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June 2024 by Na R.
You’d think they’d understand that if you’re nice to people, they’ll buy books, and then you’ll make money to buy more books…. But they don’t. All I have to say, is read the reviews. There’s a consistent theme. My husband and I buy a lot of books. He’s a Literature Professor, and we enjoy bookstores. We’ve both been to Rare Books before, and the associates were rude. But we figured we’d try this spot again since it’s been a couple of years. Still unfriendly, weird vibe here. No one makes eye contact, they don’t greet you, and once you start to browse, they constantly stare and follow you as if you’re about to steal something. There are plenty of great bookstores out there, and unfortunately this place isn’t one of them. What a shame. I’m born and raised in West Covina, and I frequently shopped the bookstore that was next door for years. It’s a shame to see a local store treat people with such utter disregard. Some great bookstores that have far better service and appreciation for customers are Book Alley in Pasadena, Bookman in Orange, and DG Wills in La Jolla. Check out their reviews they will speak of what great bookstores they are. I hope Rare Books, you take into consideration how you consistently treat people, and change and grow for the better. You’re blessed to have a store in wonderful Covina. And in this economy, you should be grateful people are shopping your store. My husband found a few books he wanted to purchase, but we walked out because of how you treated us. That may not matter to you, one customer. But people matter. How you treat people matters.
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April 2024 by Lorraine F.
Was so rude , no hello and if we needed any help. Felt very uncomfortable, we were the only ones in the shop. My phone rang , answered it, the guy said no phones. Now he talks . We needed help , with a book. Just pointed at the shelf. We asked for a steeper, he pointed at an old , old fold up chair. Didn't bother asking us , if we needed help getting it down. He made us get on the chair , to reach the top shelf. Be kind to your customers, we are the one buying the books. With cash , to keep your shop open. I have been to so many book stores but this is the only. Place that was so disrespectful . Never go back again, don't go people.
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March 2024 by Lorraine Flores
Not very helpful and rude ! Be kind . Sorry I won’t go back , yes I did spend money there. We are customers. BE KIND
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March 2024 by SHAHRAZ SARDAR
As a bookseller your actions today disgusted me and literally sickened me to my stomach. I could never imagine treating a customer that came into my store like that. The Book Shop has been a child hood favorite of mine and every chance i get to return to the LA County I come. No more. No one was engaging in "horse play." Put the "antique" chair behind glass if it means that much to you. You sell books not chairs. its clear from your response and in store behavior that you do not care for community or for the comfort of those that enter into your store. More than that you yourself are a fraud. Bookstores and the books in them are about connection --- something you and your store are in need of. And God, "animated conversation on their cell phone" really?? God forbid someone answers their phone in an empty store. You wouldn't survive a day in any major city. You're lucky to be stuck in that dingy place in Covina of all places. Somewhere along the road you lost it man. You've got a lot to think about. Maybe just limit yourself to online sales. Ebay is a great a place I hear. There's no need for you to engage with the Covina community. You're a disgrace to the book selling world.
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March 2024 by Akash Christian
AWFUL SERVICE! VERY UNWELCOMING! I was sitting on one of there chairs as my family looked for books. They told us to leave because we were talking to eachother (not loudly) and said that this wasnt a hangout spot. Very rude service as we were minding our business and no one else was in the store! Do not recommend.
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March 2024 by Jaime Macias
I got good deals here. Their books are well taken care of and the prices are as if their giving them away. Good spot all the way around
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December 2023 by Honesty C.
The shop itself is very antique-y (if that's a word), but there's nothing inviting about it. The book selection is nice and everything seems properly organized. I'm grateful that they have their hours on the doors and if there's ever a change in schedule, it's usually posted in advance. But in terms of the business itself and its customer service: unacceptable. I see the same faces every time I come and they never look happy. They don't say good morning/evening, they don't say "Welcome", they hardly acknowledge you. They don't try to make conversation whatsoever. They don't ask if you need help or have any questions. At check out, they simply ring up your book, tell you the price, and take your money. No words about it. No "thank you, have a nice day", no "thank you, hope to see you again soon" or "I hope you enjoy your book". They don't say anything at all. I've tried to talk to the tall man multiple times (I'm very friendly and enjoy talking to people) and every time he shows no sign of interest and doesn't reciprocate. The people here don't seem passionate about their business at all. It's very sad. What's even more sad is that I've asked if they were hiring multiple times and each time they said no. They are clearly not even trying to improve the quality and image of their business. I even asked if they were hiring around the holidays because these people are older, I assume they would like some time off to spend it with their families, and they said no. I wanted to tell them that I would 100% make their business better and I could guarantee an increase in their loyal customer rates, simply due to the fact that most of their negative reviews are about how poor their customer service is and that many people have said that they would never come back JUST for that fact. But, seeing as they make no effort to improve and are satisfied with this image of their business, I'm not going to force my help on a person who does not want it. Which is truly a shame, because I am very eager to work in a place like this and I know I could really turn it around. Regardless, I wish them the best and I hope they can stop being so closed-minded soon. The performance of their business depends on it!
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October 2023 by David Lona
Awesome place to visit. They have a great selection of Books ???
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September 2023 by Robert S.
One of my favorite bookstore to shop in. I found a book by John B. Sanford that I had been looking for for quite some time. Also the have bookcarts out front of their store where you can always find some little gem of interest that you didn't know you needed.
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August 2023 by Ernest Martinez
Comfortable, quiet, plenty of reading material.
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August 2023 by Beth A.
We were in the neighborhood and decided to stop in. Sign said they were open at 11am and it was 12:30pm. Doors were locked and owner was behind the counter on the phone and just ignored us so we left. What great customer service. How does he know we might have been in the market to buy a bunch of his books?
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June 2023 by christian islas
Pretty good store. They have a really good and varied selection. Prices can be kinda high but you can also find some deals on certain books. The books are all in pretty good condition as well. My only small criticism is they sometimes have their cat in the store, and being allergic it makes it hard to browse the store cause my allergies will kick in. Nice people too.
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June 2023 by Akilah Walk
it's always great to be there
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March 2023 by Art Injeyan
Having noticed a number of bad reviews for this shop, I'd like to add my own impressions. The first time I visited The Book Shop was in 1995. It was under different ownership, if I recall correctly. The owner sold me two exceedingly rare first editions for a very low price. Perhaps this initial visit has colored my opinion of this establishment, which is favorable.Since then, I have shopped here on a couple of other occasions. The owners and employees have always been cordial and professional. As an avid book collector, I have visited countless bookstores over a span of four decades. This is one of the shops I make it a point to see, whenever I'm in the area. As luck would have it, my girlfriend and I will be in SoCal soon, and we look forward to dropping by.
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February 2023 by Elizabeth Ramirez
The answering machine states open Thursdays. I drove all the way over there and they were closed.Bad business. Don't waste the time of customers. If you are going to be closed, state it!!Thursday, February 9, 2023
