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.
We used to have these awesome lounge chairs...until this one old lady kept coming in and relieving herself over and over again in them.. # 1...and # 2!!!!
Ohhh , this is spoiling it for me! They also have the wonderful and NEW club chairs at my new library. Sometimes, you just don't want to know.
We used to have these awesome lounge chairs...until this one old lady kept coming in and relieving herself over and over again in them.. # 1...and # 2!!!!
.
My goodness. I know libraries have bathrooms. What happened to her eventually?
I used to work at Barnes and Noble and I'll tell you why: People sit in those for hours, spill drinks and drop food, leave tons of books laying on the floor, sit down and have long conversations on their cellphone, rip pages out of books and magazines, teens and other people gather in them by the group, teens sit on them and make out. If you want the book or magazine then buy it. Nothing wrong with looking at books at the store, but if you need a comfy chair then you're planning to be there too long. They should take out all tables too. It's a place of business, not a library. New York City Barnes and Nobles and Borders barely have any chairs.
I would NEVER sit in one of those. There were two occasions at our store where men were caught masturbating in those chairs with hands under magazines...disgusting. Semen found on the seats. Yeah keep sitting on those filthy chairs because I can tell you they are NEVER cleaned.
I hope that wasn't the Princeton store..............
THANK GOD my local B & N hasn't removed their comfy chairs...at ours we have four of them, two by the Social Sciences / History section (one of my favorites) and two by the Travel section (my other favorite). A couple weeks ago, during prime Christmas season, I noticed the two near the Social Sciences section were replaced with a table selling packaged board games! I don't know if it's still that way (was a week ago), but last time I was there I "scouted" one of the two remaining comfy chairs by moving one of the hard chairs near them so I could keep a constant eye for when their users left. A few seemed to know what I was doing and moved out right away! There's nothing better than sitting with a bunch of books and a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (I buy something) in one of those super comfy chairs and just relaxing and browsing.
As for hurting the bottom line...well, on average I go to the store every few weeks to sit in the comfy chairs. At least I used to (I'm not as much of a spender now). I usually spend 2-3 hours there. I rarely ever buy books anymore since I lack the bookshelf space at home and prefer library borrowing (unless I have a gift card or maybe books in the budget section), but I almost always buy at least a Frappuccino there (with my member card $3.00 or so), often one of their wonderful sandwiches or rolls (up to $6.00). Assuming an average of $2.50 / week, that's $130 / year + $25 / year membership card - $155 / year from me for Barnes and Noble. Actually, with books and stuff you're looking at more, since I do occasionally buy something. If they took away all the chairs, and turned it into something similar to the Casa de Libro (equivalent store) I visited in Spain, you'd see me there a lot less.
As for the chairs being dirty, that doesn't faze me. Almost any type of "dirt" can be found in a public environment. Don't even get started on restaurants. It's just the risk you take.
Unfortunately, if you write books for a living, you don't get a cut of the $155 you say you spend on refreshments, etc. each year at B&N as you sit and read, for free, words owned by an author. As I said before, I'm all in favor of reading books for free; that's what libraries are for, and, of course, at least libraries pay for copies purchased from the author/publisher. I still fail to see how reading books for free while sitting in a comfy chair at B&N is any different, from an author's perspective, than filling up your tank at a gas station and just driving away without paying.
I used to work at Barnes and Noble and I'll tell you why: People sit in those for hours, spill drinks and drop food, leave tons of books laying on the floor, sit down and have long conversations on their cellphone, rip pages out of books and magazines, teens and other people gather in them by the group, teens sit on them and make out. If you want the book or magazine then buy it. Nothing wrong with looking at books at the store, but if you need a comfy chair then you're planning to be there too long. They should take out all tables too. It's a place of business, not a library. New York City Barnes and Nobles and Borders barely have any chairs.
I would NEVER sit in one of those. There were two occasions at our store where men were caught masturbating in those chairs with hands under magazines...disgusting. Semen found on the seats. Yeah keep sitting on those filthy chairs because I can tell you they are NEVER cleaned.
OH MY GOD! GROSS!
Uh, just nasty.
I would think they get rid of the comfy chairs just because people sit for hours, read and probably don't buy.
Look at the revenue from "comfy chair sitters" vs. upright walking customers and maybe there's a difference.
Plus the retail space.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate
Unfortunately, if you write books for a living, you don't get a cut of the $155 you say you spend on refreshments, etc. each year at B&N as you sit and read, for free, words owned by an author. As I said before, I'm all in favor of reading books for free; that's what libraries are for, and, of course, at least libraries pay for copies purchased from the author/publisher. I still fail to see how reading books for free while sitting in a comfy chair at B&N is any different, from an author's perspective, than filling up your tank at a gas station and just driving away without paying.
It is wrong to read an entire book at the bookstore. No one makes any money off you reading it.
I went to one here in COLO SPGS. Wanted a cup of coffee to sit a while and look at something. Most seats were taken. Some hairball of a guy sat at a table and had his filthy shoes up in the seat of the chair that wasn't taken, making sure that no one sat near him. I left. Never went back. Been 2+ years and if I want a book I'll go to Amazon or the library. Besides, those chairs do NOT help to sell books and that floor space is too costly to devote to unproductive uses. A coffee bar with barstools would by okay, but the chairs are not worth a visit.
Drives me nuts to see people in the B&N coffee shop surrounded by magazines and books...which they leave on the tables and chairs. This is cheap and freeloading, in my opinion. That's what libraries are for0 I can't figure out why they let 'customers' do that. I shop on Amazon because I can't stand the mess. I'm thrilled the chairs are gone.
Drives me nuts to see people in the B&N coffee shop surrounded by magazines and books...which they leave on the tables and chairs. This is cheap and freeloading, in my opinion. That's what libraries are for0 I can't figure out why they let 'customers' do that. I shop on Amazon because I can't stand the mess. I'm thrilled the chairs are gone.
When I worked there even managers didn't say anything because "corporate headquarters" wants customers to do whatever they want. The magazines especially get tattered.
Can you believe that when I worked there people asked me where the copy machine was??? Then they'd get pissy cause we didn't have one. I'd always get nasty and say this isn't the library.
Unfortunately, if you write books for a living, you don't get a cut of the $155 you say you spend on refreshments, etc. each year at B&N as you sit and read, for free, words owned by an author. As I said before, I'm all in favor of reading books for free; that's what libraries are for, and, of course, at least libraries pay for copies purchased from the author/publisher. I still fail to see how reading books for free while sitting in a comfy chair at B&N is any different, from an author's perspective, than filling up your tank at a gas station and just driving away without paying.
Well, because the the bookstore has already purchased the book (it's not like the author has to wait until they sell it to get money...right?), and they are permitting you to read it within the store. If they weren't allowing that, then yeah, it would be similar to driving off with gas in your car (though probably not as bad because you'd get the full benefit of the gas vs. not being able to read the book at home). And I should mention, it's not like I never buy books - I sometimes do, depending on my circumstances. Those long hours at Barnes and Noble ended up in a lot of purchases - magazines, from the budget section, even full-priced books. And considering how much I like the store people get me gift cards there all the time, which often end up spent on books and magazines. I think that's B & N's business model. However, right now I prefer to borrow them as I need more bookshelf space.
Last edited by tvdxer; 01-05-2009 at 03:35 AM..
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.
, this is spoiling it for me
! They also have the wonderful and NEW club chairs at my new library. Sometimes, you just don't want to know. 
