Granted, a lot of the toys are educational in nature but they also have a lot of cheap stuff from China thats packed onto the shelves.

The toy section is massive and incredibly overpriced and every time I come here it seems like its gotten a little bit bigger and more cluttered. There are electronic toys everywhere beeping and talking and little kids everywhere who keep them beeping and talking. As a result, Barnes & Noble (or at least this Barnes & Noble) is more of a toy and electronics store than anything else. Ebooks, video on demand, Redbox, Google play, etc have nearly made a book store an anachronism. The problem is that this place has had to try to remain relevant in a digital world. It was pretty busy in here with a lot of people but that wasnt the problem. Personally, I am always partial to browsing bookstores that are not packed with people as well as ones that stay open in the evening.I came here for a quiet place to study and read but didnt find it. Since the store is a part of the Valley River Mall area, there is a huge parking lot that is rarely ever full. I didn’t browse the entire store, and instead chose to look through the poetry section, I was pleased overall with the merchandise they had on display. It was definitely nice being able to take our time. I appreciated the fact that not only were the employees friendly and attentive but they also didn’t hustle us out the door. Late afternoons/evenings seem to be less crowded and quieter. I have attended this particular store in the afternoons and it definitely gets busier.

Since it was later in the evening and close to closing ( 10: 00 pm?) there were hardly any other customers. There weren’t too many places to sit while browsing the shelves which was disappointing so we opted to sit in the aisles. Like most Barnes & Noble’s the store is spacious. My friend and I decided to make an evening stop this past weekend and were both pleasantly surprised with how immaculate and impeccably organized the store was. This Barnes & Nobel was definitely one of the nicer ones I have been to.

Barnes and noble eugene