- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Book Bin the
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
450 Court St NESalem, OR 97301
(503) 361-1235
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
7 reviews for Book Bin the
7 reviews in English
-
Review from Tom B.
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great bookstore. All four of us found stuff we wanted. The staff was super nice. The offer on stuff we sold back was solid. We spent more than twice what we made, but if you're a book lover, well, you know that feels more like you're supporting a valuable resource than anything.
The inventory is pretty huge--great big room, two levels, lots of specialty sections, hundreds and hundreds of choices each in all the big genres (lit and light/pleasure reading). The reference and specialty stuff was pretty fantastic, too, with lots of temptations lurking on every shelf. This is definitely a bookstore on the permanent list of places to visit. -
Review from Tina B.
Salem, OR
3/6/2012
Book Bin is a terrible place to go for CHEAP books. Their books are extremely over-priced. Not to mention, one of the most unfriendly staffs I have ever seen. Sure, they do have tons of books, but that doesn't change how unfriendly the people are. I took some books to sell, and the guy barely glanced at them, and handed them back to me. Of all the times my husband and I have been, the staff has never been nice to us. If someone asked me to name a good place to get books, where the people don't look at you like you should leave, I'd recommend Escape Fiction or Reader's Guide. The Friends Store in the library is far from the size of Book Bin, but I'd rather go there anyday over this place.
-
Review from Jane S.
10/8/2008
Probably the best independent bookseller in town now that Jackson's (Salem's once-beloved independent bookstore, now long gone) is no more. Which is kind of a bummer; Jackson's Books only stocked new books, and while The Book Bin is a wonderful place to look for used books, its selection of new releases is tiny and eccentric. They've got lots of jokey gag books and Christopher Moore novels (not that the latter is necessarily a bad thing) and hardly anything else. I'd love to do all my book-buying from local independents, but I guess Amazon made the likes of Jackson's Books irrelevant.
Nevertheless, The Book Bin gets four stars for its big esoteric newsstand. From tiki bar enthusiasts to meat lovers, pretty much every subculture and hobby is covered here. Also, they are currently the only store in Salem that sells Bust Magazine as far as I know, and that's good enough for me. -
Review from Erin H.
Medford, OR
2/18/2010
::scoff:: Once upon a time this place would have gotten 5 stars. Then their shelves started being crammed with more NEW books than used, and they started turning away very good used books from people wanting to sell, claiming that there's "no interest" in them. Perhaps if this place stopped investing in 90% new, they might have customers with an interest in them.
Look, if I want to pay cover price for a brand new book, I'll head over to Borders where everythings new. I, and many other people, come here for cheap, quality used books. If you want to stop offering that, then take the word "used" out of your title. When you do that, you can then set up a coffee stand (like Borders) and offer your customers scones while they shop for hip R and B cd's.
I'm so over this place. -
Review from Johanna R.
Salem, OR
4/1/2011
Although they do not always have what I am looking for - the staff is always willing to help me look - or help me locate it elsewhere. It isn't THEIR fault I have abstract taste and want cheap prices to boot! When you can walk in and say Outlander - and they know EXACTLY which series you are looking for without another question - that is a ++ rating in my book!
-
Review from Dale H.
9/24/2010
I've lived here in Salem now for just over two weeks. I've been to this bookstore three times now. I guess I go because there really are no more independent bookstores around here. Oh well, such is life. The book selection is good. But the people that work there seem to be rather snobbish. They are the drive behind my opinion of this place. Otherwise it would receive four stars for the store itself.
-
Review from kirsten h.
St Paul, MN
3/31/2011
Great place for sweet deals/used books! Additionally, the staff is very friendly and helpful. :)
