One of the coolest Bay Area bookstores, just for their sheer selection. There's not only a PLETHORA of books to choose from, but munchies too! What's more to ask for? There's a whole section dedicated to self-published authors. It's a must visit every time I'm in the neighborhood.

I like Borders. The atmosphere and service seems more casual then the stuffy book giant Barnes and Noble.

I visit Borders once in a while. Shopping online is becoming a better alternative, mostly because the books I am looking for are hardly ever there and I have to order them anyway. Borders is the kind of store that I spend a lot of time in finding nothing. I've mixed experiences with their customer service. I've had some issues with them when it comes to ordering books, as they have called before with an order only to be utterly confused when you go to pick it up. I now have the orders delivered to me, making the trip pretty much a waste of time. I also feel like they should hold the orders longer than they do. But they do have a great magazine section and some of their prices are pretty good.

I purchased gifts for my son for Christmas using my debt card. During the season someone repeatedly attempted to use my card number so the card was canceled and reissued with a new number. Borders will not give me a cash refund. They will only give me a store credit even though it has been 4 weeks and I had the receipt. I will not shop there again. Go to Barnes and Noble. They are much more customer friendly

They carry a lot of books, but the staff tend to be white unemployed actors and art students who have stopped doing their art. I work at one where the entire management teem is female, and most of the supervisors are female. I have signed on as seasonal help and I am lucky to get fifteen, where all the gay males get 20-25 and the woman as much as they like. But that is the reality. Even if they asked me to stay on I probably will not. They use too much part time help. It is problem with retail.

yuck, all i can say is yuck. i worked at a borders in lower manhattan. please , stop shopping at borders, order online through amazon or wherever. they are all about lieing to the customers. i know all thier secrets. first, they changed thier stupid rewards program ( it was crap to begin with) and they made it even worse. you have to bring in your own coupons, the savings suck. they pushed us tp promote "borders rewards" , we were forced to ask every friggen customer if they had a borders card , or would like one and say " all we need is your email to sign you up" . they would keep score on the bulltein boards. cashiers are on the registar for hours a day so obviously they ring up more customers and have lower score, the booksellers and ipt are only on reg to cover our lunches, an hour a day. the bosses only care about making money and using the customers, like all companies, but here, this "borders rewards" is useless. a few cashiers were under such pressure to get thier score up they scanned fake inactive borders cards. this guy from loss prevention came in and fired them on the spot. noone stole. if anything, these cashiers were the ones who never took fake bills, always made even exhanges, and always did the gith thing. after i left borders, i realized it is cheaper to just order online. thier ethic is disguting. i know it is like that in retail and every other big cooperation. but, borders sucks,its a shame, it was such a beautiful store on wall st and broadway, and all the wall st people and professinoials would come in, and during xmas it was decorated nice. during the lunch hours, business people want to be in and out and hated when asked if they had a borders card.

I like Border's the best of all. When I am traveling, I know I can count on at least one in any given city. They are predictably set up the same all over and always have the largest selections of books compared to smaller stores. If I am somewhere new, I enjoy the local interest section to learn more about the history of where I am.

I haven't been in a Borders recently -- there are none nearby. I have always enjoyed my visits in the past. I like that they have a selection of DVD's because this means my husband can be occupied while I shop.

I think that Borders Books has a better selection than any other large book corporation. They provide excellent service and are very knowledgeable in all aspects of their store. I live close to a Borders in the northern Sacramento area and it is also a great place to study. As a college student, I am appreciative of their clean and studious environment and it doesn't hurt that they have a cafe.

I live near a Borders, and if anything, it has to be the best bookstore to go into and study for hours. Don't get me wrong. Borders is prospering, and this particular store is definitely no exception. But it feels nice not be bothered while you are reading or looking at the latest books, magazines and music (and the selection is top notch). Along with very helpful salespeople, comfortable leather sofas to sit at and just read the latest 'Bathroom Reader' book (and of course to buy it), Miles Davis and Stan Getz playing softly in the background, and sipping a 'Seattle's Best' mocha latte, Borders is a great store to sit at and just enjoy a relaxing evening all for yourself.

I like Borders. It is a bit better than Barnes IMHO. Stay out of Waldenbooks though. Their service is also very nice.

Honestly I think it might just be the layout and color scheme, but I'll go to Border's over it's main competitor whenever possible. Border's also teams with Seattle's Best, which I prefer over Starbucks.

Ok, that's how it works for me. Bargain section is wonderful and I normally buy something everytime. Regularly priced books are affordable, but still pricey(I normally try to get everything relatively new in paperback), music section is a rip-off. When it comes to music, go to Best Buy or Target, they have much cheaper prices.

Borders Used to be the best of the mega bookstores. Back in the day they seemed to have invented the idea of the big store. But in the last few years they have fallen victum to the you got to have a card discount thing. They own Waldenbooks and WB started the discount card thing. WB was a great little mall bookstor chain good service and slection. Then they became all about there card and lost all of there book people. Now Borders is doning the same. Borders needs to go back to bacics. Sell Books and give good service. I should know I was a bookseller for 21 years.

Borders Books is similar to B&B. Their selection is mainstream and the atmosphere is like shopping another retail wherehouse. Their prices are retail, except for the bargain section. They also have a wide selection of mainstream music and dvds, which doesn't seem to be very popular. Theres a decent section for the childrens books, lots of places to sit down, and a cafe. And like B&N they will let you read a book for hours if you choose, for those who like to use the bookstore as a library.

Their stuff is ridiculously overpriced! I went to Borders today so I could look for a new CD. I ended up not buying one. A lot of the CD's were at least $18.99 and up. I think better deals on books and CD's can be found at garage sales, my hometown's flea market, Half Price Books, CD Warehouse, and even on eBay. Also I found a book at Borders that was a softcover and it was $19.99! That's usually the price of a hardcover. To all Borders stores: You could have more of my business if you lower your prices!

Excellent selection. They even carry some scholarly works.

Great variety and selection, and I also appreciate the layout. I wish we could get a Borders in the remote outpost where I am located.

Where else can one find DVD collections of British shows? Seriously.

Wish we had a Borders in town.

i would have to say borders is my 2nd choice its just not as laid back as b & n. but has a nice selection

The best smelling stores ever.

What I look for in a bookstore is a place to browse, and to buy in the rare cases I can't find the item online or need it immediately. Borders beats Barnes & Noble on both counts. Their stores and cafes just seem more inviting and casual than their B&N counterparts. Nearly all Borders stores seem to be of a certain size (unlike B&N, where store size varies widely) which is a good sign for selection. The title locator kiosks are a nice time-saving feature.

Local borders has an aggressive/offensive policy of kicking out people who are reading magazines in their cafe. if you are using your laptop, they also will kick you out. the policy is no working or studying at the tables and a maximum of one hour sitting. This is even if the cafe is empty.

Be careful! Prices are deceptive. I was in there today to purchase a book as a gift. The sticker price said $35, but was partially peeled back. Under the Borders sticker was the publishers list proce of $19.95 (I subsequentially purchased the same book for $13.50)! I will NEVER go back after that obviousy deceptive move.

There is an obvious liberal slant to the books that Borders showcases at the main entrance as well as their 'so called best sellers list.' You have an abundance of 'Bush Bashing Books' but don't offer anything that is an alternative without an in-depth search. If you are lucky enough to find an alternative, it will be in limited quantities and hard to locate. I witnessed a Regional Team coaching the Store Manager of 'what and where books would be displayed' at a Sacramento area Borders. There was no mistaking that there was an 'agenda' that had been passed down from Corporate as to content, subject and location of 'their' prefered books. You had better believe that people notice your left wing slant, because many have mentioned it! Just supply books, and let the general public figure it out right or wrong!

Can you say OVERPRICED? The shopping experience is better than Best Buy or Circuit City, but the CDs are too expensive. If you know what you want, and it's popular--go to Best Buy (I can't believe I'm endorsing that place). Just be sure to get out of Best Buy in five minutes or you will go insane.

I go here and don't really wanna leave. I like checking out the comics and Video Game strategy guides.

In regards, to music, Borders blows Barnes & Noble off the map. The music selection is not only more extensive, but also more sophisticated. However, when I go to a bookstore, I care more about the book selection above all else. And the selection here is terrible. Most stores are significantly smaller than Barnes & Noble, and tend to be more disorganized.

i used to be quite a fan of borders due to their selection. but found their customer service lacking when i asked to see a manager and was flat out denied. as a 19 year old at the time, the employee must have thought i would let that slide. i didn't. i did see a manager and have never gone back since. as nice as it is to have a good selection, i'll take good customer service anyday

Still a little pricey, but when I need to find anything literary, Borders has it. Great music selection for the more refined ear, too.

I like the selection at Borders. Especially good is the wide variety of classics and Great Books. I don't care about staff; I can find my own books.

Excellent shopping experience. Way above Books-A-Million and only slightly better than B&N. Even when I have had problems at their store it's always been quickly rectified by the manager, unlike Bam. Good customer service and selection.

I rate them fairly highly for their book selection, but ding them for knocking down independents (it happened in my town) and I also find their musical selection to be dismal for anyone interested in non-pop. I'm forced to shop Amazon now. The Borders in my town HAS become a hangout, though, and is a pretty good pick-up place.

Selection A+ Beverages A+ Workers A- Locations A Something there for everyone, like to go there just to pass time even though there is nothing I am interested in reading.

When Borders first came to my area (Washington DC) about 15 years ago I thought that they were absolutelt the best. At the time they were still privately held buy some folks in Michigan. They had books that were impossible to find almost anywhere else. Obscure university press books, musical scores, poetry, you name it and it was available. That was before they sold out to corporatism and gigantism. Forget the University press stuff now. If it isn't mass market Borders no longer seems to have an interest in selling it. I recently found myself thinking that when it comes to mass market chain bookstores, I prefer B&N. I though that I would never say that but it has finally happened. Borders R.I.P.

We have Borders over here as well and I absolutely love them. They have a great selection of books for me to salivate over and think of my 'must buy' list and also have a great range of photography and arts magazines for me to browse through as well. Their prices are reasonable and they have always got special offers on.

I think Borders is great store because of there wide varieties of books,friendly service, and there many locations.

I like their book section, but I think the music section overall is not good. They could do alot better in that department. The employees of Borders always seem to be really nice, too. This store would be my 2nd choice out of all the bookstores. ALSO- alot of the gay guys I have met in these stores are just complete geeks...lol.

The selection is great and it's nice that you can read a book for as long as you want without feeling pressured. The prices are way too high, though.

This is my favorite book store. It is nice and open, and very very well lighted. The salespeople don't mind if you sit down and read a few pages of a book, and they are very helpful.

Hmmm...out of Borders and Barnes & Noble, I think that Borders has the better selection (especially in the music department) while B&N has the better atmosphere. But both are good stores overall.

I enjoy my local Borders more than any other bookstore. Very friendly, great selection, a great place to study, and an overall great atmosphere. They are also very good about returns; they've earned my business!

Borders came to Billings, MT with promises for new jobs in our struggling economy. However by the time I was fired from this horrible workplace, I learned they wanted NOTHING to do with local economy and just with Borders bottom dollar. Bringing in a staff of out of state people to work the store after the local people who worked 12 hour shifts to SORT the store were let go. Borders is very unfair, greedy, and they DONT care about your community be warned!

One of the best bookstores ever!

Borders needs more seating to equal Barnes.

Great selection but their prices are too high.

Borders and B&N are probably very close to each other in terms of quality of service and ambiance. They have a very well designed interior, evoking a feeling of scholarly learning as is common in old libraries. On the other hand, the coffee shop evokes something more modern (not all B&N's have the coffee shop). Surprisingly, it is also a good place to meet people. The upsides to the stores? Selection is very good (for both), although of course this depends upon the size of the store. Customer service tends to be OK, not great. Borders seems to offer somewhat better customer service, if only minimally so. Customer reps are usually very busy either taking calls or devoting time to store related functions (like re-arranging books). Both Borders and B&N offer discounted books, which tend to be placed at the front of the store and near the checkout counters. This is in fact one of the places I most often find myself, and many a time the cheap prices make a difference in my buying habit (well, that's just me). Most Borders also offer a wide selection of music and videos, which only the larger B&N's offer. (But watch out for those CD prices. Almost $20 a CD.) The drawback? The bookstores are not a 'campus store'. What I mean by that is if you are looking for some obscure manual on differential equations or advanced multiple regression techinques published by your college professor, chances are you are out of luck. This is not necessarily a fault of the store, since the supply of obscure manuals is always low and almost never national in scale. But I have found sometimes that even pretty well known scholarly works are not to be found in either Borders or B&N, and you often have to resort to going online, where overall prices are higher (because of shipping) and discount cards give you fewer savings.

Bigger and better then Barnes and Noble. Although it's not in such a comfortable environment, there's a much better book selection, and more of a variety of cds.

Cafe', Music, books, and the collectors items behind the counter. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?

Borders is great! Nice, broad selection of both music and books. Very pleasant to shop there!

I like the benches and chairs. Good place to browse. Salespeople are friendly and helpful and will take time to help you order/find a particular book. There are always sales tables. Good selection of magazines. Better selection of books than Barnes & Noble and other physical bookstores I've visited. New books on display when one first walks in.

their music section is better than their book section. if i'm looking for some old, generally unknown artist in blues or jazz or even stuff like punk and ska, i can usually find it here when i don't find it elsewhere. but i find their organization of books harder to navigate and not as extensive as barnes and noble.

The Starbucks of bookstores. Better than most mega-chains, but it gets lots of demerits for putting lots of independents out of business, often intentionally.

Borders is a chain bookstore that feels like an independent bookstore. The selection of items is varied and interesting, and you'll find things that are not typical chain-bookstore fare. I always find the salesclerks to be knowledgeable and willing to help. The sales are great, too, which is an added bonus. Borders is definitely my first choice in chain bookstores.

I know Borders is now a monster chain store, but I first started shopping there when I was a student at the University of Michigan and Borders was still an independent bookseller with a single store in Ann Arbor. Then after graduating I worked for Borders for several months near Chicago. While I didn't like the job much, I thought the store itself was great. They only hire people who pass a book test (at least that used to be the case), so the salespeople are generally pretty knowledgeable. The selection is great, and Borders, to my biased mind, just has a better atmosphere than Barnes and Noble.