Barnes & Noble

This Barnes & Noble is what book store should be. They are always having great events that span a pretty wide spread of interests and cultures. The children’s section is a clean well lit place where little creatures can wander and find what they love!

This location is very much like all the others. There is a coffee shop inside and free wi-​fi available. There is a second floor of which I didn’t have time to visit, but will on my next trip. They have a big selection of magazines to search through. I like all the different seating areas located around the store. If by chance the mood hits you, grab a comfy seat and read a couple chapters to see if the book is worthy of taking home. The bargain section is fairly big and there are so many different cookbooks available. I loved seeing all the Vegan cookbooks. That’s an area I’d like to explore a little more. Got so many gift ideas, especially with Christmas coming on fast. I’m a fan of Barnes & Noble. It’s a big bookstore. Though I don’t mind the occasional visit, my heart belongs to the local bookstores around SA. They have so much more warmth and character.

Went and the place was packed full but everything still seemed very neat and well organized which surprised me especially being so close to Christmas. The staff was very helpful when we had a few questions for them.
If you are looking for a good Barnes and Noble that is big with lots of options I would say this is a good place to go.

Solid B&N. Great for studying when all the libraries are closed or people watching if you have nothing to do. There is plenty of seating available at the Starbucks lounge as well as spread throughout the store. The baristas were really polite and did a great job taking our orders when on probably one of the busiest days of the year (December 23) for the mall.

Really crowded. No where to sit. People come here to chill, not read or find books. There are also lots of university students who come study here. Sometimes this place gets too cold. It’s a bit dirty. Parking is for the most part a challenge. But if you don’t mind all of that, this is a great place to find gifts (journals, book weights, bookbags, bookmarks, reading aids, and more), pick up a good book, and be on your way. They have a Starbucks Café inside but the café doesnt take Starbucks gift cards. Their coffee also doesnt taste like Starbucks. They do have free wifi. I do love the fact that there is a b&n in the area though.

A large and cool refuge between crowded and hot shopping. Parking nor location makes this my first choice for a bookstore, yet it is perfect when I am already in the area.
Love stopping in here for a book for the kiddo, they have a very cute section just for the little ones.
Recently stopped in for a title I had heard on our local TPR station.
The gentleman behind the counter was so helpful even though I had slightly messed up the title.
He took the escalator to the top floor and showed me to the elevator as I had the stroller and kiddo.
I got up quickly yet by the time I met him he already handed over the title. Talk about service.
I still feel very 1999 when walking in to a B&N, yet so happy when walking out with a book.

I always enjoy coming here. Maybe it’s the nerd in me, but I find bookstores to be so relaxing. Give me a cup of java, a book, and a comfortable chair and come find me again in a few hours. Have fun at the Apple store, honey. They have a great selection of books, classics, parenting, bargain section, etc. It never fails though, every time I’m here I always hear an associate yell at least once at patrons to not go up the escalator coming down. In the day of technology, there is still something about flipping through actual pages of a book that is so much more enjoyable to me than reading on an e-​reader, even though I have one and read from it. Barnes & Noble provides that experience and a very comfortable place in which to do it.

Come to this location if, and only if, you:
(1) Don’t mind parking a far way away
(2) Don’t mind a crowded store
(3) Don’t mind seriously rude staff
(4) Have no intention of bringing in snacks or drinks from outside (this location is located in huge outdoor mall, odds are you will have something like this)
(5) don’t mind sitting at ONE tiny table, as you are not permitted to bring little tables together.
Seriously, I’ve never had such problems with other Barnes & Nobles. But what will keep me from ever going back was the (I presume) manager coming up to my mom and I to tell us the leftovers we carried in from the mall was not permitted (even though we were seated in café) because we could order from starbucks. He did this even though we had 2 venti cups of coffee and 2 venti teas from his café between the two of us! — If you’re THAT anal about people bringing in outside food/​leftovers, you probably shouldn’t be located in a MALL.
Secondly, was on a separate day when my mom and I, wanting a little more space for our items than the tiny, near-​useless tables offered, attempted to move 2 of them together. We were quickly told that wasn’t permitted, and the (I presume) manager took one of the tables right out of my hands and back where it was. And then rudely stated the tables «had to be a certain distance away from each other.» — I have never heard of such a rule at ANY Barnes & Noble ever before. — His rudeness cost him a $ 500 sale. Before even going to the café I had selected a Level 1 – 5 rosetta stone package to purchase before I left.
I was more than happy to leave it, unpurchased, on the table he took out of my hands.
I instead went to the Barnes & Nobles at 281 and 1604 where a nice lady was more than happy to ring up my $ 570 purchase.

Definitely not the best B&N in town. The La Cantera traffic is a huge part of why I dislike coming to this particular B&N. I agree with John H that if you’re just need B&N and no other particular store, DO NOT go here. you’ll have a headache just trying to find a parking spot.
The store is petty unique in that it is a two story B&N, I haven’t been to another like that here in SA. Service is usually pretty friendly. Beware, there are two exits, so it can get really easy to get confused when you’re exiting. One is to the outside where the parking lot is and the other is to enter the rest of the shopping area (you wouldn’t think it could be confusing — but it is)!

This Barnes & Noble is alright but it seems to be kind of run down. The store wasn’t kept very clean and the staff were not extremely helpful.

I love books but this honestly isn’t my favorite B&N location for several reasons.
I’ve gone in here a handful of times being as its close to work and sometimes I get the urge to pick up a new book.
This location looks huge from the outside since its two stories but somehow I feel like the layout isn’t very space efficient. Maybe its just me but I see too much wasted space Did I mention the parking? No? Well, the parking situation can be abysmal. Being as this location is part of the La Cantera mall, parking can be hard to come by if you just want to shop B&N.
Also, I have yet to actually find any of the books I went in there to purchase. I have left with an impulse buy but I’m disappointed in the selection overall. Once, I checked online to see if a book was available in store. the website said they had two copies in stock but when I got there, there were none to be found. The staff wasn’t the greatest at being knowledgeable about their inventory either.
The Starbucks café downstairs is nice and the exterior looks gorgeous but my favorite location is still the one on 410 near North Star mall. Better staff, greater selection, and I have yet to leave feeling unsatisfied.

I’m a B&N fan, and I still can’t defend this place.
The parking situation is horrible. Not really their fault, but be prepared to battle it out for a space within walking distance. Or just make sure you schedule a trip with more stops. This is NOT the B&N to go to if you’re only in need of a B&N.
I had a relatively simple exchange to take care of on my Nook. Three reps worked with me and they were all VERY unfamiliar with the products. They kept trying to upsell me into a Nook Color, which doesn’t use e-​ink. When that failed, they spent a good half hour on the phone with customer support to figure out how to exchange my defective nook.
So yeah. Could have saved myself the trip and aggravation since they did exactly what I could have online.
For the one product that distinguishes B&N from their competitors.
And is supposed to drive foot traffic to physical stores.
*sad trombone noise*

Tried this out while visiting San Antonio.
1. Parking took a while — the mall has plenty of lots; but they’re largely empty and roped off for valet use.
2. This is a big, 2-​story store — but the fiction section upstairs is ridiculously tiny! They do have a huge homeschool section, next to a huge Christian inspirational section, next to a huge self-​help section, but since I like my public school and my religion, and I don’t need advice on how to be a better me, I passed those by.
3. On their front-​and-​center table display of ‘Noteworthy Paperbacks’ they did have a lovely copy of Mein Kampf, by Hitler.
Ahhh, Texas.

I went in the Friday before Christmas. What was I thinking? Thought it would be a total zoo. Sure it was busy but short check out lines and free gift wrappping. Parking a la Cantera but that’s a given with the location and time of year.
I went in to pick up a nook, thinking I’d be pushed to pick the Nook tablet and all the accessories. Uh, nope not the case. The salesman and I discussed the difference between the tablet and the color. He suggested the color when i explained it was for my dad who is not a techno nerd at all. When I said I’d take one, he said they were all behind the counter at check out. I couldn’t believe the ease of purchasing.

I love this place! Come prepared to fight for a place to work! The kids station is very cute and the location is big! It’s two stories of books and education awaiting! I like studying here sometimes but it does get busy on the weekends. Very clean location and highly recommended :) they sale everything there and it’s all very tempting! What can I say it’s a place for a perfect nerd! (: great service and friendly staff very helpful and nice people normally can be food at Borders.