Always a treat to take the little ones for some good old fashion storybook time. Great children's area! Starbucks coffee/cafe Is a great bonus read more

Barnes & Noble - Great child reading area! - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Service here has always been good for me. I'm usually approached by a sales associate while I am browsing. Seating here seems more limited that at other Barnes and Noble bookstores I have been too. I am not sure why. The checkout line is also usually fairly long. The selection here is also a bit spotty. I always do a check on the website for any books I'm looking to purchase prior to going in the store. read more

This B & N is fairly large (aren't they all?) but is a double-decker and so the selection feels twice as big. The norm is now to walk into a full on assault of "Nook" products and accessories when you enter the store. I had been to this location over the summer and had a general idea of the section I was looking for and lead my husband upstairs. We arrive at where my books should be and ... they had been moved! We then did the usual "walk and peek" at aisles. I truly believe half the people in B & N are lost looking for the right bookshelves. My husband ended up needing the facilities and left me to go find one. He was gone for quite a while and it turned out that the restroom is upstairs and hidden behind a gigantic display of toys. Kind of odd in my opinion. The only reason I am giving it as many stars as I am is because they actually had a "Astrology" section (vs. the Alderwood location which had one bookshelf dedicated and called it "New Age") and that they have free wifi. read more

You know what's my favorite thing ever? When you wait patiently to order at Starbucks and you make direct eye contact with the barista because you're still waiting for your turn after they take the person's order in front of you. And then you're still waiting and they completely ignore you. Then another employee takes your order...while that same barista who you made eye contact with and ignored you, gives the best customer service to the customer BEHIND YOU. I even asked the barista who helped me if there was a reason why I wasn't helped by that gentleman...and she was taken back and said, "oh I don't think he saw you." Thanks Starbucks. I know I won't be going to this location ever again. read more

I never thought I'd still be living in NG when this B&N finally opened. When we heard about it, it was about 2yrs away. Here I am. The design of the store is quite different from other B&Ns. At first it seems very small, you can see the back wall upon entering, but it still has everything and more than you'll ever need. The clearance section is a bit limited. I've been here during different days of week, time of day, and I've been able to receive assistance when needed. Either from the Info Desk or from someone walking around. The person in the children's book area is VERY knowledgeable. The self-serve search kiosks do require some fiddling around but I can usually find where I'm going (finding the actual book on the shelf is another matter). All the seats (except the magazine benches which are downstairs) are located upstairs. There is a cluster of about 12 cushy chairs and then you have wood tables/chairs along the wall. The weird thing with sitting in the cushy chair center is that if anyone walks by..the floor starts rumbling. Big, small, does not matter..the floor will rumble. B&N also serves Starbucks coffee. I have to be reminded that the B&N giftcard works here and not a Starbucks card. I don't typically get coffee here because of that and because there is a guy working there who was VERY slow and dismissive. Eh. When I need to pick up the latest best seller/magazine, browse, or kill some time, you'll find me here! (Plus, the cashiers do not judge me whenever I buy a magazine with a Twilight actor on the cover *cough*..I always get the same checker who is British? He says "Cheers" every time. :)) read more

There is no comfortable seating here at all compared to other Barnes & Nobles I've been to. To me that is an essential aspect of a book store. BUT, they have a pretty decent selection of books (not the greatest) so I'll give it an "A-OK". If you need a best seller it won't be hard to find. Think I'm going to explore some independent book stores in Seattle though. read more

If you NEED a certain book, this is not the place to go. Yes, they will order it, but their selection is most basic in books, magazines, DVD's and CD's. They have a lot of calendars. Obligatory coffee shop with students doing math homework. Yes, it's a chain store. But, the selection is modest. LOCATION: Great location...at Northgate mall. PARKING: Yep...it's the mall... RETURN?: Hmm...it's like a little larger than a drugstore set of books and magazines and what-nots. It can be fun to browse if you don't have anything else to do. read more

Good location in the Northgate mall. The layout at first wasn't that great when I walked in. But after walking around and seeing how everything was laid out I was able to find a pocket dictionary/thesaurus. The coffee shop in there was busy with students having group sessions and some other older people just hanging out and reading books or newspapers. Staff was nice though not many people were there working on a Sunday. Must have been that beautiful weather we've been having. read more

I handle the Events for an Author here in Washington State. I booked an Author signing event with B&N, (we will be doing a Country Wide Book Signing), then Posted the book on the B&N Facebook page. Danielle at the Northgate Location said, It was Book Advertising, (No Kidding), so she would DELETE THE POST....It's a Book Store. You SELL BOOKS. We will DELETE our B&N Events! It's not the "deletion" of the Post about our Book, it's the Thinking, or in this case the Lack of Thinking. B&N is A Bookstore, why don't you want people to know a book will be coming to B&N and the Author will be available to talk to, sign books etc? And you wonder why Brick and Mortar Big Box Book Stores, (B&N) are going away, Its the "Thinking", (or lack of) by Employees like Danielle. A few years ago Stock for B&N was close to $22.00, now its Below $5.00. IF you don't want Authors to do FREE BOOK SIGNINGS, Why are you still in Business? We will stick with the Small Book Stores across the country that Appreciate the Business. read more

One of my favorite places on a rainy day. Unfortunately, I'm one of the people who are contributing to their demise. I love flipping through and looking for interesting books that I'll later find for cheaper on Amazon. I'M SO SORRY B&N!!! As a result, I try to buy things occasionally and support the Starbucks as much as I can. They do have friendly staff and a large variety of books and magazines that I look through for hours. It would be nice if Amazon would give part of it's proceeds to B&N if I bought a book from them based on my browsing at B&N. Just a thought!! read more

I really love the books and variety but I really dislike the lack of available help. The store in Northgate had these computer touch terminals to help but all of them experienced an error and stopped working. The customer service cubicles to ask for assistance were empty and only 2 people ringing up sales which led to long lines. It doesn't seem any better than ordering off Amazon... read more

This store is very clean and the service very helpful. The selection seems to be slightly lacking though... I love the Hungry Caterpillar, Richard Scarrys is cool and Golden Books is a great line, but no Miffy!?!? WTF? Miffy is the king/queen (I haven't figured out if Miffy is a boy or a girl yet) of children's books and is not there? Sorry that's just a little rant, but it represents the entire store. There are quite a few shelves and the store is big, but it isn't the best place to find specific books. If it weren't for the paper thin selection (i.e. once you get past the thin layer of popular and new books the selection just disappears) B&N would be a 5 star, hands down. read more

Friendly service Clean and welcoming No more plastic bag effective June 2012! Bring a pretty book bag! =) read more

I always have awesome service and good conversation whenever I stop by. Keep up the good work.

I get so used to ordering online but with the B&N member discount prices are usually better and sorry Amazon but it's fun to shop for books in a book store grab an browse is pretty cool here. read more

This is a huge B&N stores and they have a section with all great discount and deals. I like the arrangement of the store where the kids section are on the 2nd floor. I don't have problem with customer service but I get annoyed because they ask you to join the membership each time you are the counter. We only but new books from B&N like once a year and usually get them from Amazon or Half price book store. Other than that, giving them 4-stars since they are last book store around. read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Just want to rage at Barnes and Noble. Went over there to look for the second book in a trilogy. (The third book is voted as the best fantasy book of 2014 by Goodreads.) Go to the fantasy/sci-fi section, not a thing there. Use the electronic kiosk to look it up. They say it's in regular Fiction, and it's clearly not regular fiction, but ok, (and it very clearly specifies it's in stock at this point). Well it's not there either, so I go downstairs (this is a two-story B&N). There's no one at the customer service desk. I ask the cashier for help, he looks it up and says it's on one of the tables. So I go back upstairs, look at every table, and don't find it. Walk the whole area again and make sure to look at the shelves on the end of the aisles. Surprise! It's not there. So I go BACK DOWNSTAIRS, and ask the cashier if he can call someone to the customer service desk (cashier admitted he was seasonal and didn't know a ton about the floor). So the guy shows up, I ask him again, telling him where I've already looked. He looks it up and asks which one I'm looking for. He says, "no it's not in stock". I ask where the other ones are. He replies, "Well actually there aren't any here." Weird, I said, since the kiosk said they were in stock. "Oh, that just means whether it's available to ship." I was done arguing at this point, but the kiosk very clearly had "available to ship" and "in stock" as different things. Well when will it be in? "An order is on it's way but I don't know if it'll be on it." WOW. Very helpful. Thanks. No, I don't want to order it. Who orders books from B&N storefronts? The only reason I'm paying you cover price is because I want it RIGHT NOW. If I wanted to wait for it to ship I'm use Amazon and save at least 10% if not half the cover price on a gently used one. B&N in general never has a great selection of popular fantasy. Wish I could depend on an indie store to actually stock any consistent series of newer fantasy, but alas, I guess I'll just order stuff online. read more

This Barnes and nobles is definitely one of the larger ones I've been to. That being said, it's located next to the northgate mall which makes it a prime location for parents to take their children during a much needed coffee break. Some of these children are quite wound up and tired from walking around the mall all day. Asides from the screaming children, the book selection at this location seems to be endless! They have nearly every novel that I've looked for or have been accommodating enough to have the book at the store by the time I arrive (~1 day after ordering). read more

I love bookstores. Staff here has always been kind/friendly (though the people in the kids section could be a little friendlier when the littlest kids toddle by). But there isn't anything specific that makes this place a 'stand out' over the one in Woodinville or Bellevue. read more

This one is one of my fave places because of many different things. First of all, there's two floors of books which will cater to almost anybody that love books just as much as I do. I used to live close to the area and when I can, stop on by and see what books they have which I might ended up buying. It seem to sometimes happen when I saw what interest me and would buy it. Besides just catering to adults and teens, there is an area for kids to just relax and look at the toys and books that they have there. Chairs for kids to sit on and the staffs are nice as well. Store is always neat and tidy as well as quiet. Whenever you are in the area, check this location out. Another bonus is free parking. It's definitely a sweet deal here. read more

This is a really good location. It's two floors and has a ton of inventory. Staff is helpful enough: I called ahead to have a book put on hold and the obliged. I found it waiting at the counter. In a world where e-books are slowly taking over, it's great to find an arcade of books like this one. It's no Copperfield's or craft book store, but it's a good solid Barnes and Noble that makes up for it's depth with breadth. I found a rather obscure copy of a book my Henri Nouwen here. I think I'll being going back. Also, the mall this location is situated in has a lot of great stores. Panera is right next store. Parking is ample and Northgate is notoriously safe as a neighborhood. Kids were running around and all types of people were out shopping. Some homeless people were on the corners surrounding the location, but they seemed nice:) read more

With so many cozy, friendly, independent booksellers in Seattle, you better have a damn good reason for coming to a place like Barnes and Noble. Usually, my reason is that I'm waiting for the bus. Now, there are some merits to a big chain like B&N: for example, they always have at least two full "aisles" of shelves filled with clearance coffee table books and kits that you would never need or want but would make okay gifts for that person for whom you must buy an obligatory gift. Other than that, this place is the epitome of a huge, boring, book-selling chain. The first thing I saw when I walked in here was a humongous display for the B&N ebook gadget, the Nook. First of all, why am I coming into a brick-and-mortar bookstore only to be sold an ebook gadget? Second of all, if I wanted an ebook gadget, why on earth would I get a nook?! And if you're just trying to browse and want to spend a quintessential Seattle rainy day in a bookstore cuddling up and perusing stacks of books and magazines, B&N is the wrong place to be. They don't even allow you to sit on the floor (even if you're up against a wall) to read! Try -- and within an hour, an employee will probably come by and direct you towards one of their designed-to-be-UNergonomic, hard-a** wooden chairs, where your butt will be so tortured that you will be compelled to promptly hightail your way outta that bookstore. FAIL. read more

Boo to Barnes and Noble for being Post-Christmas party poopers. Tried to return a DVD that we bought there on Christmas eve. They wouldn't take it (even for store credit) without a receipt. They are lame lame lame. Last time I consider buying any gifts from them. read more

Barnes and Noble stores are places I can (and do) spend hours in. It's so convenient to plop down in a comfy chair and flip through magazines and read books for hours on end and browse the seemingly endless selection of books. I have yet to ever go to a Barnes and Noble and not find exactly what I'm looking for as I swear they have every book ever made. This location in particular is well laid out, spacious and seems to have a better selection than other locations. Employees at this particular location seem to be scarce. No matter how hard I search, I rarely find someone available to help. However, on the rare occasion you sight a worker, they'll typically be able to assist in your quest of some obscure or hard to find book and they'll also help with a smile and good attitude. In the likely event that you're not able to find someone to help you out you'll probably have to use one of those little computer searching thingys that never work for me :( Maybe I'm just a moron, but I can never, ever find what I'm looking for. Yesterday, for example, I searched for "Whatever You Do, Don't Run". Totally the name of the book I was looking for and according to the computer searcher thingy there were no results. I then typed in "Peter Allison" (the author's name) and again, no results. Only when I typed in "Allison" and searched through a never ending list was I able to find the book and location. I spelled everything correctly, I swear. Not user friendly. All in all an A-Ok location! Probably a better selection and return policy than Border's, but it irritates me that you have to pay to become a member in order to get discounts. Stoopid. But so long as you don't mind shelling out money for overpriced books, you will find everything you need at this location! read more

The Cafe Staff has definitely decreased in friendliness. After reading the recent comment on 1/12/2010 from BillC, I had to write a bad review as well, to confirm his impressions. I live near Northgate and come in very often to grab a drink and use the WiFi at the B&N. On this occasion, I was just doing a quick check of email, before heading home from the mall. I was forcefully asked to leave the tables next to the magazines and go upstairs when I didn't immediately order a drink at the cafe. Even when I said I would be only a moment, they didn't allow it. So I moved away and decided to write this review before leaving. I've seen the cafe get more popular, which might cause the management to be increasingly uncaring about pissing off customers. I hope that someone will notice the common complaints. read more

They used to allow people to sit upstairs along the wall. For someone who needs to plug a computer in, it was nice. I guess I could understand having people sit in the chairs, apparently the fire Marshall said so. But this time I was told the seats upstairs had to stay in the "center" and had to plug in downstairs (meaning at the cafe). But as I noticed when I first came in, all the seats downstairs were taken. Was there another area that I could go to? I didn't see it. I used to enjoy coming here and working in peace and quiet. But apparently I shouldn't be allowed to work in peace without buying something, or sitting in a place that I can't work in. Sure I could buy a new laptop, tell the economy to get better. Anyway, I certainly won't ever go here again if I am going to be told where to go especially if that place is full and I can't work effectively. They seem to be cracking down or something. There are better places I can go to or work from I guess. read more

My favorite place to come and study when school is in session. The Starbucks serves the typical line-up of drinks with an additional line of pastries and deserts from Cheesecake Factory. The tables are kind of small if you are studying with a partner, but if you are by yourself, either studying or enjoying a book and a cup of coffee i would recommend this location. The store itself is also fun to walk around and browse! There are also few outlets and those tables are coveted! read more

This is the 3rd time I've had a horrible customer service experience in a Barnes and Noble cafe, so I felt compelled to write a review to warn others! 1st, their drinks are horrible, every once and a while they make decent drinks, but these baristas are not trained by Starbucks. I've had the worst drink I've ever tasted from a Barnes and Noble cafe, even after asking them to remake it for me (they of course sneered at me for even asking!) 2nd, their policy of kicking people out of their cafes, regardless if they are repeat customers who may just want to meet a friend for a quick chat and drink some water. Plus they are completely rude while doing it! 3rd, today I was kicked out, even though I bought a drink because I was eating a sandwich (that wasn't from them). This is just stupid customer service! She even tried to tell me it was because of a health code violation and they could get in trouble! What? Please, this is a freaking cafe that serves food! Next time just tell me the truth instead of trying to sugar coat it by lying to me! That actually this is a corporate policy to treat their customers like crap! I will never ever give them my business ever again! They are going to go out of business if they continue with this horrible customer service. I don't know how they hope to compete when I can easily buy books and get coffee elsewhere for cheaper. The reason we come here is for the experience, ambiance, and "customer service" that is nonexistent! Bye bye, hope everyone takes heed and allows barnes to die a nice slow death. read more

I work at Northgate a couple of days a week and frequent(ed) this location often. I have bought coffee, books and gifts monthly, regularly. I made a purchase online at b&n for 14 calendars. They were gifts for Christmas that the store did not have in stock. I over bought by 2 items. I took the extra 2 to the store along with a receipt and asked to return them. There were at least 8 people in line and I waited 15 minutes as ONE clerk waited the line. When I got my turn, I was told calendars were non refundable. I couldn't believe that as I stood there with my receipt! I said that wasn't acceptable so I asked to speak with the manager. The friendly clerk asked if I could step to the side for another customer to be helped. I was willing to wait as I thought this was a mistake, thinking I was a valued customer, with a membership card and very loyal...well, I was wrong. A woman came up, took a look at my 2 calendars, grabbed a gift card and processed it without once saying hello, or how can I help. She handed me a card. I asked "what is this." She said we can only give you a gift card. I was shocked! No explanation, no conversation, just take it or leave it. I told that I wasn't happy, and wouldn't accept her gift card. Here's my rub...long wait inline, a long time, no greeting, no smile, no explanation. I saw many things I'd consider buying while I waited in line. (You ALWAYS wait in line at B&N, I think they like that). But the disassociated experience, lack of gratitude for a loyal customer, the long wait in line, (everytime) and a manager keeping her head down and not acknowledging the 15+ people in line behind me and walking away with out being thoughtful enough to acknowlege them and even call for more back up cashiers is just wrong! Wow! I absolutely can't recommend this place for their prices, and If I worked with their customer service attitude and professionalism, I wouldn't have. Job! read more

cookbooks knitting books mysteries chick lit picture books travel guides fiction classics young adult literature puzzles games! bright colors! shiny objects! i have a.d.d. and don't know where to start! The average human spends about a third of their life sleeping; I spend about a third of my life reading. Hence, my love for bookstores. Now, to be sure, I rarely BUY books (that's what the library is for!) but there's nothing better than a brand-new Barnes and Noble. Parking can be tricky here, but it's well worth it. Everything is pristine, easy to find (with helpful people around should you need them), and it's just....nice. If you see me frantically running through the aisles and mumbling to myself, stay outta the way! read more

So nice and big. I love that Starbucks serves a bunch of different goodies and there are tons of available seats. Maybe tonight was just a lucky night but I saw tons of cute guys chilling around the magazine area. Hehehe read more

While I appreciate that BN is one of the last few media places that maintain a physical store, the fact they they try to blatantly eye-gouge you is insane. Case in point: a Blu-ray DVD sells for $18.99 on Amazon AND Best Buy while the same DVD sells for $39.99 at B&N. That is crazy. No wonder they are going out of business. And also, the people selling the Nook and/or customer service are really silly. They purposefully try not to understand what you are saying, try to sell you the wrong product (more expensive) then pretend like you're the stupid one even when you specifically say you want the " Nook Simple Touch, $99" three times, they get you the one with the light. And who in god's name would want to pay $25 to join a club to get a fistful of discounts when I can get books for half the price over the internet? I mean I want to support brick and mortar stores and all, but seriously, if you can't at least offer more competitive pricing and choose competent salespeople, you're going to bleed customers. Boooooo. read more

This has to be the lamest B&N I've ever been in, at least if you're an adult. The selection of kids' books is decent, and there's a nice selection of games and so on, but the fiction, mystery, and science fiction sections are disappointingly small. It's not a small space, but too much is given over to Nook, DVD, and games for it to be very good as a, you know, book store. read more

I spent no more than 20 minutes in here, most of the books are way overpriced, even though Canada is way more expensive. They're having a 50% off sale, however, I struggled to find anything to adopt to bring home. First time making a Seattle trip and not bringing any books back home. Customer service was friendly. They had all the titles I was looking for just not at the respectable prices I wanted to pay. read more

This review is SOLELY for their Starbucks. Good food, good people, friendly staff. I'll be back!

I love this bookstore!! Well honestly I love pretty much any bookstore because, well, I love books! But seriously, this is a nice place. I could spend many hours and huge amounts of money (if I had either) in this store. I wish I could work here just so I could be around books and other book lovers like myself but alas, they never called me when I submitted my application...oh well. But still a great store and a welcome addition to the Mall. read more

This place was huge! This is the biggest Barnes and Nobles that I've ever stepped foot in, it was so exciting! Call me a loser but they had a second floor with escalators! I usually go to the one near south center mall since it was more local, and that place was puny. Who doesn't love walking in to what they're use too, but super-sized? They had a pretty large selection of books. From downstairs to up, they also had lots of nice books for bargains that may spark an interest, I know it did for me, learn how to juggle? Heck yeah! It seemed like there was a bigger selection for children's though. The children's corner was huge, taking up half of the upstairs! Very cute seeing little munchkins reading baby books. There were lots if interesting toys and gadgets as well. Lots of really randoms things that are interesting to look at, maybe for gifts I'm guessing? Fairly pricey though which sucks... This place was very clean and organized. For me, I usually wanna buy a shiz load of things every time I come to the bookstore, and I definitely spotted a lot of things here. Reminds me of those book fairs we use to a have in elementary school! read more

A Great Place to get a book. Seriously it is a great place to get a book, Also go there to get your nook which is like the Kindle but better in my opinion. read more

I would give this store four stars but it's only because I'm lazy and it's fucking massive to walk and look at and between the escalators and square footage it feeds my desire and love of books, entertainment and magic!!! Ahahaha but it gets a 5 att review for the amazing selection of products!!! Honestly, I love calling in and placing stuff on hold. They have the most helpful staff and I've made the managers laugh a few times with my lack of filter. I am not joking when I say, this location is probably the best. Oh and hella fucking clean, I don't even know how they do it !!! Also, largest selection of sailor moon characters! Thanks for having an awesome store!!! read more

Compared to some other Barnes & Nobles that I have been to, this location did not stand out in any particular way. The space isn't very large overall though for a Barnes & Nobles, it does have a pretty large section set apart for the cafe with lots of seating available however. For those who care, they do have a public restroom available for customers (something that I think is always nice). Like many that likes to sit at bookstores for hours on end to do work and/or read though, there are unfortunately not that many tables or chairs available. Additionally, their sales section actually has some good finds and not cluttered with books that no one would ever really purchase or read for that matter. As they say, a bookstore is a bookstore so even if it's not the most glamourous or fabulous bookstore on the planet, I am sure that you will still be able to come across an item or book that catches your eye here. read more