Review Highlights
“A relative of our favorite Books Inc, they have a great selection and awesome prices, with a lot of discount quality books.” in 4 reviews
“Thankfully my flight made me leave or I would have spent all my money on their fabulous greeting cards!” in 9 reviews
“Chanced upon this neat bookstore at SFO when we flew Virgin Airlines, it was our first time at this terminal.” in 8 reviews
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Overall rating
45 reviews
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1 star
- May 4, 2023
In this day and age, a honest to goodness bookstore is always a refreshing find.
Prices are in line with what you would find on the outside, in general, decent selection of new releases and other books, and a friendly staff to help if you need it.
Simply fun to browse and see what is still out there in printHelpful 3Thanks 0Love this 2Oh no 0 - Aug 6, 2022
Five stars for one simple reason:
They have books on sale. I'll say that again, SALE! And they are some good books! Books one might actually be able to get lost within. And getting lost in a book when you are traveling can be an amazing thing.
I cannot recall ever walking into an airport bookstore and not finding full priced books. Here I found two full tables of books priced under ten dollars.
There were two or three Palahniuk books, several classics, and a score of other authors I recognized and would have been happy to read. (I, of course, had three books in my bag, and several more on my Nook).
There were even books in Spanish!
There were lots of new releases for full price and a great selection of genres. Basically, a little something for everyone. Young adults, children, and bestsellers.
There was a section with journals.Helpful 2Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0 - Jun 12, 2022
Nice book store with a good selection. Friendly staff. This is an airport location. Still not comfortable handling books in a bookstore without some requirement for customers use hand sanitizer.
Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 1Oh no 0 - Deb L.Monroe, United States011965Feb 24, 2024
Made me very uncomfortable. I selected to not donate/round up to the charity suggested at the cash register. The clerk was continuing to ask and I had to tell him no multiple times. Each time he asked his tone was less friendly.
Helpful 1Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 1 - May 19, 2021
Stellar bookstore in the airport. This the West's oldest Independent bookstore on Turtle Island. This airport bookstore could easily stand as a superb bookstore in any town in the US. Smart selection. Am sure you can find something interesting if here. Recommended for book lovers!
Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 5Oh no 0 - 4974287623325Feb 13, 2018
I really get my rocks off perusing the stacks at airport bookstores. Something about not feeling as rushed as usual, uncovering the latest best sellers and development books, crossing my fingers for a clearance section and catching up on what all the cool kids are reading these days. Compass Books is an exceptional airport bookstore and it appeared that others would agree because they were fairly busy during my visit and offered a decent-sized discount book section. Larger than you typically find in airports with books starting out as low as $6.
During my ten minute visit I discovered sooo many books and gifts that I would love to buy - I feel like I visit a fair number of bookstores and this one nailed it at offering fun and fresh titles and gifts. The space was also well organized and easy to navigate with sections being clearly labeled (travel, kids, cooking, magazines, development, etc.).Helpful 5Thanks 0Love this 6Oh no 0 - Nov 3, 2017
I travel to and from SFO often, and this Compass Books location is a regular stop for me during my travels...
I typically stop in on my way back to PHX, as it's always a good place to spend a few minutes looking around when I have time to spare before my flight. Selection isn't earth shattering by any means, but if you're looking for cute cards, stationary or gifts, or books of course, you're sure to find something here.
The staff isn't overly friendly, but they are pleasant enough and don't seem to mind people lingering to read a magazine or book before purchasing (or not).
On my most recent stop-in last month, I purchased a handful of children's books for my kids and on previous trips, I've purchased little notebooks and cards.
Prices are not cheap but they are reasonable vs. what you'll find outside of the airport.Helpful 12Thanks 0Love this 11Oh no 0 - Sep 20, 2017
I always like having magazines to read when on a plane. The roommate and I were flying to Miami, so I decided to stop by Compass Books on Saturday, September 2nd around 9:30pm to browse.
They had a pretty good selection of magazines. I ended up getting a Travel & Leisure, a San Francisco, and a Glamour magazine. I guess each one appealed to a different side of me. The travel one, the inner fattie one, and the shopping one. I believe prices charged are the ones on the magazine, so unless I made my way to a store that provides discounts on the listed prices, I didn't pay any more. Check out was fast and easy. Our cashier was very nice.
Convenient if you're flying out of Terminal 2 and need some last minute reading material.Helpful 28Thanks 0Love this 29Oh no 0 - Feb 20, 2018
This bookstore is unlike any airport bookstore I've seen before. Just speaking to the card selection, I think the selection and quality of the cards is better than many bookstores or stationary stores that I've seen inside of airports. Killing time, I was able to pick up four very tasteful, pretty, and high-quality cards that I will use on my trip.
I wish I could've spent more time here, but I noticed some fun novelty items like funny socks. The store seems like a great one to get last-minute gifts.Helpful 3Thanks 0Love this 5Oh no 0 - Julio B.San Francisco, United States79266129Jan 3, 2020
I remember the first time I walked by this place back in the Summer of 2017. I was about to embark on a plane to Las Vegas, Nevada all by myself fo the very first time.I got the feeling that I was home. I used to love going to book stores back in the late 90s, while I was in high school! Knowledge is, definitely, power!
The terminal used to be for Virgin Airlines. One entire terminal all for Virgin Air. Now, of course, it's owned by Alaska Airlines.Helpful 0Thanks 0Love this 0Oh no 0
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