This is a great location! For some reason I feel like you can find books here that tend to sell out other places. As well as sports cards! They always seem to have some here and in stock. I came here looking for a book that's been evading me and sure enough they had a few in stock! I also appreciate all the displays here and how organized everything is. This is a good location! read more

The staff were very nice and helpful when we asked a question about locating a young reader chapter book series. The store is nice and big with a great variety of books. Checkout went smoothly and the cashier was so friendly! We ended up getting 2 young reader books and 1 blind box for $35 (not too bad!). I would recommend visiting this location if you happen to be at Grossmont Center. read more

Nice organized store! Great selection! They definitely need more staff! I'm going to apply for a job there

The store is beautiful, and staff is nice, friendly, as well as willing to help out. Different sections with many different options, and I usually find a reasonable price point for the products! read more

If there is a limit of one per person, it should be enforced upon EVERYONE!! We just saw multiple people walk out with several items after we were told one per. Terrible experience. read more

Clean, and friendly go there all the time right after work to chill since my job is around the corner. This Tuesday was there . black baseball cap, white t shirt blue jeans yes, I saw you. :) read more

Everything goes well at Barnes & Noble. Very helpful staff really good products nice café and bathroom friendly all the great stuff you guys do for kids. My book was not out I pre-ordered and they are shipping. Ppl like working her i go like weekly nobody in a bad mood happy helpful just the best shopping experience but is many members of my family's fav store. Thank you! We appreciate it. Keep up the good work! read more

B and N is my go to when I want coffee and a place to hang out. The set up for most of these are the same so I know what to expect. This one made a good iced vanilla latte the day I stopped by. Clean set up. I can hang out at these places for hours. read more

Large selection, well stocked with a wide variety of current and well labeled displays. We purchased several boxes of Christmas cards at 50% off. It was a pleasant experience to browse the isles with expect help located mid-store. Thank you for an excellent experience. read more

Love this bookstore, I am just starting to read habitually and the employees are helpful recommending new series that are in my interests. The book selection is excellent, the customer service is superb and I enjoy going there in my free time to read with a coffee. read more

This is by far one of the most well kept r*cist and hostile establishments left in San Diego, but not a surprise being located in Santee. They have a keen sense of following you around and asking "can I help you??" In a condescending manner to anyone who fits a certain "profile" (brown/black/perhaps baggy clothes). I noticed it for myself as I specifically came in and observed the employees at work. It's upsetting to hear that others have a similar experience. In terms of "protecting merchandise" I will tell you, at every other retail store they explicitly advise associates not to confront neither suspected shoplifters or confirmed shoplifters for the safety and comfort of everyone. HOWEVER, at Barnes & Noble Santee, they make it their goal to stop and accuse someone of shoplifting and publicly degrade them. They have lost plenty of customers and will continue to do so as long as management doesn't reconsider their policies and business practices. The managers comments under bad reviews are also very telling of how condescending they are and lack accountability. read more

I visited this Barnes and Noble this morning and I just want to say that the employee by the name of JAVIER L. was SO kind and helpful! He saw me and my partner looking at the shelf of Fruits Basket manga and immediately asked me if there was something we needed help finding and we told him what volume I was looking for, and he promptly went to the stockroom and found it, bringing it to us with a smile and cheery joke that made me laugh. When I encountered him at the checkout register a few moments later, he was again so friendly and cheerful, and even informed me that I could upgrade my membership for additional discounts and happily helped me through the whole upgrade process. Overall my experience at this store was a 10/10, Javier was a gem and the store was clean and well organized with a great selection. Keep up the great work! read more

Customer service is lacking. I placed an order online for local pickup. and it was placed in an automated hold.(No one at Barnes and Nobel notified me that my order was flagged) I called the store to see if they had picked the books and if they were ready to pickup. The local store had no record of the order. Called customer service that went to the account manager services. Order was flagged but I was never notified. So a two hour pickup I'm 24 hours later not getting my books I ordered. Requested a cancelation and now that will take up to 5 days. Never going to buy from this company again. Order was 25 books. Amazon had them cheaper and I chose to go with a local store. With Crummy National customer service. read more

Been a great place for years! Also a great coffee bar and yummy pastries. This place has withstood the test of time for a reason.

Barns and Noble has been charging my credit card $26.94 year after year without my knowledge or consent. In 2019 I purchased a one year membership for a discount on a handful of books. No one told me it would automatically renew and I never received the "Terms and Conditions" they keep referring to. Barns and Noble refused to credit my charges and have held my credit card information for almost three years now. I am sick of these large companies collecting annual fees from paying customers without their knowledge and falling back on "Terms and Conditions" as the excuse for terrible service. My wife and I cannot even enter the store without a bombardment of political books and racist attacks from the displays in the front of the store. The personnel at this particular location were once polite and helpful ten years ago but now are pushing a political agenda and stealing our money through their company "policy". Save time, money and hassle. Order your books online through other retailers. BnN is a crooked company and will suffer as more customers see this dark side coming forth. I will not be returning to this store ever again! read more

I love it here, definitely my favorite Barnes and Nobles in town. I miss the days of bookstores and find all this internet buying really sad. I like to see what I'm buying, grab a coffee and read or browse. Sometimes I dont know what I want I just want to browse. The employees here are always very helpful and have some great recommendations. The store is clean and obviously well taken care off. Working here may be a minimum wage job but you can tell the employees take pride in where they work and take a sense of ownership. Even the bathroom for the men is cleaned up and not all run down. For a mens restroom that says something. If you are a pop collector like myself Barnes and Nobles offers a wide selections of pops as well as other collectibles. This is usually one of my first stops when I enter the store, or even if I just plan to go shopping for pops I stop here first. They have a pretty great collection of exclusives as well. If you are an avid reader I would suggest signing up for the membership. I have fought it off for awhile but through one purchase last week I already saved $10. That means $25 membership has already saved me almost half the cost. And it is a one time fee for the year. read more

Barnes & Noble - A bargain buy with multiple questions about my parents, childhood, fatherhood, and growing older. - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

We popped into this Santee Barnes & Noble hoping to find a calendar or two. I figured that because it was nearly March I might find a couple on the cheap. Nope. No calendars. Oh well, that's what I get for waiting three months... I did, however, find a cool cookbook with a ton of Instant Pot recipes. They had an entire wall of cookbooks and a huge selection of Instant Pot cookbooks. Becky found some Christmas decorations in the $2 clearance bin that she just had to have, so it was not a wasted trip. I was impressed with the store. Books, books every where! More than books too, music and if I'm not mistaken movies. Also stationery, greeting cards, etc. And of course there is an in-store Starbucks because we just don't have enough Starbucks in Santee. Quick, friendly and efficient checkout process. read more

I was interested in getting a book or magazine to read and so I went to Barnes&Noble to shop for something new and was happy there were only a few people inside so I could keep my distance. Unfortunately there was only one cashier and she was wearing a face shield with no mask??? I could not take my items to this maskless person It just seems too risky, why can't we get this right??? read more

Barnes and Noble is one of my favorite books stores and my usual go to, when I am looking for something specific. This time around I was looking for some cook books, one to demonstrate how to properly break down meat, making sushi, and to see if they had any cook books by Giada de Laurentiis. To my elation, this particular Barnes and Noble had wall to wall cook books (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/barnes-and-noble-book-sellers-santee?select=RVUmeigAhj_jEDawjKKHZg#RVUmeigAhj_jEDawjKKHZg). The first thing I noticed they had plenty of Giada's cook books, but I already own them so I passed (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/barnes-and-noble-book-sellers-santee?select=RVUmeigAhj_jEDawjKKHZg#1p51u1t9xkVQSxZXRvipIg). I was unable to located any how to prepare sushi books, but I did find a great meat book, on not only how to prepare a great piece of meat, but also on how to break it down and properly store for $22 (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/barnes-and-noble-book-sellers-santee?select=RVUmeigAhj_jEDawjKKHZg#vTcYJNmNgc8uIXM540q1qA). In addition, the book came with 425 recipes and great illustrations. The ladies at the register were quite nice and had a good sense of humor. The store was very well organized with having many titles, and having the Barnes and Noble Cafe in the book store, is a big plus! read more

See all

This review is for Vanessa, she was working at the Starbucks at this location. Holdin it down all by herself! I wasnt sure what tea to order so she let me try a small sample of her favorite and I thought that was EXTRA kind of her to do. Super patient and her overall vibe made my experience unforgettable, even in a bookstore read more

Fantastic service here. I had an order shipped to my house and it was stolen. The employee in Santee, Christy was her name, tracked down the order even though it was fulfilled months ago, talked to the warehouse and worked out a solution for a good 10 minutes! Some of the best customer service I've ever had in my entire life!!!! Well done Christy!!!!!!! read more

This is another great place to take kids when it's 90+ degrees outside in East County, which has been almost ever freakin' day for the past 6 months. Is this heat ever going to end?! Jeez! I never really hung out at bookstores until I had kids. I've been coming to this one since I was a mother of 1 and now that I'm a mother of 2 for one major reason - Thomas the Tank Engine. In the kids' section they have one of those Thomas the Tank Engine tables that the kids can drive trains around. It's cool when there are other kids there, and they start fighting over the trains. "Hey! That's MY train! I want Gordon..." "Percy sucks!" "Gimmie Gimmie" "Waa waa waa waa" They have books there too. Read to your kids, it makes them smart. read more

Barnes & Noble - All of these are 'minez'. - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

Today I stopped at the cafe because I have a B&N card and you get a Starbucks discount there. Let me ask you something: do I look like I don't want a cookie? The dude offered everyone in line, in front and behind me, a cookie. I mean, if you're going to upsell then upsell everyone. I eat cookies. Plus, he cut a cookie-only woman to the front. I told him I was sad he didn't try to sell me a cookie, and then he asked if I wanted one and I said no. How dare he offer me a cookie after the fact? Someone call the ACLU! But seriously, I was like, "What am I, chopped liver? Not good enough to eat your cookies?" They have a pretty wide selection of pastries and sandwiches at the cafe, including stuff they heat for you, so it's not a bad place to get a snack or a light lunch. The store itself is usually not crowded, which is nice if you need to work or want to browse in relative peace. The booksellers appear to be somewhat old school book-loving individuals who actually can talk about books. Okay, I only talked to two, but those two both knew stuff. The store is sold out of my book, which I know you were wondering about. I don't know if it's because they ordered like 2 copies, or because they got totally bum rushed on it. read more

Prices are about average, but its best to check out amazon.com to see if you get a deal. They have a rewards card you can get which definitely saves you money big time! Stock in this location is very large. Sometimes I find it hard to find certain titles, but that probably my own fault. Service can be nice. This location has a cafe in it, so if you wanna kill a few minutes and read a good book why not. read more

Barnes & Noble - Logo - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

I love this B&N but I just recently found out that they covered all of their outlets in the Cafe which is a HUGE bummer and an inconvenience. The internet seems to be running slower as well, which was super frustrating. The food is delicious though. read more

I had a great experience while shopping at this Barnes and Noble today. My friend picked out her first " therapy art " coloring book. Such a fabulous selection. Brother's Grimm and Just Art Set and Brilliant Brush Markers. Also, Mini Kit Art Therapy ... I picked out the book " Hollywood - Dark History " and my friend picked out the REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY - Teresa Giudice's - Penitentiary. Turning The Tables .... We were helped by Lindsey K. who explained the Member Rewards to me. I've been a Member for years and she gave us great Customer Service and saw us shopping for a Coloring Book and came over to offer some info. She is so nice and we were so thankful she helped us. She made us feel like valued customers. Thank you We will definitely be back soon. C. Lovejoy Alpine, CA. Feb. 15, 2016 - read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

What can I say? I'm a book girl, and Barnes & Noble has long been my passion brand. The people here are friendly (we got high fives on our way in the store the other day) and helpful. The store itself is clean and orderly. They have a great selection in all genres. I could spend hours in any one of these stores, just browsing the shelves and finding books to add to my "to read" list (which is already longer than is manageable...too many great books out there!) read more

I got no help, standing in the Info Desk line. Instead the customer and employee were shooting the breeze. I was ignored. I went to the manager and she comes up with all kinds of excuses but there isn't any. There was no exchange of info on a book or searching the computer for anything. The manager should say I will address this with her, how can i help you. I felt that I as a customer did not matter, not addressed at all in line. I said if you can just tell me what aisle I will find it myself. She said go to the aisle with the Invisible Man - as if I would know where the "Invisible Man is" . Any customer would think that you are crazy. How would I see an Invisible Man" Then she said It's a poster, so go under the poster, then go to the right, etc, etc. I will walk you over there. This is probably why they had so many stores close, not because of the internet but because of poor service. I can never find someone to help me, I have to go up front and ask for help at any store. read more

I remember the days of going to a bookstore and being swept away. I loved the smell of books and how comfortable a good book store felt. Sadly, most of my recent experience has with with Amazon - I miss bookstores! Worse, Amazon raised my expectations on purchasing books. When my son got a B and N gift card, I was excited to visit the store. It was nice, a bit louder than normal but nice to be back. Unfortunately, they did not have one of the books, but that was OK. They asked if we wanted it mailed, but only if we paid for shipping. This was my first surprise. They said shipping would be free if I joined for $30! Wha..... Undaunted, I had them order the book for me to pick up - no problem. He had one book to purchase, requiring a long line. It got worse. The attendant could not use my son's gift card! For ten minutes she tried, failing. Grrr.... I paid for it with my credit card and waited for their call. A few days later my son's book was in, we went back to pick it up. After another long line, I had all the correct paperwork for the stupid gift card. It took 20 minutes to use the card due to the previous person locking out his card! Worse, I could not cash out the balance due to it being slightly over $10! By this time, I never wanted to step into B and N again! They said I could use my balance at their in-store Starbucks. While it was late and after dinner, I went to Starbucks. My goal was either to wait in a very long B and N line to find something or quickly burn the money at Starbucks. I should have known - the one item my daughter wanted was not available! We got something else to clear out the stupid account. This is why B and N is doing horribly. They SUCK at customer service and the customer experience. Amazon is where I purchase books. You don't need to pay for shipping or low prices. You can download a sample before buying and read the Kindle version immediately. You also do not need a Nook to read you book, Kindle is on every device. Amazon gift cards are easy and WORK. B and N can compete, but it must be on customer experience! People like me are willing to be slightly inconvenienced for a good book store. We'll even wait for a book to come in. However, the positives must outweigh the negatives. We want an experience walking in the door and leaving feeling awesome. There is magic in a good bookstore - something Amazon cannot compete on. B and N failed dismally in this area and I believe will disappear like too many bookstores. Very sad day - B and N - you blew it. read more

Unsatisfied maxi has rude customer service and so as the guy employee very rude laughing and pointing at me very disrespectful definitely need to talk to them I didn't like the vibe in there tonight no help at all maxi made me feel really uncomfortable I don't think Ill ever be back again read more

This is just an okay location. I was super disappointed when I saw how small this location was. It has an okay variety but because it is so small it can only hold so much. I felt like most of the books were just the most recent best sellers but as an avid reader, I've read almost all of them. The store was clean and well maintained and all staff that I came across was friendly. I am a B&N member so I get books at a discount after the initial fee and if you read a lot it is totally worth it. Overall, if I want a book I will probably go out to a different location but if this is close I will be sure to check online to see what they have in stock. read more

This is a great Barnes and Nobles. It has a spacious cafe for studying with a few outlets for laptops. They do prefer to reserve the cafe for those buying drinks, but that makes perfect sense. They have Starbucks drinks, various pastries and even Cheesecake Factory. There are plenty of books and it's really well organized. Much more spacious and easy to navigate than the smaller book stores at malls. Sure you could buy books online, but how can you learn about new books without seeing them and searching for them yourself? It's much more fun and helpful to have the book there in front of you. Plus they have cute gifts and accessories. The members club is pretty good. You get 10% of all food and drink in the cafe which is more than you'll ever get at a regular Starbucks Plus 10% off anything else you buy in the store. For the drinks discount alone it's worth it, but then you also save on new books and gifts in pristine condition. Give them your business and keep bookstores alive! read more

ive been a loyal customer at this barnes and noble for the past 4 years now and would come in daily to purchase manga and i even had a membership and was on a first name basis with one of the associates. but every time i go into barnes and noble, i am constantly followed by workers and i'm severely watched and followed even even tho i always make purchases. i even made a joke to my girlfriend about how every time i walk into the store, an associate follows me to the manga section because they think i'm stealing. but today i just got confronted and accused of stealing two items by THE STORE MANAGER named Paul and even though i showed him my receipt which showed both items on there with the membership discount applied, he still insisted on searching through my bag himself to find the same two items in my bag he accused me of stealing. he stated "you cannot have my merchandise in your bag" even tho i purchased it so technically they're my items. after i showed him my receipt for the merchandise i purchased, he didn't even apologize to me and said "okay" and left. not only was he extremely rude, he didn't even decide to say sorry for making such a huge accusation. i decided to cancel my membership with barnes and noble and returned the items that i "stole" and will now be shopping at a different barnes and noble, one that won't accuse their regular customers of stealing and would apologize if they did so. read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

Best music selection I've been able to find for a while. I like hard rock and was excited to see some of my favorite bands alongside all the cool soundtracks and DVDs. I purchased an awesome journal - they have great leather bound ones - and a calligraphy set to learn something new. The older woman at the register was so sweet and wanted to talk all about The Hobbit and cool leather journals. B&N reminds me why I love books. read more

This store has every book you can imagine. The energy is calm and relaxing. They also have a Starbucks inside their store. Although that's not why they specifically earned five stars. I've been in there two days in a row and each team member I encounter is friendly and helpfully Ruben specifically both today and yesterday went out of his way to be kind, friendly but also informative of all offers. read more

Place is quiet, calm, relaxing! The cafe is on point. Staff is helpful and awesome. They have thanks and gratitud for providing a great atmosphere to read and drink cinnamon spice lattes. read more

I came in tonight with my daughter. I was planning on buying a book but ultimately decided not to and as I'm heading to put it back I see an employee where I was heading and could hear him taking on his mic "She is approaching the kids area" and at that moment I realized that not only him but another employee were following me because somehow I looked like a "shoplifter". I don't know if it's because I am a Latina or because I had a backpack (mind you it's a medium purse/ backpack) or both. I felt so uncomfortable knowing that I was being followed as if I wasn't good enough to be a customer there! read more

This is my favorite Barnes and noble location. Simply because the service is just outstanding at this location. No one minds helping you find exactly what you're looking for or something similar. This place fills my heart with all its poetry needs. read more

Barnes & Noble - Yay - Bookstores Near Me - Santee, California

I have a love/hate relationship with this store. Since Borders went out of business and there aren't really any local mom and pop bookstores anymore, Barnes and Nobles is pretty much my only option to browse. They keep their sections fairly clean, and I can generally find what I'm looking for if I came with a specific book in mind. But you can tell the store owners are pretty conservative--I went in once asking about "Gay and Lesbian books," and in the ENTIRE store, all they had were 10-15 books hidden on a shelf that wasn't even labeled in the far back corner of the store. This is 2013, what the eff? They also had this policy for awhile of harassing customers to keep purchasing a steady flow of overpriced affiliated-Starbucks drinks and pastries to be allowed the privilege of sitting down, but I and a lot of others complained about that so they seem to have stopped that. I guess they finally understand that the ONLY possible benefit a physical bookstore has over buying books online nowadays is the ability to browse and read at one's leisure--and if they won't let customers do even this, then they're going to follow Borders down the bankruptcy hole faster than you can say "You want a double-whipped frapuccino with that?" read more

This is one of the best places to go if you have a lot of free time and hardly any money. You can read all the books you like for free as long as you like, and tea re-fills are only 50 cents. And they'll even let you choose a different kind of tea on the re-fill, so it's like getting a whole new tea for only 50 cents! Also, they do not put soy milk out, but they will put a little in your tea for free if you ask. Otherwise, the staff is friendly, the store is clean, and it's open till 10 every day. Weeeeeeee. read more