Turning Pages Together: A Look at Barnes & Noble's Accessibility Efforts

Welcome to "Turning Pages Together: A Look at Barnes & Noble's Accessibility Efforts." In the world of literature and community gathering, few places hold as much significance as Barnes & Noble. As a beloved bookstore chain, Barnes & Noble has long been cherished for its vast selection of books, inviting atmospheres, and commitment to fostering a love of reading among people of all ages and backgrounds. However, beyond the shelves of books and bustling café corners, Barnes & Noble has also been dedicated to ensuring that its spaces are accessible and welcoming to individuals of all abilities. In this blog, we embark on a journey to explore the accessibility initiatives undertaken by Barnes & Noble, shedding light on the efforts made to create inclusive environments where everyone can turn pages together, regardless of their physical or sensory needs. Join us as we delve into Barnes & Noble's commitment to accessibility, highlighting the strides made to ensure that every customer's literary journey is as enriching and inclusive as possible.

Commitment to Inclusivity

Barnes & Nobles commitment to accessibility starts from the parking lot and finishes inside of the store. At Barnes and Nobles in Southlake ADA parking is very close to the ramp and doors of the store making getting to the entrance very easy for wheelchair users. Once inside of Barnes & Nobles the attention by the employees is very good. If you are by yourself and are in need of help to reach books that are either too high or low you can ask any employee and they would be more than happy to assist you. Since Barnes & Nobles in Southlake is a 2 floor store there is an elevator inside of the store which is more than spacious enough for you to go inside of with your wheelchair. This elevator makes it easy for you to explore the entirety of Barnes & Nobles. Once you go checkout the cashier can and will help you with checking out to make the entire buying process a lot more simpler for you. 

Accessibility Shortcoming

While Barnes & Nobles in Southlake is a very accessible location there are some things that make it less accessible to some people. Starting outside the doors aren’t automatic doors which make it difficult for any wheelchair user to get inside if they are by themselves. Inside is a big store but all of the book shelves and book stands make it very difficult for wheelchair users to maneuver around the store with all of those tight spaces. Since this store is a 2 floor location there is an elevator but there isn’t a clear sign telling you where the elevator is. If this is your first time going or you haven’t been in a long time you can have trouble finding the elevator and leave the store thinking there isn’t an elevator for you to use. Once you go check out while the cashier will help you out as much as they can, the registers are very high and for people in wheelchairs it makes it difficult for you to reach the register.  All of this can be fixed to not only help out their disabled customers but to make all of their customers feel like they can shop there without any obstacles in the way.

Personal Experience

My personal experience going to Barnes & Nobles in Southlake was an overall good experience. I was able to find parking close to the store which made getting to the store really easy for me. At the door I found my first obstacle though, the store had 2 sets of double doors. The first set was open which I was able to get through but that second set was closed which meant that if I wasn’t going to Barnes & Nobles with my brother I would've had trouble getting inside as their doors weren’t automatic. Once inside I had a couple more obstacles to get through. The first one was that the walkways inside of Barnes & Nobles were very tight which made it hard for me to drive my wheelchair as I was scared of hitting the bookshelves and displays. The second obstacle for me was having trouble locating the elevator inside of the store. There really wasn’t a clear sign signaling where the elevator was located. Luckily I was still looking for books on the first floor and happened to come across the elevator which would then take me to the second floor of the store. Once we reached the second floor is where I normally reach my third obstacle which is that the elevator doors on the second door open inside of the toy section of the store which means that if there are kids there or if kids left toys on the floor it would make it difficult for me to drive my chair around. This time the toy section was very organized so I didn’t have any difficulty driving my chair around. Picking out books and looking around was very easy for me and I didn’t have any difficulty until I reached the register to check out. Firstly the registers were high and I didn’t see if they had a register at wheelchair level but that wasn’t what made it difficult for me as my wheelchair can elevate to any height. The difficult part for me was that my wheelchair couldn’t reach the register to pay because the footrest of my wheelchair would hit the front of the register making it difficult for me to reach. Luckily the cashier was very friendly and helped make the check out process for me a lot easier. Once I left I was going to go to another store but the sidewalk at the back was blocked off by trash bins which either belonged to Barnes & Nobles or The Cheesecake Factory next to them. Whoever those big bins belonged to made me go the other way around to go to the other store I was going to go to. My overall experience at this Barnes & Nobles was good but there are some things they could fix to make the experience for a wheelchair user like myself more accessible. 

Final Rating & Conclusion

Based on the assessment of Barnes & Noble's accessibility efforts, we award a rating of 4 out of 5 points. Barnes & Noble demonstrates a commendable commitment to inclusivity, evident in its provision of ADA parking, attentive staff assistance, and overall dedication to fostering a welcoming environment for all customers. However, the lack of automatic doors, challenges in navigating tight spaces, and difficulties in locating essential amenities such as elevators are areas that warrant improvement. Despite these shortcomings, the overall experience remains positive, with friendly staff support mitigating obstacles encountered. With continued efforts to address accessibility challenges and implement enhancements based on customer feedback, Barnes & Noble has the potential to further elevate its accessibility initiatives, ensuring that every visitor's literary journey is as enriching and inclusive as possible.