Waterstones — Local services in Amsterdam

When looking for an English title not stocked by other bookstores, I usually turn to Waterstones. But it's a challenge to go there. Located in the heart of Amsterdam city center you have to wade you way through crowds of tourists as well as shoppers in the Kalverstraat-region. It's a bit of a hassle, especially when you have to park your bike as well.

The top floor of this store has one of the best nooks and crannies to just sit down and read a book for a bit before deciding whether or not to buy it. It's one of the strongest charms of this store. However, it does not entirely make up for several flaws. When walking in, you have the feeling of walking into an old school bookstore, but this charm does not last long. Over the years they started focusing more and more on the side business of many (mostly YA) series. On that earlier mentioned top floor you will find yourself surrounded by books instead of merchandise again, but YA, travel, and thriller are mixed with children's books for all ages resulting in little peace and quiet from time to time. This store has been in many ways influenced by it's location in the city, and is focusing more on sales than anything else. This takes a toll on the diversity of titles as well as the expertise of the staff. When asking for recommendations, I got very little helpful remarks. It's a shame. Also, they charge one of the highest prices for English books...

Unfortunately the staff ruined the experience.

My partner is a massive book lover so we had to pop into the Waterstones while on our city break. We waited in line for a little while to check out. There was a lovely young gentleman serving the customers before us, would've loved a chat with him. Unfortunately they opened up a second till and we were greeted with an awfully unpleasant older gentleman. We wanted to pay with cash, they were happy to accept the cash but boy he was utterly miserable throughout the process.

The process of us getting our cash out took us maybe a minute or so but he acted as if he was wasting away during this time as he was profusely apologizing to the lady in line behind us that we were taking too long, as if we were wasting his last moments on Earth.

As a customer, I'd like to be treated the same as the other customers. This chap did not get the...

I've always loved coming here, it's like a massive cozy living room with a thousand different worlds you can escape into in the middle of Amsterdam. The service is always kind and friendly, and it's really clear that everyone who works there loves books quite a lot. They have a massive collection of books, special editions, gifts, and fun things to have. They are also not limited to fiction, carrying a large selection of books about any topic. I always leave with my wallet quite a bit lighter (not because they're wildly expensive, just because I can't get myself together) and a huge...