Bad experience at Chapters Bookshop Parnell Street, Dublin 1.

Toby Take a Bow

later10 wrote: »

I do remember talking to the aforementioned manager one day and I asked him about how footfall had been during the recession, and he said they were busier than they ever were during the Celtic Tiger. So perhaps increased custom has something to do with their poor/ rude customer service.

Although personally when I'm in Dublin I avoid Chapters now; staff in Hodges & Figgis are far more amicable and helpful in my experience.

I'd be really worried if footfall isn't up for Chapters. With Waterstone's gone in the Jervis, they have absolutely zero competition from non-second hand bookshops on the northside (I'm not including Eason here, but maybe that's just me being snobby). Then you've got to convert that footfall into custom. I think everybody commenting here knows exactly who the rude person is, and there are I'd say half of us who have had problems with the other staff. They're not making it easy to convert into sales, but their selection makes up for it.

I'd agree with you on Hodges for the most part, although I've had a couple of interesting experiences with some of the booksellers there. One or two were up there with the guy from Chapters in just being bafflingly rude. I think that culture can be cultivated by bad management, low pay and zero career prospects.

Grievous

Chapters' impressive (I'd venture to use the word imperious) second hand section is a huge trump-card for them.

Stores like Easons (Who only buy books they think will sell) and Hodges And Fidges ( A huge improvement over chain bookstores like Easons and Hughes And Hughes, with a more than decent amount of Booker, Pulitzer and Nobel winning books in stock as well of popular fiction).

Still, I find most of the staff in Chapters pretty nice. I can't say helpful because I am the type of reader who usually knows what he is looking for.

later12

There are a number of smaller independent book sellers around the city as well that we probably shouldn't overlook. Books Upstairs is tiny but I have often lost track of time leafing through their history and politics sections, some really obscure (sometimes outdated) books that are always fascinating.

Great poetry collection as well, not very much of your Sylvia Plath and your Shakespeare but lots of new, or left of field material which can be really illuminating. I picked up a great anthology of Scottish verse in there about 5 years ago which is one of my dearest possessions.

And of course there is also Mr Stokes in Georges' Arcade. He was a wonderful collection of unusual folio books and other second hand material for very reasonable prices.

So Chapters is by no means unavoidable, and it's nice to support some of the smaller retailers.

By the way, has Books Upstairs recovered from its financial embarrassment by now? I seem to remember they had been expected to shut their doors about two years ago.

Toby Take a Bow

Oh, I didn't know that about Books Upstairs in difficulty. You're right, though: a great bookshop. Fiction has some bargains and an interesting enough selection for a small bookshop, but the non-fiction is really where it holds its own. Really eclectic selection.

I had a theory (not sure if it's true) and one mentioned on Boards before, that the guy from Books Upstairs is also in charge of a large number of those horrible second hand book shops that appear and disappear over Dublin. This was mainly due to the handwriting seeming similar (to me) on the signs in those shops and Books Upstairs. I'm probably very wrong too.

Secret Book and Record Shop can throw up some interesting finds on occasion too.

Agent J

I've been shopping/browsing at chapters for years. I have never had anything but the utpmost respect for the place. Never had a problem with the staff either.

Would highly recommend it.

In fact i felt guilty when i got a kindle.. felt like i was cheating on bookshops.

BostonB

Has anyone tried selling books back to Amazon?

davearthurs

You could try selling on adverts.ie

I'd agree about Chapters being crap for trading in books. Used to be not too bad. I carted a big bunch of what I considered worthwhile books in there a while back only to be offered only a few quid for them. Never again. I kept them.
Their prices are a bit steep on many 2nd hand books as well so it doesn't balance out. Downstairs actually have better value on the new books.
They should offer more for trade for credit notes as that is all I'd be doing anyway. Maybe they've had it so good with people getting rid of books for a bit of cash these days that they are happy to ignore the actual book lovers who want to buy more books. The odd Saturday I've been in there it's pretty quiet upstairs most of the time.

I usually love 2nd hand bookshops but I have to say I've never liked the Chapters experience either. Feels a bit more like a warehouse where the owners don't actually like what they are selling. Dublin charity book shops have a better vibe than they do. Better books in many cases too.

If I owned the place I'd have a mini coffee shop up there and a ton of seats and tables (I actually heard a woman complain a while ago in there that there was nowhere to sit down) . I'd also sell magazines-new yorker, harpers stuff like that, and clear out a lot of the trash - just dump it. There is a lot of trash they should just clear out.
Not my favorite part of the city anyway - I hate the Ilac library, which I invariably pop into as well.

Secret Book and Record Shop has gone downhill as well IMO. Always seems to be the same books in there.

I'm no huge fan of the charity book shop system either by the way, but 2nd hand book shops really need to up their game to survive I think. I saw a load of big bags of books being dumped outside an Oxfam and complained about it. I get the impression they tend to just sell books that look 'as new' and dump the old stuff. God knows what great stuff is being thrown away. IMO they should really share their books with other charity books shops that aren't so picky or even offer them to the real 2nd hand book shops.

hooplah

davearthurs wrote: »

Not my favorite part of the city anyway - I hate the Ilac library, which I invariably pop into as well.

Totally off topic but just wondering why you hate that particular library (and why you go in there if you do)? I'm genuinely interested.

iguana

davearthurs wrote: »

I'm no huge fan of the charity book shop system either by the way, but 2nd hand book shops really need to up their game to survive I think. I saw a load of big bags of books being dumped outside an Oxfam and complained about it. I get the impression they tend to just sell books that look 'as new' and dump the old stuff. God knows what great stuff is being thrown away. IMO they should really share their books with other charity books shops that aren't so picky or even offer them to the real 2nd hand book shops.

Do you want to think about that for 30 seconds before getting up on your high horse. First off you think the shops need to up their games to survive, then you complain about how those who are "surviving" magnificently have upped their game. And by surviving magnificently, I do in fact mean largest secondhand book retailer in Europe, by a very, very large margin.

I can guarantee you that the people running that shop know more about selling secondhand books than you do, seeing as how it's their livelihood and there is extremely, extremely stiff competition to manage an Oxfam bookstore. Only people who know their stuff inside out run those stores. And they are constantly training and retraining in order to get the most out of their shops and donations.

There is absolutely no "great stuff" being thrown away. Only what will sell is put on the shelves and it's only left on the shelves for a short time. If it hasn't sold in a specific timeframe it is shifted on to another Oxfam shop in a part of the country that does not get a lot of book donations. That way both shops benefit as there is always fresh turnover to keep customers from getting bored. Valuable books that don't sell in the store are sold online.

What you saw on the pavement being sent for recycling is absolute thrash. Just completely unsaleable rubbish that people unthinkingly give to charity shops forgetting that the second word in charity shop is shop, ie it has to be saleable. Charity shops get literally tonnes of of unsaleable books either through their doors or in the deposit bins in recycling centres every year. And they have to spend literally thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, annually to dispose of them as they are classified as a commercial enterprise so have to pay heavily for waste management and recycling services. Each of those bags you saw outside the shop costs several euro to take a way. If there was a way to make money on those books it would be made.

It's utterly soul destroying for people in those shops to see such a massive loss of revenue that they are helpless to avoid. To know that each bag you put out equates to a child in Tanzania who won't be getting an education this year. And then you have people coming in to make their arrogant, ill-thought out, complaints to some poor volunteer sitting behind the counter who is suddenly less happy to be giving up their time to do some good because some know-it-all has made the experience unpleasant.

davearthurs

And then you have people coming in to make their arrogant, ill-thought out, complaints to some poor volunteer sitting behind the counter who is suddenly less happy to be giving up their time to do some good because some know-it-all has made the experience unpleasant.

Hmm personal attacks from Oxfam now? That's a tad nasty.

I actually didn't raise any issue with the workers in the shop but contacted Oxfam directly in the UK about the issue and they are investigating their process.

Also the fact is I saw books that looked fine that were being thrown out. The plastic bags were transparent so it was easy to see them.

If Oxfam only want to sell 'as new' books to look like a proper bookshop - fine, but they could easily hand over many other books to Barnardos, Age Action etc., And I'm sure they would be able to sell them and benefit. Or have a bargain sale or whatever.

The fact speaks for itself that you do not see worn paperbacks from the 70's, 80's etc., in Oxfam but you do in other charity and 2nd hand books shops. So they are clearly going somewhere i.e. to the recycling center. This means many worthwhile books that were perhaps never reprinted in glossy new editions are going out of circulation as filtered through Oxfam.
I'm sure Patricia Cornwell and Michael Connelly readers are happy but there are other writers out there

Totally off topic but just wondering why you hate that particular library (and why you go in there if you do)? I'm genuinely interested.

I nip in there the odd time to get a book if it pops up in the computer database as being there rather than reserving it. Although half the time the books listed in the library database are actually missing. Their search database is a mess.
I think as the 'main public library' it is a pretty horrible library. Its totally in the wrong location, airless, grotty, full of computer users mainly, drunks and wackos a lot of the time. I don't envy the staff working there. But hopefully they will get to move to a new location eventually. Hopefully as with all the recent refits in other libraries it won't actually strip out all the books though

iguana

davearthurs wrote: »

I actually didn't raise any issue with the workers in the shop but contacted Oxfam directly in the UK about the issue and they are investigating their process.

Where was this store that you raised the issue with Oxfam GB? They have nothing whatsoever to do with issues in any Oxfam shop in Ireland who are under the control of Oxfam Ireland, a separate organisation.

This means many worthwhile books that were perhaps never reprinted in glossy new editions are going out of circulation as filtered through Oxfam.

No they aren't. Books like this are sold as antiquities, usually online. As I said, Oxfam managers are highly skilled and highly trained. You really haven't the slightest clue what you are on about.

Toby Take a Bow

iguana wrote: »

No they aren't. Books like this are sold as antiquities, usually online. As I said, Oxfam managers are highly skilled and highly trained. You really haven't the slightest clue what you are on about.

Agree. The Oxfam shop on Parliament Street is a particular gem (for books, that is: the one on Francis Street is great for furniture). You occasionally get a book there that they shouldn't be selling so cheaply, but often they're right on the button with the price compared to its online equivalent.

I'm sure Oxfam have thought of many ways of disposing the books which makes as little a dent in their margin as possible, but the poster probably has a point in that Oxfam could try to offload their 'unsaleable' books to other bookshops around the areas they operate. I presume the stuff they're dumping is collected as part of a free scheme, otherwise they should look at some of the free bring centres that, as far as I know, take paper things for no charge.

iguana

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

but the poster probably has a point in that Oxfam could try to offload their 'unsaleable' books to other bookshops around the areas they operate. I presume the stuff they're dumping is collected as part of a free scheme, otherwise they should look at some of the free bring centres that, as far as I know, take paper things for no charge.

Charity shops aren't allowed to bring anything to the bring centres as they are only for household waste, not commercial enterprises which charity shops are classified as. It was a decision made about 8 years ago and they can be fined fairly severely if they are found using them. They have to pay full commercial prices for waste disposal, which are hefty. As I said any books that are in anyway saleable are passed onto rural Oxfam shops that have trouble getting book donations.

jd

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

but there's one guy who is often ironically on the 'customer service' desk who is perhaps the most obnoxious person I've seen in bookselling. Nearly gives Bernard Black a run for his money.

Ah, I was wondering was it just me. I asked him about a book and after his snotty attitude I just ordered the book from amazon.

Finneen

Okocim wrote: »

Will never go into Chapters again.

Example one:
Was in there going through their crap selection of DVDs. Instead of flicking through the cases and hurting my back decided to take about five at a time out and read the spines of the cases. Some staff member gave out to me for mixing up the DVD cases! So Chapters if you're reading this: Put up a notice on the wall saying 'Please do not remove the DVD cases from the shelves'. Do not have some fool thinking he's important giving out to the customers.

Example two:
Brought in about 20 CDs to sell. They were all in the rap genre. After spending about 10 minutes checking every disc for scratches the girl behind the counter said something like 'We're not into selling this kind of music'. Why didn't the stupid bit*h look at the CD covers and say this straight away instead of wasting my time?

Fuinseog

I was upstairs in the second hand section today. True, they have a large and interesting selection, but they know how to charge. In some cases the second hand book is the same price as buying it new.

there are better priced second hand bookshops.

cloud493

I do like chapters. But there's that fella on the customer service desk, I ordered 3 books from there, on a delicate topic, so to speak, and he said 'oh normal people don't want books like that, so we dont keep them in stock'

ElleEm

cloud493 wrote: »

I do like chapters. But there's that fella on the customer service desk, I ordered 3 books from there, on a delicate topic, so to speak, and he said 'oh normal people don't want books like that, so we dont keep them in stock'

:eek:

BookBunny

I must say I am a University English student, and I find their second hand books books to be at least 40-50% cheaper than if I buy them new. If it wasn't for their books I would never be able to afford my college course books. For example I got Ulysses in there for €2.50 when it was €8.50 in my college shop. I always find their staff to be friendly, to the point that I went in looking for a list of college books in September and the man upstairs told me to come back in 10 minutes and he found them all for me and had them waiting. I got them all for €45 when Amazon quoted me €125. I dont know anything about selling them books, but buying them I always go there and until another bookstore appears with that size of a collection I will continue going to them.

Finneen

You must be posh and their staff like you? For the rest of us they're all condescending fools working in Chapters.

Agent J

Just a quick look at the language you use in your posts so far says an awful lot about your view on retail staff.

Fineen wrote:

Do not have some fool thinking he's important giving out to the customers.

Fineen wrote:

Why didn't the stupid bit*h look ....

Fineen wrote:

For the rest of us they're all condescending fools working in Chapters.

You have complaints? Did you say it to them at the time?
You don't like them fine. Don't shop there. Name calling just makes you look childish.

I've used chapters for over 10 years at this point since they were in middle abbey street. Never had a problem & found them above & beyond helpful most of the time.

cloud493

I would agree with the chap above me. One bad experience doesn't spoil the whole thing. Just yesterday, I got a book from there for 13e, when its 23e everywhere else.

Ninap

I went in there with a brand new copy of a book I received as a present, but already had. It was in a Chapters bag, and had the chapters price sticker on it. I didn't have a receipt but was willing to take a credit note or a different book in exchange, but the tosser of a manager said he couldn't do it as I didn't have a receipt. He said he couldn't be sure what price had been paid for the book. I said I'd happily exchange for the cheapest price they have sold it, but no dice. They were still of course selling the book, so I couldn't understand his stubborn, unhelpful attitude. Bookshops and their customers are usually pretty civilized, and not into scamming, being rude or ripping people off, but this guy didn't get it and has lost a customer for good.

BookBunny

Finneen wrote: »

You must be posh and their staff like you? For the rest of us they're all condescending fools working in Chapters.

Kind of stating the obvious here but if I was posh I wouldn't be buying second hand books.

Toby Take a Bow

Finneen wrote: »

You must be posh and their staff like you? For the rest of us they're all condescending fools working in Chapters.

I'm pretty posh and the manager has no time for me.

To Ninap, that's shocking behaviour. I worked in a bookshop and we exchanged books (as long as they were in good condition and we had sold them within the last couple of months) with no questions asked. Even if they were in a bag of a rival bookshop. Even if they had an Eason sticker on it. The general thinking would be that if you give good service you stick in the mind of the customer and they return. I don't think that's the general thinking (on the part of the manager: I would say I disagree with some of the posters' attitudes regarding the general staff).

Finneen

Agent J wrote: »

You have complaints? Did you say it to them at the time?

No point, most of them avoid eye contact with the customers. The next time I'm in Chapters and that little, wrinkly old man on the 1st floor gives out to me for removing the DVD cases from the shelf I'm going to punch him in the face.

Toby Take a Bow

Finneen wrote: »

The next time I'm in Chapters and that little, wrinkly old man on the 1st floor gives out to me for removing the DVD cases from the shelf I'm going to punch him in the face.

You sound delightful.

ElleEm

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

Finneen wrote: »

The next time I'm in Chapters and that little, wrinkly old man on the 1st floor gives out to me for removing the DVD cases from the shelf I'm going to punch him in the face.

You sound delightful.

I LOLd!!!

cloud493

How do you buy a DVD without taking it off the shelf?

doomed

Chapters is my favourite book shop.

Its a bit eccentric but the value on remaindered books is excellent. Never had a bad experience there.