Half Price Books was founded in 1972 by Pat Anderson and Ken Gjemre, in Dallas, Texas. The original store was a remodeled Laundromat where the pair put 2,000 of their own books on sale and advertised that the company was buying and selling books. After buying thousands of books, records, and magazines, the company expanded their location.
Today, the company has more than 120 locations and outlet stores in 16 states. Half Price Books is the largest family owned chain of bookstores in the U.S. Pat Anderson’s daughter is current CEO. The company is well-known for donating millions of books to non-profit organizations such as American Red Cross and Feed the Children.
Half Price Books also owns their own printing company, Hackberry Press, which reprints non-copyrighted titles or English language translations of books from other publishers.
Half Price BooksHalf Price Books was founded in 1972 by Pat Anderson and Ken Gjemre, in Dallas, Texas. The original store was a remodeled Laundromat where the pair put 2,000 of their own books on sale and advertised that the company was buying and selling books. After buying thousands of books, records, and magazines, the company expanded their location.
Today, the company has more than 120 locations and outlet stores in 16 states. Half Price Books is the largest family owned chain of bookstores in the U.S. Pat Anderson’s daughter is current CEO. The company is well-known for donating millions of books to non-profit organizations such as American Red Cross and Feed the Children.
Half Price Books also owns their own printing company, Hackberry Press, which reprints non-copyrighted titles or English language translations of books from other publishers.
I have been cleaning out my cousin’s home for the past six months due to his being placed in an adult care facility. He is a hoarder and has an estimated 10,000 + books.
I have worked with your Half Priced store in Washington’s Bellevue Crossroads Mall in selling or disposing of them. Several weeks ago one of your employee’s, Madison, found $1,100 my cousin left in one of the books. She gave it to her manager who promptly returned it to me. I was very touched and humbled by Madison’s honesty and asked her manager if I could give her a reward. He said to send a comment to the Corporate office instead.
I still want to reward Madison and her manager but am unsure what would be an acceptable approach. I will buy all of my future books from this store and have told my friends of my positive experience.
Please let me know what I can do to reward such integrity. Thank you!
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I have filed a Better Business Bureau complaint and urge other disgruntled customers to do the same. Their BBB rating is 1 out if 5.
I bought a DVD through Albris and got an entirely wrong title. HPB initially blamed Albris then admitted they create the listings.
Everyone to whom I spoke either stated they were not authorized to send me a copy of the correct DVD, which in the worst case would have cost them $20 from Amazon, or would not do so. The VP who oversees customer service ignored both an e-mail and a voicemail.
I ordered several titles from HPB via Albris partially because they asserted on Albris that they are dedicated t9 good customer service. I was foolish to believe them.
Based solely on the world-class rudeness of many of their employees, the company should not be permitted on Better Business Bureau. Proves how low today’s BBB is by allowing membership to such riff-raff companies. HPB will be history by early next year. You read it here first.
I had two of your employees from your two stores tell me they could not help me with my device yesterday
Was your device a book?
Corparate Office,
My name is Brenda Spire and I am the Chaplain of Hays County Jail in San Marcos, TX. As per Jail Standards Code, we must supply books for our inmates to read on a regular basis. These are softback only books. We have approximately 600 inmates in our custody. I have personally spoken to the Half Price Book Store in San Marcos, Tx, by going to the store, and asked if they will donate any softback books they do not want to keep to the Hays County Jail, but the answer is “No”. I see that many books are thrown in the garbage behind their building. Could you see fit to donate some softback books to our County Jail?
It would be such a blessing to us and also help us meet the standards we must keep to be in compliance with Jail Standards.
Thank You,
Brenda Spire – Chaplain
Hays County Jail
1307 Uhland Rd.
San Marcos, TX 78666
512-393-7862 Office
Where was the original location? What was the address? What is it now?
My granddaughter was employed at the Everett store location where she was not paid her wages and was let go after 2 weeks of employment
I have to tell you that I am shock and upset at the way your company has so far handled this matter. I hope that this is not a practice that is acceptable for such a large chain as your company is..
Your company hires mostly young adults who for may of them, gaining their first employment opportunity, as is with Josette. It saddens me that any employee has to fight and jump through hoops just to receive the wages that they worked for. This instills mis- trust for employer at such at early part of these young adult’s employment career.
I have liked and enjoyed shopping at Half Price Books Stores. I support your business mission statement and your contributions to the communities where your stores are located. BUT… this current payroll issue makes me wonder just what kind of business Half Price Books represents.
Reading all of the Comments from your customers posted on the corporate internet page has me very concerned as to the integrity of the company as a whole. I hope that this issue with my granddaughter is resolved one way or the other quickly. This has gone unresolved for way to long.
I won’t go into great detail about my experience but what I will say is I have had a herindiuos experience with half price books staff and customer service, what I asked of the staff was a simple request all I wanted was some cases to be swapped for bul rays I like the design of a certain case and they have the ability to swap the cases no problem, its not an upgrade I’m not asking for a discount and the process to swap the cases takes two minutes but after asking them for the fourth different time to do this I was meet with threats of police being called cause this was a annoyance to them, I pushed to know why they would not meet my unorthidox yet simple demand but the only answer given was it’s not something we do. There was no other reason they couldn’t do other than they didn’t want to and if I pushed for an answer and defended myself and why I asked for what I asked for and tried to get a reasonalble answer I was scoffed at and theatened. Calling customer support was even worse the both supervisors I talked with blindly believied any story the staffed cooked up and blamed me for any tension that arose out of the interaction and again I was given no ratonal reason why my small request wasnt meet other than ito not normal practice to swap cases even if there is no monitory gain or lose for both parties that’s just how it is, so in cinclusion half price books does not care about the customer what so ever no matter tbe smallest request wither they can or can not back up their words with store protocol it’s their store and if you dare question their judgment you will may be arrested and brought up of bogus charges just so they can feel big I’m sorry I thought this was America a land by the people for the people well have price books when you get done playing in XXXX Germany land please join us in the land of the free where you company may thrive and prosper with customers that are happy and employees that are helpful dear God get with the help times uhhhh!!!!!
I wrote several occasions concerning the various injusticies that were done to me .I have been steady customer here for about 15 years.4 years ago a employee denyed me the right to sell items for no practical or leagle reasonsimply a personal dislike of me for what ever reason.3 months ago I was denied acess to disposial bent out back where the samill location in Columbus, ohio.as much as I have spent over the years there to perhaps brouse in waste container ,which by the way is filled with thousands an thousands of dollars of perfectly marketable product on a weekly basics. probably why two of your stores in Columbus ohio have closed.iwish the right to brouse on occasion through the disposial.
I wrote to you about a month ago concerning my being discriminated against at two of your Columbus ohio stores.first for zero except personal reasons I was denied the the right t o sell any items.this store was graceland-columbus,ohio. their closed now. second time I was deined the right to even brose occasionly through the canister out back.i have been a stedy custermer for about 15 years shoping there at least once a week until second incidient with canister.after 4 years of this insult I would kindly ask you to renstate my right to sell items to your store again.as I mentioned in last letter,i had arrangement with music store most poupular one in Columbus, I would gather their excess products from canister to give to the less privilidged also a for of promotion for the store. also they offered to pay me for such but I refused.by collecteing their over stock I saved them a truly considerable amout on their disposial cost.the bethel store location dumps thousands and thousands of dollars -waste of potential profit for you,and a lot of money wasted in constant waste disposial needlessly.i would like the right to browse through your canister on now and again saving you significant savings on your waste disposial. thank you for your time and attent6ion.-#614-288-XXXXX
Today, I emailed in a request.., Not a complaint.. However, I would like a call to discuss the pricing in your stores on used Big Books, called “Alcoholics Anonymous”. I have done my research. I find your pricing is too high for our basic text.
Regards,
Jimmy Hodges
972-240-XXXXX
cell 972-333-XXXXX
I just saw that you had a place to check for you folks to respond.
Thanks for your attention.
Jimmy
I have over 25 years sober. I purchase Alcoholics Anonymous books for newly sober folks that attend our meetings that cannot afford to pay $9.00 for a “new”text book. ” For the past 20 plus years, I purchase “AA Big Books” at Half Priced Book Store for $7.99 for used books.
Please call me to see if you folks can get the price down to at least one-half of the normal retail.
Please call so that I can set an appointment with senior managers to discuss special pricing.
Jim Hodges cell 972-333-XXXXX or home @ 972- 240-XXXXX
I have a complaint about the Mason Ohio (45040) Arbor Square Drive. My son has autism and we have been frequenting the store for years, one of the things that attracts him are numbers – a few years ago management would allow him to take a bookmark place holder (the last one behind all the other book marks) and he has for years collected these and carries them wherever he goes, the staff was always aware of this and they were always helpful and nice, we always bought something and he never, ever tried to take more than one – he was collecting them in a sequence, that only his mind understood. Today the newer manager Nicole decided no more of this – she literally broke his heart and left his 75 year old grandmother to drag a screaming, crying very upset boy who weighs 106 lbs. out of the store – he didn’t understand why he was no longer allowed. The proper thing would have been for Nicole to explain to his grandmother that this would be the last time, then we would know better and not promise him that he could go to the book store. Autism revolves around routine and this was a very special Routine for Jackson. I called the store to talk to Nicole, she was extremely dismissive and basically said sorry about your luck. There is a wonderful Review on YELP written by my daughter Courteney (a Special Education Teacher) about how wonderful the store and the employees are to Jackson – we tell everyone in our small town about the kindness extended to our son – we will now follow up with what happened today – and share the disappointment just like we shared the joy of how HPB once made a difference in a little boys whole world. As I told Nicole on the phone today – it doesn’t seem like much, but you are affecting someone’s life – she wouldn’t even reply to that. I”m so disappointed in your store, but mostly I am shocked and disappointed in the way that Nicole handled the situation and then how she talked to me on the phone and how she talked to my mother in law in the store.
Our store here in Tacoma, WA just fired a really dedicated employee that had that worked at the store for over 10 years and he was autistic and they allowed others to bully him in the work place then fired him! Horrible company!
I hope the corporate office knows what sh**ty managers they have at the Tacoma, WA store!! They discriminate against disabilities!
I was let go during the big round of COVID-19 layoffs in 2020. When myself and my fellow employees reapplied, everyone was hired back except for me, despite my stellar performance reviews, service as assistant SIM, and much-liked reputation, as well as my 2+ years of experience at the store.
I was the only employee with a documented disability, that being autism.
HPB is ableist culture under the guise of a friendly local bookstore. Do not trust them with your diagnosis. They will stab you in the back.