Frequently Asked Questions
Does Books at a Fifth pay cash for books?
Unfortunately, no. We are a small business and we don’t have the capital for that service.
So, how do you get your books?
We accept book Donations or you can trade for Store Credit.
What is Store Credit?
Store Credit is a little bit like having a gift card, but you earn it by bringing in books.
Store Credit is calculated at a rate of one-half our price for the book. For example: if we think we can sell your book for $4, you will receive $2 in store credit.
You can spend Store Credit on 98% of the books in the shop - exceptions are clearly marked with the word "Cash" written on the sticker or by the bar code.
[Store Credit amounts of less than $5 must be spent at the time of your visit. Store Credit amounts of greater than $5 may be stored on an in-store account file to be used on a future date.]
What type of books do you take?
We are looking for interesting books in good condition.
It is easiest to explain what we do not take:
PHYSICAL CONDITION - We do NOT take books that are wet, moldy, mildewed, worm eaten, covered in dirt or grass clippings, water damaged, used as gum wrappers, chewed on by dogs/kids/mice, or missing the front cover.
BOOK CATEGORIES - We do NOT take Reader's Digest Condensed Books, outdated or marked-up text books, or most Encyclopedias (if we do accept them, we don't offer much for them).
If you have a lot of one type of book and want to know if we take it before you haul them all in, please send us a message through our "contact us" or you can bring a sample into our store location to the person behind the counter. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
Do you have a play area for children?
No we do not. We have a small store and use all the space we have to showcase our wide selection of books.
Thank you for keeping an eye on your kids. Unsupervised or undisciplined children can wreak havoc in a book store. Particularly when parents allow them to play with the books as if they are toys. Books can be damaged when young children attempt to replace a book carelessly. When books get pushed to the back of the units (a favorite with the immature) it creates frustration and wastes time when we have to realign the books.
If you would like to learn more on how to encourage your child’s cooperation, we have a well-stocked parenting section that may be helpful. If you have a favorite parenting book and wish to share it with others, feel free to in bring yours today!
Do you have books in a back room?
No, unfortunately we don't have a magic portal where we can go fetch books. What you see on our shelves is what we have. We are a small bookstore and work hard to keep books flowing out as fast as they flow in.
If you do see a door in the back of our shop, you are looking at a tiny broom closet. We like to store our cleaning supplies, empty boxes, and a mystically troubled young wizard here. Please ignore him, he is in the middle of a purge right now.
No, unfortunately we don't have a magic portal where we can go fetch books. What you see on our shelves is what we have. We are a small bookstore and work hard to keep books flowing out as fast as they flow in.
If you do see a door in the back of our shop, you are looking at a tiny broom closet. We like to store our cleaning supplies, empty boxes, and a mystically troubled young wizard here. Please ignore him, he is in the middle of a purge right now.
Do you have a Restroom?
Sadly, no. The nearest public restroom is at Hornbacher’s, which is right across the parking lot. Their restrooms are along the front, to the left on the far side of the customer service desk.
Sadly, no. The nearest public restroom is at Hornbacher’s, which is right across the parking lot. Their restrooms are along the front, to the left on the far side of the customer service desk.
Can you look up a book for me?
Well... Yes and No.
Yes, when you come into our store, we can help you look through our shelves. This is easier if you have the title of the book and the author's last name. We organize our books by Genre, then Author's Last Name, then by Title.
No, unfortunately, we do not have an on-site phone for you to call or a computer-based catalogue system for our books. We don't have the space to reserve books for our customers at this time.
Yes, we may be able to google the book for you. If you have any one of the following we may be able to look it up online for you: a title, author's name, or character name. From there, we will be able to help you search our shelves to see if we have it in stock.
Do you take cards?
Yes. We use a company called Square Reader to process debit and credit card transactions. They charge us on a per transaction basis. In order to cover this expense, there will be a $1 "outsourcing fee" added to each purchase paid for by debit or credit card.
Square Reader accepts most of the major card companies: Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover.
We also accept Cash and Checks at no additional charge, as the bank does not charge us to process these forms of payment.
