I visited an Amazon Books location and this is what it’s like

As a bookworm, I’ve always loved exploring bookstores.

I do my fair share of ordering books online, of course, but there’s something special about wandering through a bookstore and being able to physically hold (and, okay, smell) the books. I recently became a member of my local indie bookstore to help support the store (and because I now work just down the street so buying books is inevitable. Might as well get that membership discount!)

So when Amazon announced it was opening brick-and-mortar bookstores, I had mixed feelings. Isn’t the whole point of Amazon the convenience of ordering online? If you’re going to go into a physical bookstore, why not support your local book shop? Was Amazon going to drive more bookstores out of business (RIP Borders)?

Needless to say, I was cautious about Amazon Books. When they announced a new location not far from me in Denver, I decided to visit and see what it’s all about.

First Impression

When I walked in, it sort of seemed like any other bookstore experience. It was certainly smaller than a lot of the bookstores I’m used to, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Two full walls were windows, so the space was really light and airy, which was refreshing. I have to admit, I kind of liked that vibe better than the often dark, closed-in experience that Barnes & Noble often provides.

I can only describe the music that was playing as “trendy.” Like, annoyingly so, as if it were trying too hard. It became distracting from the experience of browsing shelves for me, but I was also on alert for the little details, so maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me otherwise.

As  I began to walk around more, I did notice some weird differences between Amazon Books and other bookstores I’ve visited.

What’s Different

There were only a few genre shelves
Amazon Books only had three genre-specific shelves: fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books. This was, of course, a departure from most bookstores I’m familiar with that divide these overarching categories into more specific genres. Even these three categories really didn’t have that much shelf space. Obviously, it’s a smaller store than something like Barnes & Noble, but most of the floor space was dedicated to tables arranged by more “Amazon-y” categories such as  Top Rated (books rated 4.8 and higher), Most Wished For, and “Unputdownable,” which was defined as “books Kindle readers finished in three days or less.”

A new way of pricing
Many of the shelves (but not all?) had digital price tags, which I assume is so the price stays current with the online Amazon pricing. I noticed that some of the books had lower prices for Prime members, so I asked an employee how that worked. Similar to Whole Foods, you can use your Amazon Shopping app when checking out to get discounts if you’re a Prime member. He also told me if you pay with a card you have associated with a Prime account, they’ll be able to look it up and verify your account.

Why so much non-book stuff?
I think the biggest difference is all the non-book items for sale. I know every bookstore sells things other than books, but Amazon Books seemed excessive. Did they really need a whole corner devoted to selling robot vacuum cleaners?

There were also several tables with categories like “Today’s Deals” that featured items such as vases, coffeemakers, and other Amazon devices, but almost no books. I understand the business strategy, but it left me feeling like if you’re going to be a bookstore, just be a bookstore.

In Conclusion

Overall, it wasn’t too different from a normal bookstore experience. I even liked some of the things they did, such as the physical version of “Other customers also liked…” by having signs indicating “If you liked this, read this.”

But I don’t think local bookstores have much to worry about from these new Amazon locations. They don’t feel very cozy (there was nowhere to sit and read), and just have a very “Amazon” vibe instead of feeling like a regular bookstore.

If you’re going to physically visit a bookstore for the experience of buying a book, just stick to your local bookstore. As always, the best part of Amazon is being able to buy stuff from the ease of your couch and having it delivered quickly. Amazon Books doesn’t have that convenience, or the atmosphere of a traditional bookstore, leaving me wondering what the point of it is.