Casual browing the shelves is how I've always found my books. As far as recommendations, I tend to like books that others don't and vice-versa.
I buy enough from B&N every year to justify the $25 annual membership. I used to stop in the store every month to buy the latest Trek book and browse other areas but lately I decided that since my membership gives me free shipping I save more by pre-ordering on their website and not wasting gas to drive to the other side of town and back. I do miss the monthly browse through the store but will still get by there at least once a quarter to buy the Star Trek Magazine because the postal service cannot deliver it in mint condition. I've been collecting Trek mags for far too long to skimp on the magazines! I go back to The Official Fan Club No. 42 if memory serves me right, as well as the various Starlog Trek zines, and every issue and incarnation since (this amounts now to several hundred Trek mags all in plastic protectors). Kevin
I am so resistant to the idea of e-books or ordering online, but see no alternative eventually. A few years back I was in easy drive of 4 Borders and 5 B+N's. Now it's just 4 B+N's.
Online ordering is cool! When Amazon started letting other bookshops and book sellers list their second hand stock online, it opened up the possibility of filling every gap in my collection that 40-odd years of browsing in real shops had failed to do. Which I did. In some cases I found books for 2 cents each (plus airmail postage) that I'd been prepared to pay hundreds of dollars to own. As for eBooks, I took both MMPBs and an eBook (on my iPhone) on my recent overseas trip. The eBook was an out-of-print, but quite recent book that I tried to order in from several local shops. It was great to be able to switch back and forth in formats while on planes and in boarding lounges, depending on lighting conditions, sleeping neighbouring passengers and fading battery charge.
Link to NPR article about bookless libraries if anyone is interested. http://www.npr.org/2013/01/15/169412670/a-new-chapter-a-launch-of-the-bookless-library
I have two good local B&N stores in the area, one of which is right across from work and I'm in there frequently. I hope neither of those closes in the next year or two, as I often like to browse just to see what's there. I use Amazon as well for stuff I can't find directly on the shelves, but I don't bother with eReaders at this point (I'm old fashioned ).
I think traditional bookstores will be replaced by boutique stores with electronic/holographic browsing and print-on-demand books.
I could see that happening. I don't know if I'd even see them as stores though, I'd think they'd more likely be Redbox style kiosks in malls and stores like Wal-Mart or Target.