Barnes & Noble vs. Borders - Which Is Better?

[grinningghost]

I used to live near a Borders, which I loved.

Now I live closer to Barnes & Noble, which is OK, but they just don't seem to have as much stuff, and no cafe.

There's a Borders Express in the mall, but that's really small.

But I know some people swear by B&N.

Which do you like better? And why?

 

[debbi801]

B&N for me. the closest Barnes and Noble has a great children's section with a stage, regular story readings, a train table to play with, and lots of accessible fun stuff for the kids. It also has a Starbucks Cafe inside featuring Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, and lots of comphy chairs and sofas for sitting in and hanging out.

The closest Borders has a much smaller cafe area and their children's department is lacking stuff for the kids to do, places for them to sit, etc. Plus B&N is much closer.

 

[helenabear]

For books only, I prefer Barnes and Noble. They also have a great cafe with good baked goods.
For all over media, I do prefer Borders. Ours has a fancier cafe than B&N, but the book selection in the store is far less and they aren't as helpful in finding what I want. The layout is more confusing. They do have far more music, movies and other such stuff than B&N but the prices are higher than Target so I usually don't bother with them much at all.

In general I do prefer to go to B&N because I usually go more for books when I go to one of those places anyway.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I agree with both posts above - plus I don't care for Borders rewards program.

Books, coffee, cheesecake or other goodies, and relaxing atmosphere - I can spend hours in there!

 

[sweetspicy]

Our B&N has a cafe (and they have my favorite tea there!). It also seems to be bigger than our Borders, and better organized or something. Although I do like looking at the non-book stuff at Borders, like the Crabtree and Evelyn stuff they used to have. I'd still say I like B&N better.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I prefer B &N, and we live near a super B&N, and they do have a cafe.

 

[Cindy B]

B & N gives out a teacher discount card which is good for 20% off any retail book purchase. I have saved a ton with this free card.

Borders though puts on nicer events for Harry Potter launches. I went to one at a Borders and some at B& N and Borders was nicer hands down.

 

[Micca]

I have recently relocated, but in my former hometown Border's was the superior experience. They are both nice places to shop.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Both of ours have food, but I've never eaten there.

I like them both about the same. Our Borders has a better kiddie section, but my kids aren't little so I don't care.

For online, I prefer B&N.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'm a B&N man all the way. Probably just because I've always lived closer to those stores. I've always enjoyed going to Borders too, but B&N just seems like my home turf.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Oh, I LOVE Barnes and Noble. I swear I would live there if they would let me. It has my two favorite things: unlimited access to books and Starbucks coffee! It's heavenly I like the cafe part of it. The baked goods are really yummy but I only splurge on that sometimes though because sometimes I just don't want to pay the prices they have. Especially not when I can go to the Mexican bakeries on the other side of town and get two big bags of sweets for like 8 dollars But if I happen to be craving something sweet while there, they have a good selection.

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Depends on which one I'm near. They're the same for me. Although I do usually head to the Borders, as it's a stand alone and easier to get in and out of. If I were to head to B&N, I'd have to fight the mall parking lot.

 

[thewishfire]

I DEFINATELY vote B&N. I have both stores close by, but the Borders just doesn't do it for me. I love getting coffee and just looking through books at Barnes and Noble for HOURS at a time. Of course not all B&Ns have the cafe, and some are rather small, but I've just always preferred them.

 

[LaraK]

I go to both, but prefer B&N because of the children's section. However, the Thomas set broke and was pulled out of the store two months ago and hasn't been replaced yet, so we haven't really enjoyed our experiences lately.

 

[txSleepingBeauty]

B&N, but then I'm biased, as they've been signing my paycheck for a looong time now

but no, I've tried Borders before out of curiosity, and I find the stores confusing and the employees apathetic..there never seems to be anybody around to help

 

[luvflorida]

I could spend the good part of a day in either one. We have a Borders about twenty miles north of us and a Barnes and Noble about thirty-five miles south of us. I spend a lot more time at Borders simply because it's closer.

I'm not interested in spending any time in the cafes, so I don't know much about that aspect of the store. I love Borders Rewards Program and earned a lot of points last year that translated into quite a bit of free money. I had fun buying books and other items!

I have been in a few Barnes and Noble Bookstores that were huge and had an awesome selection of books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

 

[Alyssa88]

Definitely Barnes and Nobles for me!!

I used to go to B&N alot when I was younger, we rarely went to Borders (even thought there was one right acroos the steet, lol) unless we had to, but that wasn't normal.

Now I live across the street from a Barnes and Nobles (W/ the Starbucks!!) and the building I work in (Student Center) has a B&N (the campuc bookstore). I love B&N.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Borders, of course it's all we have.

We like the cafe and the Children's section. DD likes the storytime. I have found the staff to be very helpful and I like their rewards program.

 

[KarenB]

At this point I would take either one. We have nothing in this small town. The nearest Borders is either an hour north or an hour south. The only B&N that I know of is 1 1/4 hours west. Blah-

Karen

 

[Amity 3]

we've got both within five minutes of each other. B&N has a better WiFi signal, so it wins.