Half Price Books — Local services in College Station

I LOVE THIS PLACE! I mostly go here for the music selection + the "Half Pint Books" section for kids :)

Their kids section is adorable and have a variety of books that range from board books ($2-10) to pop-up books ($20-45+). They sell new copies of books too but buying more affordable books for toddlers is nice especially since they tend to draw on everything 😭). I would say half of the book selection looks like they're on the good/excellent condition side.

I love their CD collection (the nostalgia is a whole vibe for me 😜) - you can score some good copies between $4 to $9 that are in almost new/excellent condition. I ALWAYS go through the ENTIRE rock/pop/hip-hop selection and grab at least 3 copies (that make me go "wow, they have this here?!") on every trip.

They also sell used records which you can tell get picked through a lot. The used record selection lacks on the modern music side but honestly it's always fun to go through and see what copies people sell to the store. I've managed to find out-of-print records and more obscure indie titles a handful of times :) New + sealed releases are sold here too in bulk but like I said, I come and sift through the crates in case I come across a nice surprise. If you're curious, I've gotten these copies the last 5 years: Donna Summer, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Four Tet, Madonna, Haim, The Doobie Brothers, Culture Club, Led Zeppelin, Khruangbin, and a handful of jazz records. They have newer-used records locked away too bit those vary in price drastically anywhere between $30 to $60+ at least.

Oh and I also buy very affordable and adorable Christmas cards here every year in bulk for $7/pack (quantity varies from 15 to 30 cards a pack but the price is the same mostly!!

They have lots of cute memorabilia, journals, DVDs, trinkets, and just all-around interesting gifts for almost anyone. It's definitely a great place to stop by to get something unique at a...

The booksellers here are very genuine people. They are charismatic, kind, helpful, and a pleasure to talk with. The layout is different than the Half Price Books I've visited in the Houston area. I would say the front of the store is rather uninviting in comparison.

Regardless, when you find the section you're looking for, which doesn't take much effort because the store is categorized well and labeled accordingly, it's easy to find what you are searching for. The shelves are organized and cared for, unlike many of the Houston stores. There's a lot of pride for cleanliness and tidiness at this location, and it shows.

My only real complaint is the line is not well marked and can lead to confusion with greedy customers who try to stand in line between the makeshift dividers of trinkets they sell near the checkout to cut in line. The stoess I've seen have colorful duct tape indicating where the line begins with arrows leading to and through the checkout.

Something I look for at Half Price is phone etiquette. If I call, I expect a friendly voice and someone who is willing to search their database for me. When I call for books, I always have the ISBN to make their life easier. I got into the habit of only calling 1 of the 8 or 10 stores in the Houston area because they reliably had someone who answered the phone professionally. I was very pleased when my call was answered with that very same professionalism! And not only did Sam answer my questions about exchanges, he even went to grab the item I wanted to exchange for and placed it on hold for me! Absolutely over the top.

All in all, the experience here was phenomenal. I would have returned regardless, but it's so comforting to know what to expect as far as the store layout and the...

I love the options at HPB. It really makes it affordable for a larger family. However my low rating is for the staff. They are so rude here. There's always a girl (in a mask of course) stocking the children's novels and YA section and if children are being children (I'm not even talking destructive here) she's standing behind you to fix it and rolling her eyes and sighing at you. She also listens to your conversations and comments on what you're saying to your group. The check out employees aren't much better. Today trying to make my purchase I tried on two occasions to hand her my teacher card, to which she finally snapped at me.... We can't stack discounts. We're already having a 20% off sale! Well if I knew that maybe I wouldn't have tried to hand you the card. I mean honestly a single sentence would make a world of difference. Just be kind and converse with customers. I don't need treated like the enemy because I'd like to purchase your goods. This HPB evidently prescribes to woke idealogies in which everyone else is bad and they are not. Not to mention the increase in pride memorabilia throughout the store and going on about banned books. Just provide quality literature and realize the demographic in which you're located. It's unfortunate that we may have to stop frequenting this store for...