I really like the staff here. Everyone is so knowledgeable about the different books and magazines. I recently needed a cookbook and I couldn't find it on the shelf. So they told me where to look and assured me they had two copies. I just found it and he came over to check that I did. I love the selection this store offers and I love to browse. I especially like looking at the magazines. You never know when magazines won't be available anymore. I am part of the millionaires club, so I save a few bucks here and there. It pays for itself. They also give you coupons when you sign up every year. I really like this location. read more

FAM TRIP TO BAM!!! We went for their 50% holiday sale, there were maybe 20 books that we found in a very small section and we did not find any of them of interest. Walked around store was clean, but we did find certain authors in multiple areas, but the books were the same. After looking around for a while we could not find any of the books that we were looking for, even if they were not on sale. We asked a BAM employee about a certain book and they sent us to the back of the store to find the same books from the same author, not the one we were looking for. Went back to the front and asked if they could look it up in the system and they did not have it. The clerk was very nice and customer friendly, hence the 3 stars for the interaction we had with her. After looking the books up online to compare with the price if we ordered through BAM, we found it to be cheaper to purchase them online. We love going to the book store, but it seems to be getting harder and harder to find books at a lower or comparative price to online pricing and availability. We will still be going back, but maybe not so much as we have in the past just based on pricing. read more

Anytime my husband and I run into a Books A Million we stop by. They are always well organized and their staff is friendly. This one in particular was memorable because of a staff member named Leira. People that go above and beyond should always be honored. An added bonus to this location is that they have an ice cream station and sitting area. read more

Books A Million - Bookstores Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

Why are there no news magazines such as Time Magazine, The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harpers, anything to be found in Florida? We asked a person who was stocking magazines. She surly directed us to 'Business' and to 'Entertainment'. We came here specifically for this because it is hard to find news in depth in print in this state and were shocked to not find it here. We left shaking our heads in disbelief. read more

I had the worst experience at this location!! I love BAM, Im a collector and avid reader, I come almost every 2 weeks to get my Mangas, books and even have paid subscriptions for their magazines. I have been n this location's multiple times and it was always great. I came in today, and walked directly to the Manga section, first thing none of the employees that was there today greeted me and my bf. No one even offered help when there was 2 of them near us on both ends, had a girl followed us right away which was super weird and made us both extremely uncomfortable, took us a couple of min to find the book we wanted, walked right to the register. At this point being so uncomfortable being watched. We just wanted to be out of there at this point because we spend so much time and money there, we are always super nice to everyone and even know a couple of employees. So this was just shitty. Then 2 employees were at the register and we were the only ones waiting in line, the caucasian female wearing a grey BAM uniform, she has short blonde hair was checking out another customer, when she finished and thought we were gonna get checked out. We were so surprised when she just stared at us and walked away while the other employee Richard was still helping someone. We thought she was busy but she went ahead and just started chatting and leaning n the counter with another employee that followed us. She then kept staring without saying anything. While she was at the door she didn't even say bye but just stared at me and my bf. We felt so unwelcomed and just uncomfortable. We thought that was very rude and and such a shitty experience. read more

Every time I come here I always find what I am looking for, and for the rare times that I don't the staff always know where to look or help me find it at another store or online to be sent to my home. Genuinely one of the best places to find stuff for my DND Campaigns, to fantasy books, and cook books. read more

This is a nice location situated right in the center of an open air mall, Lakeside Village. It's in a nice area to stroll around, do some shopping, have a bite to eat, go to the movies and chill by the fountains. They've got a great selection of books, kids books and magazines. They're also good for feeding that inner pop culture nerd with tons of Funko Pops, collectibles, board games, T-shirt's and more! There's nothing that probably can't be purchased online for a little cheaper, but sometimes it's nice to browse a brick and mortar store and this is a great place for it. There's even a Yogurt Mountain right inside for some self serve ice cream treats! If you aren't a member of their rewards program, they WILL drill you to purchase a membership every single time you check out! We purchased ours ($12 a year) really just to stop them asking. But now they just try to get us to buy magazines every time we near a register. But, we just say no. We do like this store and we go often. It's a great part of Lakeside Village! read more

Whenever I am needing a new book or even journal this is a great place to go! The staff at this location is extremely friendly and helpful. The location of the store is great as there are lots of other stores nearby. PROS: location, friendly staff, decent inventory selection Cons: It gets annoying with employees pressuring customers into signing up for a "free magazine". Not sure if they still do this or not. read more

I love Books A Million! I especially loved this one because there is a Yogurt Mountain inside the book store. The service here was friendly and I loved it! read more

Nice book store, pleasant atmosphere, take some time to browse, relax and enjoy Friendly and helpful staff. read more

This place has EVERYTHING to do with books or reading or writing or drawing or listening to and even wearing stuff about books. It reminded me of how good Borders in Glasgow used to be. Unexpectedly (or maybe not) there were more than 3 aisles dedicated to Bibles, Bible covers, Christian Living, Bible stationary, Christian fiction, Christian romance, age-specific Bible studies, etc etc etc. read more

I doubt it would be possible for me to give any bookstore an awful rating. I went for years to BAM when it was on South Florida Avenue. I miss it there (it was in a bigger location and had a much more spacious layout.) When they moved to Town Center, I understand why - newer, hip place for business, not having to worry about a sinkhole issue arising in the old area, etc.) - but they had to downsize a lot, get rid of some books, and make things more compact. Joe's Mug was a good coffee shop, even if there desserts and food were usually non-edible. Seriously. A group of five friends and I hung out at the coffee shop and BAM every Tuesday night for 2 years. Whenever we tried any of the food, we would regret it and promise, never again! The drinks, however, were always good. Yogurt mountain has replaced this. They have good ice cream there, but honestly it's just not the same coziness. They have hip, artistic design and decoration around the store area with beautiful photography reading artwork, black frames. The magazine and children's area is smaller than before, but they lay it out as best as they can. I definitely miss the train kids could sit in and watch movies at that was at the older one though. I agree with others that the discount card is ridiculously high. $20.00 when it's expires in a year? No thanks. When I was a teenager I worked at the older store and back then it was only $5.00, which was easy to make up for through the year by purchasing. The comics and graphic novel section - Expansive, easy to get to, displayed well, and one of their better fiction areas. Their religious/Christianity area is well laid out and expansive. The Urban Fantasy is mixed in with the general fantasy, and most of the horror and thrillers are also mixed in with other genres and not quite accurate. This can make a book harder to find. On one hand, I could go into the mystery section and find certain Urban Fantasies, but if I go into the fantasy section, I find some of the same books there. Where it gets tricky is when you don't find the same books, but instead the same author and series, so obviously who does their stock is confused. The gift section is fun and always changing, and I love the bargain books area. Great store. read more

Books-A-Million is the only game in town when it comes to a physical bookstore selling new books. However, when your competition is an online retailer selling books at a discount without the need to buy into a yearly membership program, being the only game in town doesn't cut it on its own. The primary task of the staff seems to be trying to sell their membership cards and tricking the gullible into signing up for "free" magazines at checkout (come on people, like Nancy Reagan told us years ago, just say no). One associate is particularly annoying about this -- how many times do I need to say "no" until you understand I mean no? Annoying your customers does not build brand loyalty. Otherwise, the staff is generally scarce, rarely acknowledges your presence, and if you do ask for help, they're generally not very knowledgeable. They generally only carry recent titles, so the selection tends to be limited (oh, you can order what we don't have in-store online, they say -- but why bother coming to a physical location if I can just order it from home online and from a competitor who charges less?). If BAM wants to continue as a physical-presence bookstore, they need to do things that distinguish the physical shopping experience from the online shopping experience in a good way. Being hounded about buying membership cards and "free" magazines does make it different from shopping online, but not in a good way. BAM: hire people who are passionate about books, train them so they understand customer service and are knowledgeable about your products, carry unique books, and stop with the constant membership card and "free" magazine sales pitches. That would be a good start. I'd hate to see the last remaining physical bookstore in Lakeland close, but if BAM doesn't up their game, I'm not clear how they can generate the revenue needed to stay in business. read more

What a scam. No we didn't want to join. Yes - we purchased a book and it was donated to a school. For this we get 2 months free magazines. What they don't tell you is they will be charging your card - it is really a subscription. No wonder this type of store is closing. Complained to manager but their computer system is antiquated and they can't do anything about the magazines. BAM should be ashamed. I didn't realize stores were doing this type of thing anymore. STAY AWAY. read more

STAY AWAY. Amazon or Barnes and Noble is a WAYYY better option. You can't go in there to purchase just a book without being badgered by one of there god awful associates ( Richard in my case ). After purchasing my book I was told I would receive a 2 month free trial for 3 magazines. They conveniently left out that my credit card would be kept on file and be used for automatic payments after the trial ended. I told the associate (Richard) I refuse to sign the receipt because I was never told this until after the purchase was completed. Richard said to me " I can't force you to sign anything, but I can't go back into the system and change it now " that's complete and utter bullshit and BAM comes off as a bunch of scam artists peddling there shitty magazines on unsuspecting customers. read more

I went out of my way to purchase here (instead of on Amazon), to support the continued existence of the brick-and-mortar bookstore, and was really surprised by the disgusting experience I had at checkout. This place is like a seedy spam-filled website, but far less convenient. Trying to buy 2 books and a clearance item, I was aggressively harassed to buy into some sort of pay-to-play discount program, and when I refused, was pushed to participate in some "RISK FREE" magazine offer, which I hastily signed off on (choosing only 1 title instead of the 3 that the guy was pushing me to choose) to get the guy off my back. Now, with most "risk free" magazine offers online, you receive an issue or 2, you receive a paper bill and, if it isn't paid, they simply stop sending them! Actually risk-free. When I got home with my books, I found I had been charged double the marked price for the clearance item, and that this magazine offer planned to CHARGE THE CREDIT CARD I USED AT BAM unless I jumped through hoops to cancel it in time. I found this to be absurd and disgraceful, especially considering the abrasive interaction I had with the register employee already. I attempted to return my items and have this offer canceled via BAM, and was told that they could not cancel the magazine offer for me, and that they also could only give me a gift card for my returns, as I did not have my husband's credit card with me! So... you mean to tell me you can CHARGE my card without having it present, but you can't refund my less-than-$30 purchase?? GET REAL! This is a simple and easy process at almost any other major retailer. Stupid scummy business tactics like this will contribute to the total demise of the brick-and-mortar bookstore. I will be sad to see them go, but with practices like this, they absolutely deserve it. If you ever hope to compete with online retailers, you really can't pull this kind of garbage with your customers. Literally nobody appreciates it. read more

This has got to be the worlds largest BAM! The variety and depth of this book store is phenomenal. Unfortunately, that means crowded. The clerks are overall helpful. They are great with special orders. Lots of bargain books. Great kids' section. Tons of magazines--and benches. In store coffee shop. Great location within a mall (Lakeside Village) so lots of places to eat and other things to do! What keeps it from being five star? a costly annual membership fee--to qualify for the discounts. I would never make that amount back in a year. read more

More of a hangout for teens than a bookstore. Between the teens, ice cream store, and constant intercom announcements this place is very loud, don't expect to be able to peruse books peacefully. Some sections of the store have little to no organization. read more

Visited Tampa while my husband was on a business trip and walked around the shops in this small village. I spent over an hour in this store and went back the next day. So many great books, journals, games, and other interesting items. Loved how clean and organized it was. read more

SCAM ALERT!! This guy tries to tell you he can give you free magazines when in reality he's signing you up for a subscription. Then you try to cancel said subscription and getting some call center in India to cancel you subscription turns out to be impossible. Completely unethical jerk-off read more

I was in this store months back to buy one magazine. While paying, I was offered a deal that the store was promoting to sign up for 3 free magazines of my choice for 3 months. I was told by the woman at the check out that it was free, no strings attached...and she gave me a list of the magazines I could pick from. No where on the handout she gave me did it say anything about automatically signing up for a subscription after a few months, which is exactly what it was. I was never told this and had to find out after seeing a charge for the magazine subscriptions in my checking account. Not only was I charged without my knowledge or permission, but I never even received the free magazines to begin with! I did call the company and have the charges refunded, but when I called Books-A-Million to complain, the customer service woman just told me to call the company and cancel...that they were very nice. However, my issues is with Books-A-Million scamming me into signing up for multiple subscriptions that I never wanted...not with the magazine company. It is the responsibility of the store selling this to let their customers know exactly what they are signing up for. When she offered to connect me to a manager, I was put on hold and was never connected to anyone. I am furious with this store and their lack of customer service. I will never shop here again. read more

Decent chain type book store. The newish location is fancier than their old Florida Ave spot, but in a way they have fewer books. A lot of the store is taken up now by book or movie related items - DVDs, toys, fantasy games, etc. Not necessarily bad. But, the books have to suffer to fit in all the other non book stuff. Usually I can find something, though. The selection of magazines is great. read more

VERRRRY UNHAPPY with the store manager DIANE STONE! went shopping here tonight and found some items on the shelf marked $2.99 each, so I brought a few of them to the register and they rang up as TRIPLE the price that was marked! The cashier did not know what to do so she called her manager Diane Stone.. Diane confirmed that the error in pricing was the stores error.. She then proceeded to tell me if I wanted to purchase the items I HAD to pay TRIPLE the price for them!!! CRAZY.. ITEMS MISPRICED AND THE CUSTOMER GETS THE BOMB DROPPED ON THEM AT THE REGISTER!!! In my opinion the store should sell the item at the price marked if its there error! VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.. moving on to another book store going forward. read more

I am really disappointed! I went to Books A Million to get a gift for a first communicant ( someone receiving communion for the very first time). I was going to buy a bible and went searching for a Catholic Bible. There was at least four sections of bibles, I mean like 16 feet of bibles! I searched through them looking for my New American Bible to give as a gift. Searching through all those bibles I found four (4) copies of the Catholic Bible, only four in those 16 feet of book cases! All of these were in excess of $35 and I didn't have the funding for that much! I then proceeded to the customer service counter , just in case maybe they were in another area. The clerk was very helpful but they apologized and said Yes there are only those four Catholic bibles. Do you know that the Catholic Bible is the only bible that contains ALL of the books of the bible, some 73 books! Protestant bibles have 66 books. I could purchase a protestant bible ( most of what was available at Books A Million, but why?? I am VERY disappointed that such a large book store would only have such a limited amount of Catholic bibles in an area ( Lakeland Florida) that supports four (4) large Catholic churches. read more