Discounted books? 70% off? Yes. And yes. Such a place exists for us public folk, at 66 Books based in Hemel Hempstead.
At the start of the year, I went here where I seemed to fall into book heaven. If you aren’t aware of what it’s about, check it out here to learn more about how it works. Membership is £2 per year – if you are an existing member and have a card like I do, you need to create an online account which you can do when you get to the till. New members, there is a barcode upon entry for you to sign up as a member!
This was my 2nd trip, where I planned to stock up with the intention of not coming back for a long time, especially as it continues to get even more popular (and have no time to go as we head towards Christmas).
It was a ‘quick’ stop this time, so no chance for photos or videos of it inside – see my previous post and video if you are interested.
If you intend to go, I’d encourage following them on Facebook, where Glenn (the manager?) gives updates every few hours when the monthly Book Club is taking place. Fortunately, there was only a short queue when we got there, about a 15/20 minute wait. I’ve seen posts where people sometimes queue for up to 2.5 hours!
My boyf and I spent about 1 hour 20 mins inside, from entering through to buying and getting back on the road, so I’d advise planning at least a hour to go through all the aisles and both floors!
If you’re curious about the kinds of books they have, the generally have a lot of classics, historical non-fiction – and Dune. On this occasion, there were so many copies of The Rabbit Hutch dotted across both floors. Their stock changes every few months, so if you plan to have multiple trips, I’d leave some time in between each of them. I saw only a few of the same books that I picked up last time, instead getting a healthy mix of books I’ve spotted recently in Waterstones.
As well as checking the Facebook page, I’d recommend seeing people who have tagged 66 Books on Instagram, as they tend to showcase the books they got on their recent trip and it gives an idea of what might be in the warehouse.
I’m not sure if the staff calculated it correctly when we paid, but we ended up getting £225.81 of books (3 notebooks and 19 books) for just over £74 – SUCCESS!
Interested? Follow their Facebook page and get yourself over there!
Lizzie's Week 