Barnes & Noble — Attraction in Tustin

Disappointing Experience with Poor Customer Service

I recently had a very disappointing experience at the Barnes & Noble branch located at The District at Tustin Legacy. This incident raised serious concerns about their customer service and management practices.

Three weeks ago, I purchased a toy from this store. Upon opening the box, I discovered that some pieces were missing. When I returned to the store to address the issue, I was met with an unprofessional and dismissive attitude from a staff member claiming to be the manager.

Instead of asking for the reason behind my return or referencing the store’s return policy, she immediately refused to accept the item, stating that the box had been opened. I explained that opening the box was necessary to realize parts were missing, but she was unwilling to listen or assist. Her behavior was aggressive, unprofessional, and lacked basic customer service etiquette, making an already frustrating situation worse.

It’s disappointing to see someone so untrained in a managerial role, as this reflects poorly on Barnes & Noble’s hiring and training standards. A manager should prioritize assisting customers and resolving issues, not escalating conflicts.

I hope this review prompts Barnes & Noble to address gaps in their training processes and ensure their staff at The District at Tustin Legacy location can handle customer concerns respectfully and professionally...

Just had the most awful and humiliating experience here. I was shopping with my mom and my 1 yr old and walked in talking about how much I loved and frequented that store. On our way out, the alarm rang and we waited there to make sure everything was ok. The front desk staff then grabbed our shopping bags from my son’s stroller and ran each one by the alarm. Nothing. I allowed this to happen because I had nothing to hide and understood she was just doing her job. Then, without permission, she started digging under my stroller and took out my son’s diaper bag, and passed it through the scanner. Again, nothing. By this time all four front desk staff were looking at us, sneering and laughing. Then the staff that took my bags laughs and said “oh I guess you didn’t take anything”. BEYOND HUMILIATED. I even said “I have never in my life been treated this way”. Did this staff really think I came to a BOOKSTORE with my mom and baby to steal?! Who goes through another person’s personal belongings without asking?! Assuming we are criminals without having one single conversation ?! Looks like I’ll have to find a new welcoming place for my family. Seems like I’m not the only one who has had negative experiences here, management I BEG YOU to train your staff into having some manners & basic...

When it comes to books, I'm definitely old school, and this B&N is one of the largest and most well-stocked stores in the chain. I was visiting the area and needed to kill some time, so I stopped in to browse. One HOUR later, and I had still only explored about half of the store!

This bookstore has concrete floors that can be unforgiving to your feet, but there are rows and rows and rows of real, physical books and media! Browsers will be in absolute heaven. The store is organized well and logically, with a terrific kids' section, music section, and more!

They have a great magazine selection with all sorts of rare titles, and there's a lovely stationery section with pretty wrapping paper, greeting cards, and other small gifts that any book lover would adore.

While I was in the store, several employees approached me in a non-obstrusive manner to ask if I needed assistance. I was very impressed with the service from the moment I walked in the door until the moment I checked out.

This is one of the last remaining book stores, and it's a great one! Let's all make it a point to keep B&N...