Waterstones is a large independent UK bookseller, and their store in Manchester is located on the shopping street of Deansgate opposite the department store Kendals.
Waterstones does not offer huge discounts such as other book retailers like WH Smith do, but the store in Manchester is the largest book store in Manchester, as well as one of the largest in the northwest, and offers a great range of fiction and non-fiction titles, including some books that are hard to find in other places!
The ground and first floors offer a great range of fiction including Waterstones bestsellers, the Richard and Judy Book Club, and much more. There is an impressive range of foreign titles and staff picks dotted throughout the store. The store is trendy and modern, with knowledgeable staff in a comfy atmosphere. Lots of comfy seating areas mean that you can browse through books uninterrupted, and you can also take a break in the Costa Café bar on the first floor.
The travel section is excellent and up-to-date, with a great range of books on the UK, as well as international travel, and there’s a good range of travel writing too.
If you enjoy reading non-fiction or require books for study or work, then the store offers a fantastic range of books on a whole range of subjects with notable categories being business, education, arts related books, management, and information technology.
The children’s section is huge and offers a great range of tactile books for babies through to the latest best-selling children’s and young adult authors.
The bookstore also offers a good range of literature related gifts including calendars, cards and booklets, as well as a good range of books focusing on England and the northwest. There’s also a good programme of author visits with tickets being free or a minimal admission charge. Recent authors have included Bill Bryson.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, there is a book-ordering service, and the out-of-print book search is fast and efficient, with no postage costs if you collect from a Waterstones branch.
There are branches dotted throughout the country and you can also order online at www.waterstones.co.uk (this is an affiliation with www.amazon.co.uk, so you can shop on Amazon and find exactly the same products at the same prices).
Recommendations:
Waterstones 3-for-2 offers on popular fiction books
Great selection on children’s and teenage books
Good selection of foreign titles
Great travel section
Good selection of U.S. fiction, including crime