Kinokuniya Bookstore - Chicago — Attraction in Elk Grove Township

Has a great selection of books and merchandise and im regularly spending a lot in there because of that! I've always loved visiting and finding the next book in the series I've been reading, or finding new art books. Lately though, staff has been kind of odd. I've noticed a lot of the older staff have a more rushed attitude than the younger staff. I was there recently with a friend who has never been there, and it was such an odd experience for them to witness. It wasn't peak hours or even a usual busy day, the place was rather empty actually. I went to check out and it seemed as though the man at the register was in some kind of rush. I went to pay and he scanned my membership then said "it's expired do yoy want to renew?" And I always do, because I visit often enough. I responded that I did want to renew and he asked again as though he was annoyed or surprised that I would want to renew. Then he rushed through the transaction and rushed to have me write my name and number on the renewal paper. Once I paid he basically shoved my bag over to me and immediately called out "next in line! Next in line!" Even though I was just putting my cards away and didn't even get the chance to grab my bag yet. Like I said, the store wasn't even busy like it normally is, there was maybe 2 others in line so it wasn't a massive line to get through either.

This isn't an isolated incident, I've had some rushed and/or some rather rude behavior from older staff before, quite literally the first time I visited. We just asked if we could hold our books at the register because it was a whole series of at least 30 books I was buying at once. I remember the man just staring at us blankly before he said "you're gonna have to carry that" and continuing to stare at us as though it was a crazy request. I do retail work and can understand just being tired of it all, but there's ways to go about customer service and that response was lackluster and disappointing. I could understand a "no I'm sorry, we can't hold books for customers at the register" it's no big deal! Treating customers as though they're trying to inconvenience you by simply purchasing, is going to drive people away. I understand that it gets crazy busy because the place became popular, even as a customer I don't like going in there when it's that busy either. However, there is nothing that can really be done about that. It's brutally honest, but it has to be said: if you can't handle that kind of traffic, you shouldnt be working that kind of job. Many people visit this store as it's one of the few places that sells such specific merchandise, I don't think that working with such a negative view on customers is good to do in this kind of place. I hope this issue improves in the future, as there are definitely some kind workers there. Like I said, a lot of the younger workers are rather nice, I get the feeling this is due to how much more accepting newer generations tend to be, so they understand that a rushed attitude is not...

I went and did some gift shopping and browsing for myself. It’s a larger gift shop sized space. Think along the lines of those old Waldenbooks or B. Dalton bookshops in the dead malls. Except this was a much nicer experience as it was more spread out, making it much easier to navigate each section of the store. There’s a ton of manga, and even some newer non-Japanese fiction novels up front. In addition to books written and printed in Japanese, other assorted stuff like large format picture books about Japan and some travel guides are available too. They have model kits, some arts and crafts, and other good gift ideas. It was a nice mix of Japanese centric books and things, and other practical stuff like office/school supplies.

It’s the kind of smaller but well thought out bookstore experience I’ve been missing, as all I have near me are the bigger Barnes & Noble or Half Price Books types of places.

If you’re looking to try something different than the big book chains or Amazon, it’s a fun place to get lost in for awhile and walk out with some manga, or might be the perfect place to find a unique gift for those people in your life who are needing something different for Christmas or their birthday. I’d recommend it even if you’re not someone who is into Japanese media or culture, because it’s a bookshop that just feels different. The staff there was also friendly and...

I enjoy shopping at kinokuniya. They have a variety of products and I especially enjoy looking for the Sanrio products. I saw they were maybe putting out some Sanrio items so I went to look at them. I did pick it up and inspect the item that I thought was cute but I was not planning on taking it from the rack because I knew that it was not out yet since it had no price tag. I was planning to ask the lady how much it was and when it was going to be on the shelves. She had short platinum/white hair. But she was rude and just assumed I was going to take it and said in a condescending and rude tone “ don’t touch it, it’s not ready yet”. I was taken aback by her tone towards me. I have worked in many different stores in mitsuwa but I’ve never had a rude experience like this with any other place. I hope she can improve her attitude towards customers. A simple “sorry those aren’t going to be out yet”, would have been much nicer than how she interacted towards me. I’m disappointed in how her customer service was. I don’t care if your having a bad day or etc you cannot be rude like that towards someone. Instead of asking her about the item I decided to ask another worker who was much nicer. Overall I enjoy shopping at kinokuniya but this particular worker needs to learn better customer service because if she keeps acting like that to other customers people will not want...