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Home > Shopping > Offline Shopping > Book Shops > Ottakers (Shop)

User Reviews

for Ottakers (Shop)

Rating Summary based on 30 reviews

  • 5 Stars
    		21
  • 4 Stars
    		8
  • 3 Stars
    		1
  • 2 Stars
    		0
  • 1 Star
    		0

Detailed rating

  • After-sales service
  • Atmosphere
  • Availability
  • Frequency of visit
  • In store customer service
  		• 4.4
  		• 4.5
  		• 3.9
  		• 1.5
  		• 4.6

Review attribute filters

Previous page Next page Page 1 of 3 | 1 to 10 out of 30 Review(s)
  • 38 of 38 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of SeasonTicketless

    SeasonTicketless

    5 Stars A bookworms best friend 28/04/2003
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Friendly staff, huge array of books

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Cannot order over the website

    Ottakar’s - A bookworm's best friend Back in the heady days of 2000, I fell in love. What’s this got to do with a bookstore? Well, keep with me and I’ll explain. Back in 2000 I moved in with Mel, who had lived in Chelmsford all of her life. I’d been brought up in Welling, Kent, a small town on the border of Kent and London, a twenty minute drive from the newly opened Bluewater shopping complex, and about half an hour from the slightly older Lakeside complex. Although I’d grown up reading books, I had usually taken advantage of the local library, which Bexley council had spent a lot of money in ... more
  • 33 of 33 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Louise90

    Louise90

    5 Stars My one true love 15/11/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages The range of books

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Costa Coffee Shop is expensive

    The nearest Ottaker's book store to me is in Lowestoft, but, as I visit Norwich more often than I do Lowestoft, I'm going to tell you about the Norwich branch. The store itself holds more than 500,000 books, and stands in 15,000 sq ft of ground. Quite amazing, eh?! Situated in the heart of the city, it's one of my all time favourite book shops, and very nearly every time I'm in Norwich I visit this store. The store is exceptionally clean and tidy, with the thousands of books nearly placed into rows or piles for people to browse around. They are all sectioned off into their respective ... more
  • 50 of 50 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of craigy_baby_2000

    craigy_baby_2000

    4 Stars The Bookshop from the Punk Age 16/01/2002
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Very nice ambience and atmosphere, excellent layout and features

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Very pricey books

    I’ve recently developed quite a taste for reading books. As one of my New Year’s Resolutions, I made sure that I took more time to relax and to enjoy life, rather than just rushing through and organising everything for everyone else. My new-found love of all things written has lead me to question certain book-stores, both on and off-line. One in particular is Ottakar’s, where, in my hometown of Gloucester, the store has recently been renovated to include a new coffee shop, regular book-signings and two reading areas! Ottakar’s, as I have come to discover, are a ... more
  • 15 of 15 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of Bryn_Pearson

    Bryn_Pearson

    4 Stars Smells like new books. 09/11/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages you can always get a bestseller here

    Disadvantages Disadvantages but you can lay money they won't have anything on dark age pottery.

    What is it about the smell of a bookshop? Perhaps its the combination of ink and paper, I don't know, but I am always captivated by that very faint and distinct aroma. Ottakers - I have known and loved several in my time (Gloucester and Bormsgrove particulalry, but have visited others.) If you want new releases, often with a slight reduction (especially on Terry Prachett novels) Ottakers are great. They do plenty of mainstream popular books pound classics and all that sort of thing. They tend to have a good children's section. They do not stock much that is obscure, esoteric or weird (but the ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of frog_banana

    frog_banana

    5 Stars Ottakars - Bookshop Extrordinaire 08/10/2003
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Vast selection of books from all genres

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Can be pricey, no student discount (although varied promotional offers can make amends for this!)

    James Heneage deserves a medal. The man is clearly a genius. To invisage creating the bookshop we've all always dreamed of... welcoming, atmospheric, a collection of books so vast that the only problem you'll will have on entering the store is deciding where to begin. And of course once we have made that decision there are plenty of eager, helpful, polite and genuinely pleasant staff on hand to guide us to the relevant section, shelf, and very often, book. Not that help is always needed - the sections are clearly labelled, and well organised. This has to be the easiest shop to navigate! There ... more
  • 12 of 12 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of daseaford

    daseaford

    5 Stars Great Lincoln Store. 05/06/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Very welcoming shop.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages None.

    We love going to book shops and this store is a real gem. This is the first Ottakars book store that I have been to and I was very impressed. The Lincoln store has three storeys and the whole store is very well laid out, with plenty of room to browse around. The whole shop has a very welcoming feeling about it with chairs and sofas all around the shop where you can sit and relax to look through some of the wonderful collection of books in the shop. Although I have not directly compared the prices to other shops they did seem to be cheaper than I expected. The staff were very helpful and all ... more
  • 21 of 21 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of LIESL

    LIESL

    5 Stars bookworm heaven 27/08/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages nice ambience, central location, staff who are interested!

    Disadvantages Disadvantages more expensive than online books, weak crime section

    I've got a real thing for bookshops. Maybe its the relative peace, the orderliness, or just the feeling that a world of knowledge is on the shelves...waiting for me. Ottakers is, I think, the king of bookstores. My local branch (Portsmouth) shines in an otherwise depressingly mundane shopping centre. The staff are, on the whole, great. They seem reassuringly knowledgeable about their stock and can usually put their hands straight on the book I want. Ordering stuff is never a big deal. One of the friendliest, and most helpful, features are the handwritten cards dotted around the shelves - these ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of em_moreton

    em_moreton

    5 Stars Relax, Read and Oh look at the time 17/05/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Wide range, can order pretty much anything

    Disadvantages Disadvantages More chairs needed

    As a fully fledged bookworm, bookshops have been a bit of a hit and miss affair for me. Local bookshops are great, you are supporting local businesses and that but to be honest, the Ottakers in Lincoln (I can't say about anywhere else with conviction!) is just about the best place to do with books I have been to. Three floors of wonderful things. The brilliant idea of having the children's section downstairs so that the little loves aren't running around your legs as you wander up and down the aisles discovering new things. Th even better idea of installing a Costa Coffee and a cafe and even ... more
  • 4 of 4 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of jools30

    jools30

    5 Stars wish I'd found it sooner 06/09/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages great selection

    Disadvantages Disadvantages too many titles to choose from!

    I've only recently had the pleasure of visiting an Ottakers store as the one in Norwich has not been open too long. But what a great place! Everything is laid out really clearly and there is plenty of space between shelves for browsing. Well positioned signs point you in the right direction if you're feeling a bit lost. One thing I particularly like is the sofas dotted around the store so you can sit and relax while perusing your selection. The hand written signs on the shelves are useful for pointing out particular books. There is a great selection of books - every subject appears to be ... more
  • 7 of 7 Ciao users found the following review helpful
    Picture of darrenloud

    darrenloud

    4 Stars A Really Pleasant Shopping Experience 20/02/2001
    User recommends the product

    Advantages Advantages Well layed out, great selection of books, helpful staff.

    Disadvantages Disadvantages Expensive compared to online retailers.

    I went into Ottakers for the first time, just before Christmas. The branch only opened in my home-town a few months previously. Before then, I had never heard of them. I went in the because I wanted to buy some childrens books for my niece and nephew for Christmas. I didn't want to go in WHSmiths because I know they are expensive and I didn't have the time to buy online as it was too close to Christmas. As soon as I stepped in the door, I could tell I was going to be spending plenty of money in there. What struck me was the way in which the store was organised. The store was very clean and all ... more
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