Barnes & Noble's New Game Department Gets an A+

Barnes & Noble opened their new flagship store on 86^th and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan on Friday. I decided to visit it on opening day but allow me be honest here, it was not for business.  I love books and bookstores so I just wanted to see the new store and buy a book.

Well, imagine my surprise and delight when I saw a wonderful game and puzzle department right there in the middle of the main floor. It is, at least to my eye, the center point in the store. In fact, when you come off the escalator from the upper floor it is centered right in front of you. 

It is beautiful with big signs, a great selection of products, a rational organizing principle and a very nice sized footprint. I spoke with a very proud department manager, Sherri Daly, who kindly walked me through the department.

Here is what I saw:

The sign over the department was very large, centered and conspicuous. It demanded your attention and made a statement that the game and puzzle department was as important as any book department in the store.

The selection of games and puzzles was diverse with games from Europe and North America. It was a great department to shop because there were lots of surprises as you saw products that you had never seen before. 

The department was well organized with signs clearly identifying where the “Abstract Strategy,” “Adventure,” “Family” and other categories were located. 

The space devoted to games and puzzles was substantial. I eyed the footage and estimated that there were around 140 running feet of space.  What was really impressive was the height of the shelving. The bulk of it ran the wall and was easily 8 feet high.

I hope that this department gets the response from shoppers that it deserves because I would like to see Barnes & Noble roll this out to all stores. My congratulations to everyone at Barnes & Noble who put this together.

So, next time you are in New York, head over to 86^th and Lexington and check out store #2278. It will be worth the visit. Oh, by the way, I forgot to buy a book.