, I will simply never leave
As much as I like the idea of a cat bookstore, I'm so allergic I wouldn't be able to even go inside. 😭
@@pendlera2959 That’s pretty disheartening, I’m sorry you can’t partake in the cat book stores. I hope you find a (insert animal your not allergic to) bookstore in the future so you still get the floofy vibes.
I wish I could visit my local bookstore but it literally just got exposed as treating their poc employees unfairly and no equal pay for them, a lot of SA and harassment allegations came out too big sad because I loved going there
I was living in an area that had a few leftists bookstores (found some of the coolest secondhand art books from there). I miss living in an area that has those now
It’s so fascinating to hear about your perspective on this, as I am a Waterstones bookseller in the UK, and since the hedge fund that owns us purchased B&N and appointed our CEO as your CEO as well, the Waterstonisation of B&N started. The shelves that you do not like are the “new kit” they introduced in London a long time ago now and they want to turn all Waterstones into these lifeless look-a-likes. So now that B&N is doing the same, basically they are hoping to do the same things across the pond as the did in the UK to increase sales, heavily relying on other merchandise that isn’t books. Unfortunately, this is going nowhere and will only increase.. Hope this was helpful x
As a Barnes and Noble employee most of us hate the remodel/changes.... We understand that most people who come to the bookstore come for ya know....books and we also dont understand why we are merging into a toy store.... also the lack of a customer service desk in the remodel is frustrating for both customers and us employees.... they no longer also want to go for a cozy book shopping vibe and more of a corporate shopping stale vibe.....
"I'm worried that you guys are ruining the vibes and that my genius friend who I've never spoken to is not coming back." Damn, these are peak pisces vibes and I can relate...
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one traumatized by the remodel! It’s okay Swell, I can’t handle change either.
Borders and Barnes & Noble were like my get aways 20 years ago... Once Borders was shut down forever, I knew change was in the air as far as physical reading places to go to (aside from libraries). I haven't been to a B&N in almost 20 years now. When I was a teen in the 80s, my get aways were Waldens Books and B. Daltons Books.
Didn't Barnes & Noble buy one of those other bookstores?
Yup
Oh how I miss Borders! It seemed so magical to me as a kid. B & N just never filled that hole for me
I too am still not over Borders 🫡
Borders essentially used these tactics right before they failed, including things like removing seating in the stores to discourage reading at the store.
of all things they want to spruce up, THEY COULD FIX THEIR WHACKY WEBSITE. Also I went into a B&N like this in Kingston, NY and it is just DISGUSTING.
As someone who used to live in Woodstock, that B&N was never great, to be fair 🤣
The kingston barnes and noble is truly horrible I hate it
@@soogymoogi okay that is true. Poughkeepsie is the best one in the Hudson Valley!
Their website is absolute trash. I have gone on it more than a few times fully intending to buy a book, but ending up frustrated and on Amazon instead.
Yes, I agree with Shianne, I refuse to go in B&N in Kingston. No hardcover books either…… Talk about being claustrophobic…….
"do you see what youre doing? youre messing with the vibes" PREACH!! give more places to loiter and study and hang around so that you spend a ton of time in there!! but i wont hang out in a place blocking their windows or replacing shelves with toys. im scared to travel an hour away to my b&n lmao
Went to Barns and Nobles recently after a long time and wow...The place looked so...cheap? Idk how else to say it. Reminded me of a like yellow tinted old thrift store that no one cleans or something. Just a bad vibe. I left because the place was so depressing. Nothing like I remembered.
As someone who works in a Midwest B&N, I am shell shocked at a multi floor store?!? 😂 my store is 75% original decor from our 2000 open. Wish we could get a remodel 💀
Your store sounds like a classic! The remodels are terrible
Don't you love when bookstores go from "sit here, and read a part of the book before you buy it, maybe while enjoying a coffee and a snack" to "BUY THIS CRAP AND GO HOME IF YOU WANT TO SIT"? I love it. I love capitalism destroying all things lovely and human in favor of aggressive selling tactics. This isn't hell at all! /sarcasm /copium
I’m like 99.9% sure that the new, ugly carpet was just way, way, *WAY* cheaper than the considerably better looking green stuff. The fact that it hides stains is almost certainly just a happy accident/surprise bonus.
Of course, I could be _completely_ wrong about all of this, it’s certainly happened to me plenty of times before, but… I dunno, I really feel like that’s their MO. 🤷🏼
I think book stores are one of the things we grew up with and has held on despite amazon and new tech.
Kind of like your parents/ grandparents moving out of the home you grew up with familiarity. The new house may be thier home, but it isn't the home you grew up with and doesn't feel the same or have the same memories.
As someone that is also angry - thank you for this. I can’t believe they took away the seating, they literally took the heart of the store.
The part of the remodeling that irks me is that it seems the Middle Grade section has annexed by the "Young Readers" section and books like Skulduggery Pleasant that have people exploding in gore is being shelved alphabetical with like Captain Underpants and Dogman. Middle Grade is a huge category that is only getting bigger. They need their own shelf near the YA, it seems so short sighted to stick them under the Babar illustration in the reading corner.
🤔🤔❔❔❔
That just sounds like it'd confuse me as a kid who loves books and deter me from going to that store.
I loved the Percy Jackson series when I was 11. Would those be in children's or YA? If they were in childrens', I probably would have felt embarrassed going over there. If they were in YA, I probably wouldn't have read it that young, as I probably tried the first book on a whim after finding it with all the middle school stuff.
@@RariettyC yeah i think we need a middle grade and a new adult section because i’m tired of books in the YA section being not appropriate for teens (by my 15 year old standard i don’t think a book in the teen/Ya section should have rated R language and like rated R romance stuff) and i’m tired of middle grade books being put in children’s
@@abbeyy. Yeah, I personally don't like that books marketed at teens seem to be more R rated now more than ever. I don't have interest in reading R rated books, I feel like I should be able to do that.
I used to work in kids in 2021-2022, our managers said middle grade was just renamed young reader because people were confusing middle grade with only for middle schoolers and it was getting fewer readers (thus "young reader" being vague and wanting to bring more of an audience). BUT THEN people were confusing young reader with YA. I had thought middle grade and young reader was all the same content, just a renamed section.
I had rarely seen any gore in my section, that's such a disappointment that that's happening (occasionally I did). I had no idea they changed the content of MG before I started working. There were definitely graphic novels the computer said were in kids that were super graphic (no pun intended) and I'd want to move them but often was told not to since booksellers wouldn't be able to locate it. The computer sometimes had us put things in weird sections, I have no idea who dictates that. To be fair I was only there a year lol.
Thank god, that someone with a platform is speaking out for us b&n patrons!!! The remodel is definitely ruining the vibe even all the way here in NJ!!! They removed the entire 2nd floor and made it a company office that over looks the first floor???!?!?!?!?! 💀💀💀
3:39 Siri’s response of “I won’t respond to that” was more terrifying to me than it had any business being.
I found it hilarious :D
I don't understand the question, and I won't respond to it.
the thing with me and remodels/reorganizing things is if i really don't like it and it changes my routine too much, like them taking away a lot of the seating areas, i'll just... stop going
The reno’d Barnes and Noble near me has Target energy which is a horrible energy for a bookstore. I went in once since it switched over and don’t want to ever go in again. I’m lucky I’m not far from two really awesome indie bookstores and several really great libraries because I will be avoiding that B&N unless I’ve been given a gift card, in which case I will be deciding what I want before I go and leaving as fast as I can.
Thank you for making this video! So, I'm not the only one. 🤔 In Rochester, NY, they've taken the armchairs and table and chairs away and also have less seating in the café. We go to "hang out" at the bookstore, and there's nowhere to sit, nada ... anymore. If all the tables fill up in the café, which is easy to do now, there is nowhere to sit and read your books. There have been times when we walked into the store, couldn't find a place to sit, so walked right back out. Stopped at a bakery on the way home, and had our own cozy reading, hanging out time with cats and candles. Which is nice! But we didn't drive across town so we could just turn around and sit and read at home. Signed ~Frustrated and Unhappy with the new B&N
The cozy vibes are dead! The new stores are so bright they give me a headache. Who puts blush with grey????? Those colors do not work together.
Hearing this I'm so thankful that, where I live, the reading boom caused by the lockdowns and tiktok lead to a surge in independent bookshops (which all seem to be doing quite well) and a lot of chain bookshops playing up the "cosy/slow-living" vibes instead of whatever this is. Here there are more cosy corners and cafes being added, not less, because they've realised people coming in want a whole experience, not a physical amazon.
i feel like taking seating away and having the space more open and less intimate is like that to promote the 'sale' instead of browsing... destroying the library vibe if that makes sense
Which is completely the anthesis of what the average book lover wants when they go the bookshop. Does the management even read? Bunch of out of touch boomers just thinking about profit without considering what their clients wants in terms of experience.
This makes me so incredibly sad. Before I moved overseas last year, the B&N near us was fine, so I didn't think anything of it, but seeing what they've been doing to them all over the place, just, I am so sad. Barnes and Noble, specifically the one in Anchorage Alaska, where I was born and raised, was my go to place when I worked nights. It was the only place open with coffee and snacks till I had to be to work. I did so much homework there, but most importantly, it is where I met my husband. It is where we can many dates, where he proposed and technically where we got married! I even visited back home while I was pregnant with out first kiddo and gods does this make me sad.
As somebody who used to work at Barnes and Noble, my brain can’t handle looking at the remodel
The Barnes and Noble near me closed, and I was so sad to see it go but not that sad because I prefer my local bookstore. And then the remodels started, and I was like oh maybe it's a good thing. Now a different indie bookstore is taking over the space. So it all turned out to be a big win!
Omfg Amanda thank u for this video I thought it was just me. They moved and remodeled the one near me AND IT PISSES ME OFF. Shelves mad tall it feels like it’s towering over me and I get claustrophobic, the sections just placed all Willy nilly like a maze instead of regular aisles, it feels like an AI attempt at making an ikea set display😭😵💫I feel like a mouse in a maze trying to find the manga section instead of cheese💀
The fact that the windows are covered is so sad. I have a favorite B&N that’s two stories with GORGEOUS windows and if they cover them I’ll be devistated
I work for b&n. I get you. My store hasn’t been hit too hard by the remodel but I dread the day we do. We get so many complaints re: the hardcover thing, and I wish there was something I could do about it, but we’re just one little store :/
Yeah, apologies about the manga thing, we kinda just came out of nowhere and took over. It is crazy to how much it's changed though! I remember when it only had one shelf and it wasn't even the full space of the shelf. Maybe B&B will hear the complaints and maybe do changes? Idk, but B&B really messed up with the design.
lol, it's amazing how manga (and graphic novels) have seen such a surge in popularity. The two-story mall B&N near me used to have like 2-3 shelves at the most of the two, and now the manga/gn section takes up like several walls. And the manga section is always packed during peak hours at the mall. As far as I can recall, one B&N had a huge wall of manga with an accompanying 2 and a half shelves of more manga/graphic novels/gaming books. everyone else only had the 2 shelves.
Barnes and noble was cozy af and felt like an old library. Now it's bright white and fluorescent and it triggers my anxiety. They also significantly downsized the one by me.
I went to Barnes & Noble shortly after Christmas and they remodeled it to the point where I couldn't find what I was looking for. I had to ask someone for help which I hate doing.
Yeah-- in the store where I work, it's nearly impossible to find certain things without help.
I will circle the store 3 times, try to see if the location is listed online or it’ll pull up a little picture, sometimes I’ll even just leave if I don’t really need or really want what I’m looking for. I will do all of these things before asking somebody for help
ugh, and this is why Half Price Books is superior to Barnes and Noble. Even a HPB the size of a warehouse makes more sense than whatever B&N is trying to do. You're so right though, there's not as many seating as there used to be. Not that that stops people, tho. Like, especially when it's carpeted, people are gonna sit whether there's seating or not. Just means there's gonna be more "obstacles" for other customers to navigate around, just really adding onto the whole labyrinth vibe.
They closed the closest Barnes and Nobles to me right after lockdown. I guess enough people were like "We gotta read too!!" So we're getting a new one a few blocks away. I'm ready for the re-design that I probably will hate
Honestly, as someone who works full time for Barnes&Noble I would be more than happy to answer the questions/theories you have for what's going on (as an employee that knows what's up more than what people just see on the surface/articles being released. Not in a legally representing B&N way). Not defending everything, and also I'm sure the really large stores in the large areas (LA, New York) are going to be much more annoying in their renovations and layouts. It's honestly just a really big combination of a lot of great changes, and a few really bad /annoying (that are more obvious/large scale) renovations and changes. And explaining the educator discount, it's not actually gone. You just can't use an educator card/discount for non-school and education purchases now. So your second cousin can't get the 20% discount for a candle, using your (FREE) educator membership. It's just a lot of information that isn't really out there well for some reason :)
I've never been to this exact bookstore and it still makes me upset to see what they've done to the layout
just thought you should know that as a mommy, i don’t have the time to remember anybody’s upload schedule… but seeing you at the top of my recommended every few days makes me genuinely happy. so thank you, amanda! 🥰
Former B&N employee - was in my local store a few months ago and it was all sorts of messed up. I swear I had flashbacks of other times we did store relays and moved sections around. Only back then we never got so lost and things made sense
I was on vacation in Florida and I decided to check out the Barnes and Noble near the hotel. When I went in I felt overwhelmed because it felt like a MAZE. There were dead ends, book shelves wrapped around in a circle and lots of desk shelves with book. Despite all of that, they had way more books that I’ve seen a Barnes and Noble have. Which made gave me complicated feelings. Barnes & Noble is my safe space as well lmao so I get how you feel
This looks exactly like Waterstones here in the UK. Barnes and noble is owned by Waterstones, which is solidly a book store, but has much less of a library feel that your Barnes and noble seems to be.
The Waterstones near me only has a few shelves along the wall of books, and is mostly tables of curated books, which change super often so it's nice to just pop in and have a look at the new offerings and discover something new. It isn't a large store but also has a section for gifts, for cards etc. Which means I often go in for the purpose of finding a card and leaving with several books for myself and forgetting the card. The store has been this way for as long as I remember, the one I went to as a kid had an aquarium!
Obviously this works very well in the UK, where you just happen to be walking by a Waterstones on the way to somewhere else. Interesting to see how it'll work in America where things seem to be more destination driven
This explains a lot!
The bookstore at The Grove is one of my favorite places in the entire world and this video is so depressing to watch because of that. It truly was a wonderful place to go and I made sure to make a visit every time I’m in the city. Now I’m concerned my local B&N are also going to be making similar changes.
can you also talk about the Target remodel bc they added pipped in music and waaaay harsher lighting, it made me realize old Target was much more sensory friendly and quiet
There used to be a 2 story Borders in San Antonio, Texas that was the PINNACLE of bookstores. It was a paradise. I would go there on vacation. It had the best kids area, a fantastic cafe...it was just delightful. Utterly delightful. The 2nd story had giant windows where you could see over the whole city. Barnes and Noble could never.
I don’t think they’ve remodeled my local stores yet, but some of the things you mentioned in the video have happened… there are a lot of booktok tags and it makes me roll my eyes. The expansion of the manga section has been great for my household though
Back when I worked at Barnes and Noble (cafe, 2015) there was a 3D printer sat on the counter at customer service to be used in some event they were having. Someone stole it. I don’t know how they did it, but they grabbed it and walked right out of the store with it. 🤷🏽♀️😂
Swell can’t cope with change for 26 minutes 😭 please make every rant content.
I went into a Barnes and noble recently and tried to find a David Sedaris book. I gave up after searching forever and asked an assistant and they led me to this tiny row on this small shelf off to the side that I’d have never found
God I feel the exact same way with the newer libraries in my country. White walls, white bookshelves, ultra bright light. The Apple Store aesthetic is a fucking disease. There is no creativity in these design choices! It doesn’t foster learning or relaxation! Wtf.
As a former Architecture student in France (shifted to a fine arts degree), I agree with you that the minimalist trend (especially in bookstores) are an eyesore. I find the oversimplified aesthetic of stores nowadays trying to replicate the Apple store design as uninspired and, in the case of B&N, doesn't really invite me as an avid reader to buy their books or read there. I could have mostly imposed a Dark Academia aesthetic for that bookstore since that's more fitting as a place to read and buy books, yet for some reason my idea gets often tangled with the issue of being "too expensive" to build and that the Dark Academia aesthetic is often historically synonymous with elitism and white privilege, which is often decried by woke people.
I remember waiting for hours at the midnight release for the fifth Harry Potter Book. That was peak Barnes and Noble
I watched a video about the redesign not long ago, and the TLDR is they’re doing this because they’re trying to emulate the layouts of the small bookstores they put out of business. Which is kind of hilarious because they are doing such a bad job that it’s making me seek out small bookstores because I dislike the experience of shopping there so much
"It looks stressful. I don't like it..." I'm dying. This might be the greatest meltdown over carpet ever.
I feel this. It's happened here too where they destroyed my favourite local bookstore with a horrendous remodel, then the chain stores started to be taken over by home goods, and now there are no good bookstores. I became a library fan. The vibes are great, lots of cozy places to sit, and the books are free!
Yall out here in your rich coastal and coastal adjacent cities with B&Ns that aren't a single 500sqft story in the back corner of a shoe store
Back in high school, in the early 2000s, my mom or my friend's mom would just drop us off for a few hours at the mall. We would sit on the floor of the bookstore. We got in trouble quite a bit for it until the actual owner was in and told them that he'd rather have kids reading than not.
Hey I live in England and idk if anyone’s mentioned this yet. But I’m pretty sure that barnes & nobels and Waterstones (in the uk) are owned by the same company. I noticed that the remodelled shelves look exactly like the set up in Waterstones, there’s also different sections in for toys and board games and stuff. Just thought it’s interesting.
i thought the exact same thing after seeing those new shelves
Yes, James Daunt owns/operates multiple bookstore brands and also paper source now
I work for a bn that got the remodel last year and I've heard a lot what you said from customers too. The new book rooms do make it easier to steal so we were told to make sure we're around them often but most people forget. They also obstruct a lot of view which makes it kind of difficult telling customers how to navigate the store.
I hear that we're more like a toy store now on a daily basis, with mixed feelings. Parents love it, older people despise it. The retired crowd don't seem to care that much. My store is only a single story so thankfully nothing is too confusing, but it's also been 9 months since our remodel and I'm still relearning the store 😆
This makes me so glad that the majority of Waterstones shops in the UK are still cosy and gloomy
I have terrible news for you, which is that B&N and Waterstones are run by the same man.
@@rivrege3840 Yes but he's run it since like 2011
My barnes and noble downsized from it's own building to a significantly smaller location in the strip mall that shares the same parking lot, and I hate it. They shoved all those shelves from the first store in there, and it's a MAZE. I looked for the graphic novel section for at least fifteen minutes before I found it and it was a much smaller location than before. There's hardly any room at all which sucks because there used to be a whole cafe in the old location
The Barnes and noble in union Square NYC is really nice! They have the nice old fashion bookshelves with the ladders that slide along the walls, and the upper floors still have that library like feel, also my great grandfather designed the building!
I feel like consumerism has completely made us forget that libraries exist....
I love your passion about B and N! I used to be a huge reader, but I had a stroke 2 years ago and I don’t enjoy reading any more. I totally get where you’re coming from and I loved your big stack of to be read books! 💜
Also, thank you for still masking in the store :)
This video is just a mood. Also please note it could be worse. My local chapters/indigo (Canadian barnes & noble) closed and now its a clothing store. :(
I'm right with you.. I live in Texas, we have a bookstore chain called Half Price books (it has new and old thrifted books) i have 2 that I go to, they've never been changed, at all if they change anything I will rebel.
When I realized they didn’t have HPB everywhere I felt so lucky to live somewhere where there are a bunch of them. I could spend a whole day in HPB
Do they still have a ton of used music at HPB? I have one 20 minutes away from me but haven't been in years, my local library is just too good.
@@noralewis5390 I think it depends on the store. Recently I’ve been going to the giant flagship store in Dallas, and I know they have some. But I can’t remember if every store does
In 2019 I was training to work at a b&n that was opening in a new shopping/business center in my N. Virginia hometown. I was excited to work at one of my favorite stores and to have a location closer to where I lived. Until I learned then”concept” they were going to be using for this store. It would have a full sit down restaurant/food and less books than an average b&n, the new shelves were slimmer so all the books were front facing with only 1-2 of each book out. The shopping experience would be more hands on with encouragement to stay with customers the whole time they were in the store to try and sell more books. The actual store space was huge and open concept with all of the shelves pushed right against the walls and no aisles. I eventually left going for that job for something better, but went back to visit after they opened and it was such a strange experience, the restaurant was empty any time I went by and the shelves look so empty and sad, and I felt bad any time an employee would come by to try and help me find something lmao all of the genre sections were tiny but eventually I know they moved around certain genres to make room for more popular genres and expand the kids section. I’m glad I live in NYC now because none of the stores seem to be leaning towards whatever is happening to the store in this video :/
I miss the old B&N so much. When my husband and I moved in together over 20 years ago, our favorite laid-back date nights were dinner at a brewpub and then tipsily hanging out at the B&N nearby (which almost always ended in my buying several books by the end of the night).
Swell hates change sounds like me ever since my mom pulled up our carpet and put down plank flooring. Lol. Glad I’m not alone.
I hate the trend of making every single room in the house have plank floors. Obviously there’s some rooms where carpeting would be a terrible idea. But I don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and set my feet down on a cold, hard plank floor. And area rugs are freaking expensive
@@elise85391 thankfully, she only put it in the living room and hallways. Bedroom still carpeted 😆. Now I really feel less alone! 🤗
@@hailey.hah01 Same haha! I don’t understand this trend
I'm at Barnes and Nobles at least once a week (it's right next to Publix, so I can't resist the temptation whenever I go to the store), and it seems like lately every time I go, they have moved some of the shelves around. Every week, the Romance and Adult Fantasy sections are in a different place. I love going to Barnes and Noble, but literally every time I waste at least 10-15 minutes relearning the layout.
Having good looking carpet in a bookstore is a must. You can't be distracted by the carpet while you read/flick through books.
They did this to the one in the Americana and the YA/general fiction sections feel so empty now. They made a u-shape with a bookshelf in the middle and there's like a chasm between them.
Man, Borders closing was the hardest store closing for me. Loved my local Borders. My Harry Potter midnight releases were so fun.
I work at BN right now and while I can’t speak for other stores, this sounds different from how my store is currently set up. For now. Mind you, we’re a big store, but the idea is that all the stores need to look similar to each other enough so no matter where you are in the country, you’ll know where stuff is. And my store is getting ready for the Reset so…I guess that’ll be happening soon. And trust me when I say no worker is actually happy about the recent changes.
It also has resulted in a crackdown on specialized sections (we had an entire bay in fiction dedicated to black writers that had to be taken down before an area manager’s boss came for a visit because not every store has a section like this); there are no longer allowed to be cards that indicate where in a section you are (ex: the History room is hard enough to navigate but now there’s nothing to dictate which area of history or which country you’re even in); and other crap like the new membership programs that seem redundant at best and counterintuitive at worst.
Also, just as a rant from a worker, we are now starting a new shelving process where we are no longer going to be using carts to carry all the books we need in a section - the receiver will simply unbox the section, tell people to come get them, and we have to carry armfuls of books back and forth. “To save time.”
One more note: Two friends from work went on a trip to Texas the other weekend and went to one of the stores. The current owner of BN had also visited once and apparently when he asked one of the employees if they felt the company treated them right, they just. Laughed. No actual response. Just laughed.
TL;DR - To quote John Mulaney: [We] also wish we weren’t doing what [we’re] doing.
Omg yes. I went to one in Arkansas when I visited my aunt in March. I typically do library reading and haven't been in a Barnes and Nobel since the pandemic started. I was SHOCKED how hard it was to find shit. They not only separated hardback from paperbacks in genres but they separated those sections of those genres. So hardback mysteries were across the store from paperback mysteries. I had to do WORK to find out they didn't have Cat Sebastian's Page and Sommers books.
i specifically need classic books for school, and recently i went to find some new ones a couple months prior to my exam. i was STRUGGLING to find anything. i could find the colleen hoover, booktok, and romance sections just fine. but i had to go on a literal salem witch hunt to find classics that aren’t the overpriced collectors ones. it’s nearly impossible to find anything now, and so now as a result, i end up annoyed anytime i try to find a book. truly a tragedy.
Which is crazy because there’s obviously still a huge demand for a lot of those books. And a lot of times we needed specific editions of a book if it was abridged or translated, they would give us the ISBN. Now people would have basically no choice except to get them on Amazon.
@@elise85391 exactly!! it’s so weird :/
I love nothing more than watching people rant about things they’re so passionate about that I have no connection to. It’s always so entertaining 😂
As someone that chills in libraries and bookstores this hurts me. So many places feel hostile "give us your money and leave" vibes I don't need bookstores to join that group.
Book Collecting and Book Reading are two different hobbies .... that's what I keep telling myself haha