Books-A-Million — Local services in Fort Walton Beach

I've never been called such nasty words for HELPING a young and new employee named Morgan currently employed at this specific location. Even the manager Kaitlyn and the male assistant manager were very ugly to me specifically as well. I had $200 worth of books and Halloween cards I was intending on purchasing in cash first thing the next morning as soon as the doors opened. I returned the $50-$100 dollars of books and card games I did buy.

My complaint isn't for Books-A-Million because I HIGHLY recommend Destin Commons Books-A-Million. There are two different types of customer service. Even the Cafe employee at Destin Books-A-Million was FANTASTIC and more than accommodating!

I got called "obsessed" and laughed at. Ridiculed and called "nuts" because Morgan WHO I just met and never once complained to me personally or spoke up that I made him uncomfortable, accused me of STALKING him.

"Crazy" and "Creepy". It's a hit or miss in Florida especially Mary Esther Florida has the RUDEST, entitled and ignorant people I've ever come across. There's very few good employees left in the world.

As a local Fort Walton Beach, FL local guide on Google maps, I garuntee a much more enjoyable experience at the Destin Commons Books-A-Million.

Destin is worth the drive.

They will never see another penny of that $300 again, Destin's location will.

The employees never had any issue before. And there was no misunderstanding about "hearing or thinking. Right in front of my face, the managers and employee working Monday September 5th, 2022 at closing,, had been outcasting me from there store for helping a young man or teenage boy (Morgan) do HIS job. So I was ostracized outright and accused of a CRIME for being a paying customer with a large cart of items I was buying that night and in the morning, for helping an employee do his job so he wouldn't be let go. I felt bad for him because he was around college age and probably needed the job.

Worst experience in my life. I CRIED and blamed it on martial issues at the time to avoid conflict with their employees.

This was not just a bad day for them. My return the next morning Tuesday September 6th was the same experience with Kaitlyn being a bit rude. The customers there are awful as well. Destin is NOT horrible but so much more wonderful and enjoyable!

The managers of this location will no longer be helpful to alleviate the situation or sway me from leaving their location as a customer for good at this point. Their division managers or higher ups for Books-A-Million North West Florida will be contacted by me in the near future. Along with the worst McDonald's in Mary Esther I've ever regretted stepping out of.

Mary Esther is NOT a good spot. Fort Walton and Destin are hit and miss sometimes, but Mary Esther is the rudest place I've ever traveled the world to. Washington DC was so much nicer and they're know for DC standing for Washington "Don't Care".

So sad to leave this review, I LOVE Books-A-Million. I thought Morgan was a nice young man, but assumptions of strangers and stigma causes so much more harm every coming year it seems. Ignorance is NOT bliss, always.

-Amber Barlow Fort Walton Beach Florida Local Guide on...

An invaluable local resource. By the standard of most BAM locations, this place is small and, as an unsurprising result, shelf space and selection are both (comparatively) limited. But even this small BAM location has something that a potentially larger independent shop doesn't: a fleet of sister stores and warehouses across the country it can pull inventory from.

Here in NW Florida, culture can often be a bit... One dimensional, let's say. But places like BAM can expose you to new authors, cultures, ideas, and media you never knew you were missing out on - so even if you do end up having to order through their website, don't miss out on the significance of the location as a meeting place, a showcase, and an exchange of ideas and values. We're losing bookstores left and right across the country, making it easier and easier for a small number of online retailers to control what people have access to, and what is buried forever. It is our honorable moral and civic duty to keep places like this up...

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience when I came here. Staff was impatient and rude. They huffed and puffed and acted like I was a nuisance over a simple request to help find a book. I was being friendly and told them to take their time and that everything was fine, but they responded with nothing but sarcasm and condescending behavior. Completely awful experience. I ended up returning part of my purchase at a different BAM the next day because every time I looked at the books all I could think about was how rude and awful the staff was at this store. Ruined my desire to even own the books I bought. Now that's impressively bad. If you have the option to go somewhere else, do. Maybe it was an off day for the two employees I interacted with, but I know for me I will not be coming back...