Amazon Bookstore Now Open in Bethesda
Bethesda Row welcomed the first Amazon Bookstore in Montgomery County to the corner of Bethesda Ave. and Arlington Rd. last week.
The Amazon Bookstore fills the void left by the recent closure of the landmark Barnes & Noble on the same street. Barnes & Noble was one of Bethesda Row’s first tenants, and many Bethesda shoppers have lamented its replacement by an Anthropologie clothing store.
At only one story high, the Amazon Bookstore is smaller than the three-level Barnes & Noble was, but it has many familiar sections. It comprises a large kids section, fiction, business books, self-improvement volumes, mysteries and thrillers, biographies, science fiction and fantasy, books in Spanish, magazines, arts and crafts books, romance novels, poetry, and books on religion.
To make up for limited space, Amazon was very selective about what books to include on its shelves.
Like its online counterpart, the bookstore uses computer algorithms to determine what is most likely to sell well.
Right inside the front door are shelves labeled “Hot Right Now,” “Most-Wished-For Books on Amazon.com” and “Customer Favorites.”
A section called “If You Like…” has book recommendations on the left side of of the shelf for fans of the books on the right side.
There is even a section titled “Read Around Washington D.C.” that personalizes the store for D.C.-area residents.
In addition to books, the store sells electronic gadgets such as Kindle, Alexa, and Smart Home products. Camping supplies are on display next to the register, and school supplies and toys hang in front of it.
Signs by the register show customers how to pay using the Amazon mobile app.
This is the second Amazon Bookstore to open in the D.C. area after a Georgetown location opened in March. It is the 16th physical store Amazon has opened, and two more are coming soon in California and Colorado.
Amazon Books opens in Bethesda, #Maryland! Stop by and discover great books, test-drive devices or find other customer favorites! pic.twitter.com/568NnLHAw7
— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 27, 2018
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