Half Price Books — Attraction in Austin

On June 24th, I made the decision to visit Half Price Books to withdraw money from all 30 of my books. Note that these were books on English literature, textbooks for exam preparation, books on construction, and books on real estate. I observed folks who arrived immediately after me who got attended first and promptly had their money offers prepared as I waited adjacent to the location down the store to receive my offer still. While I was waiting for them to evaluate mine, which took 1 hour and 37 minutes, I noticed that they were hardly even pulling them out of the black and blue bag I had brought them in. These employees were all white, as were the customers who received prompt service. As a person of color (Hispanic), you can definitely tell how you are being spoken to and treated differently. I know that may sound difficult to understand. When I got called to receive my offer, a different person—a man in a red shirt who appeared to be Hispanic—asked me for my ID once more (AGAIN) before accepting my cash offer. He gave me an unpleasant look and repeatedly nodded his head when I told him I didn't have it with me at the time. He didn't even make the effort to explain to me which books they would be receiving and which ones would be considered donations. Instead, he only instructed me to sign the receipt (offer) and to head upfront the cashier to receive my money. Like? I'm sitting here hearing what they have been telling other customers about which books have been successful and which are being treated as donations, and whether or not they are okay with that. I needed to ask him instead. I thought that Half Price Books' overall goal was "...to be fair to customers…be kind to the environment, and remain financially viable so they may continue...". What occurred? Why do you employ people that won't uphold the principles you all claim on your website? They're lucky I don't know their names or have pictures of them from the CASH out department down the store. (White woman wearing a black dress (grey and black hair) and a man wearing a red shirt from the day of June 24th). As a Hispanic student that attends UT Austin, I will not be coming to this location again. Mistreated, discriminated against, and simply rude. Do better and respect...

One Star Review for Half Price Books

I am absolutely appalled by my recent experience at Half Price Books. After the passing of a dear friend who owned a bookstore, we thought we would honor her memory by donating and selling her extensive collection of over 2,000 books, CDs, and vinyl records. When we called ahead to check if we could process these items, we were assured by a staff member named Paul that they would accept more than 20 pounds of materials even though the automated line said they will except 20 pounds of materials. As complete novices in this process, we specifically asked how many books would equal 20 pounds and were given the green light to bring them all in. So, with three dollies full of tubs and individually wrapped books, we arrived at the North Lamar store, only to be told that our large order needed to go through an overnight processing. We were not informed that this would be a problem when we called ahead. The next morning, we received a call stating that only one-third of our books had been scanned due to "slow computers." We were then offered a measly $40 for our entire collection, which was insulting. We were told we could either take the cash for what had been processed, which was 21$ and take our remaining books home, or they would simply donate them without further processing. What a way to treat a grieving friend’s legacy! To make matters worse, the staff implied that most of our books were not "good enough" to be worth anything. What does that even mean? It's incredibly concerning to hear that our beloved collection is being dismissed as not worthy when we had no guidance on what they consider "good stuff." The rushed decision-making and lack of respect for the sentimental value of the collection left us feeling unsettled and disrespected. I’m left wondering if anyone else has experienced such poor treatment at Half Price Books. If you value your time, your books, or your loved one's legacy, do yourself a favor and stay away from this place. They clearly don’t appreciate the treasures people bring in, and their customer service is sorely lacking! It was never about the money to us it was about fair...

I literally grew up going to Half Price Books at its flagship location in Dallas. When my parents wanted to get out of the house for a few hours, we went to Half Price, and if they were in a good mood I got my pick of anything I wanted in the store. Since then, Half Price has become one of my "comfort places"- a place I can always go to cheer up when I'm in a bad mood, or feel like exploring a new topic, or just want to kill a few hours. The Half Price on North Lamar isn't quite as big as that flagship location in Dallas, but it's still big enough that you can easily spend a day browsing there. Obviously, Half Price is primarily a used bookstore (although they do carry some new items); this means that they may or may not have exactly what you're looking for, but that they will have an eclectic selection in a huge variety of subjects. The North Lamar location is unique in that it also has a section within the store set aside for vintage, rare, and first-edition books- nothing that I'm generally in the market for, but it's fun to browse! In addition to books, there's a decent selection of comics, movies, and CDs, and the store also carries a good assortment of gift items (novelty signs, geeky knick-knacks, etc.) Prices are usually more than reasonable for used copies- yes, you could probably get the same items for much cheaper on Amazon, but browsing and discovering those hidden treasures is part of the fun (for me, at least). I have always found the service here to be knowledgeable and helpful, and the staff are always ready with a recommendation if requested. Just be sure you have a clock handy. The worst thing about Half Price Books is probably how easy it is to lose track...