Yes, that's me happily pointing to the sign at the Amazon bookstore in Seattle XP
A few weeks ago I went down to the States for Victoria Schwab's signing and I managed to make my way to the Amazon bookstore there. I was pretty excited since you know, it's the first physical store they have.
The store is a single building inside a shopping center type of area with lots of other stores. Upon entering, I noticed how clean and neat the shelves all were. The inside was nice and chilly. They even had an area with soft cushions along the side window where you can sit down and just relax. I believe there were a few Kindle Fires lying around with games loaded but I didn't touch them.
It's a not a huge store so they didn't have as big of a selection as a Barnes & Noble would have but I took my time perusing the shelves and picking the books I wanted to purchase.
It's a not a huge store so they didn't have as big of a selection as a Barnes & Noble would have but I took my time perusing the shelves and picking the books I wanted to purchase.
Since all the prices in store are the same as the online prices, there were no price tags attached to any of the books. You simply take out your phone, connect to the store's free wifi, access the Amazon app, click on the camera icon beside the search bar and scan the book cover. Ta da! There's the price and all the book information you might need. I was most impressed with this system and had a really fun time scanning the books~ It felt very high tech XP They do have scanners set up in the store if you don't have your phone with you. Or you could just ask since the staff were really friendly. Check out was super easy and they even put bookmarks into each of the books I bought!
Overall I definitely recommend visiting the Amazon bookstore if you're ever in the area~!
Overall I definitely recommend visiting the Amazon bookstore if you're ever in the area~!
I'm glad they have scanners in the store - I'm not sure I'd want to keep looking things up on my phone.
ReplyDeleteThey scanners all work really fast :)
DeleteI'm so curious about this bookstore! I wonder if they'd have one in San Diego! Thanks for sharing your experience, Eileen. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm very happy to share it <3 So far the only one I've heard of is this Seattle one but hopefully they'll open up more :D
DeleteI went to this store back in June! It was so cute. It's fun to scan the book and check out the prices too.
ReplyDeleteI was totally like a little kid scanning all the books haha :P
DeleteOooh nice! Dying to find one of these myself. But none have been close to me. Someday I'll make it there! Cool that the prices are the same as the site's!
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest perks is the price! I definitely enjoyed my little shopping spree XD
DeleteI am intrigued by that scanner system to see prices. Very interesting. What a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteIt was super fun!!
DeleteInteresting! I was wondering how different it was from B&N. Our B&N is a free standing building in a shopping center very much like this. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a lot smaller than a B&N but still with great selections :D
DeleteI have to say, I'm still a little bitter at Amazon. I'm from Ann Arbor, MI which is where Borders originated. The original Borders store was 10 mins away from me and I still miss it dearly. It irritates me that after driving so many bookstores out of business through their online sales model, they're opening a brick and mortar store.
ReplyDeleteI definitely purchase many things from Amazon, including some books, but I don't think I would ever go into an Amazon bookstore. I reserve that financial support for my local bookstores. Thanks for sharing the experience though! I was curious to know what it would be like :).
Aww I'm sorry to hear that. It was definitely a surprise for me to see an actual store. They do so well already with their online sales but I guess they're venturing out? It was fun to visit for sure :)
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