Why would Barnes and Noble Remove ALL of the Comfy Club Chairs? (mall, Amazon)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Aah Flamingo, I beg to differ. Certain stores like a B & N are for our shopping and entertainment pleasure. No, not lounging for hours on end. But there is a sense of the theater of shopping so to speak, an attempt to create an environment that encourages buying. Nothing wrong with that. Otherwise we would all march into gray cement buildings with nare a picture on the wall, wood boards and bricks for shelves and spend our recession earned dollars there. Maybe.
Well, I was speaking of entertainment in the terms others mentioned: spending hrs. sitting, reading, eating, etc. Certainly stores want there to be a nice atmosphere (pictures, etc.) but they aren't there for customers to spend hrs. in (i.e. - be entertained).
I can't believe this thread is still going on. All it took for me was to hear about the issue with certain patrons "pleasuring" themselves on the chairs and leaving evidence. That was it for me - never sitting in an upholstered chair in a public place again...ewwww. Wooden chairs for me!
A manager can not do a thing about a corp decision.
But really...you should of been shopping at the local stores where the owner is "in house" and actually cares to cater to customers and sales instead of just sales.
I personally don't like the seats because soft fabric like that can transfer fungus,lice or bedbugs.
I worked at a corp awhile back and made my employees resolve the chairs every other day at least and vacuum out daily. We actually had to BAN someone from the chairs for stinking so badly they perma stunk a chair we had to toss.
At the B&N in El Cerrito, CA, you are FORBIDDEN to stand and read.
After 30 minutes of reading near the Bestseller section with ample space around me, a B&N security guard demanded that I either move to the Cafe to buy something and sit, or move to a faraway corner to read. I cannot sit anywhere else because there are either few, if any, free chairs outside the cafe. Additionally, previous posters on this thread who have worked at B&N have testified on the unclean nature of free chairs.
Now, I am not sumo wrestler sized, or even one-third sumo wrestler size. I stood in an area with ample room for other customers to move about. I even offered to move to a part of the book table where I could not possibly impede traffic. All to no avail.
I could understand if the bookstore was busy, but it was not. I could understand if there was a sign or explicit policy stating no standing or sitting while reading rule. However, the only signs are those promoting the better-late-than-never Nook.
I wish I could call this an isolated incident where the security guard was bored. However, this B&N location has a reputation for repeated prodding of anyone sitting down on the floor or at an empty chair at the cafe prior to ordering. Many of my friends have had prior experiences at this location (but not other B&N locations) of instant prodding from a B&N staffer after a few minutes of sitting down while reading. (See: [url]http://www.yelp.com/biz/barnes-and-noble-el-cerrito[/url])
Prodding the customer to move because of reading while standing, therefore impeding non-existent traffic, however, is going too far.
I am luxuriating in one of those comfortable chairs right now, sipping on my double chocolate chip frappuccino, my laptop, and a book (Traffic by Tim Vanderbilt), with absolutely no intention of buying it (it's Sunday), and loving it. This is a truly a pleasurable experience. It might be freeloading, but it's surely being doped out in a back alley. And you can't do ANYTHING about it!
I am luxuriating in one of those comfortable chairs right now, sipping on my double chocolate chip frappuccino, my laptop, and a book (Traffic by Tim Vanderbilt), with absolutely no intention of buying it (it's Sunday), and loving it. This is a truly a pleasurable experience. It might be freeloading, but it's surely being doped out in a back alley. And you can't do ANYTHING about it!
I tell you those chairs are never cleaned.. disgusting. I worked at BN for years and NEVER saw them cleaned. I will only sit on the wooden ones. You're likely to get lice or something from them
I've been to one B&N in Wash., DC that has NO chairs whatsoever.
There's some Border's cafes where people go as a study group and sit for hours. Not a total waste for the store as most if not all, are sipping on some drink. So the store is still making bucks.
I don't know, maybe it's me, but if I were to spend x# of hours in a bookstore like B&N, I'd be likely to buy more stuff
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
El Cerrito in Northern California
