Barnes & Noble.com — Bringing the Bookstore Right to Your Home
by elvisdo - Written: Oct 31 '06 (Updated Oct 31 '06)
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I never got used to online shopping that much when I was living in Canada. Well, there is that thing called eBay but that’s another story. Most of the things I actually did want would cost a lot in shipping and would usually come from out of the country. Besides, I actually did like going out to a brick and mortar store to buy whatever I needed, and that especially holds true when going to a bookstore.
Upon moving to the United States, I found out that I couldn’t readily visit these stores as I once used to back in Canada (if you’ve ever driven in New Jersey, you’ll know what I’m taking about). However, the world of online shopping became even more interesting now that I was living in the States and my first stop was Barnes & Noble.
I actually found Barnes & Noble.com (barnesandnoble.com) through another website—Upromise.com—as part of a rebate program. That alone piqued my interest. Little did I know that I was going to be spending a lot of money at this site.
The Dewey Decimal System Replaced With ISBN
I enjoy going to a bookstore and nothing will ever change that, but there are times when shopping online becomes a lifesaver and very convenient when needed. Barnes & Noble.com makes things very easy to do just that.
As imagined with a bookstore, the main commodity is obviously going to be books, and there is a huge selection to choose from the thousands and thousands in its vast collection. Using the search feature to look for title, author, keyword or ISBN is at the user’s fingertips. Many books are available but even though it may be listed, don’t be too surprised if some are not in stock. That’s usually the case for older books. There are also subcategories that are available for searching that include Sale Annex, New Arrivals, Former Bestsellers, Book Deals, Audiobooks, Children’s Books, Used & Out of Print Books, and Textboks.
Besides books, Barnes & Noble.com also offers a great selection in movies and music. Lots of DVDs and CDs are available as well. Depending on the time of year, the prices on these items are tremendously slashed especially the boxed sets. I usually take advantage of this whenever possible. But just like books, an item may be listed in the databanks but it doesn’t mean that it’s always available. This holds true for older items. The recent ones are usually in stock.
But it doesn’t just stop with books, music and movies. I was actually surprised to see some collectible toys listed on this site. Even though it is limited to a few select items, the ones that are listed are quite impressive, mostly a collection of movie figurines and statues. I was thoroughly pleased when I found a few statues that were out of print on this site, and I got them for half the retail price. Talk about Christmas coming early!
Other categories on this site include PC & Video Games, Children’s and Home & Office. Again, don’t expect to have a huge list of items listed in these categories but there is quite enough to whet an appetite or two.
Who Loves Saving Money?
Signing up with Barnes & Noble.com is very easy. All relevant information such as your name, address, phone number and so on is needed. Credit card information is also recorded if so which to do so, and the security is excellent, so don’t worry about giving out the information. What you do want to do is to create a password for your account so no one will be able to access your information.
Other features to your account includes a wish list to record the items that you desire the most. Keep in mind that a maximum of 25 items can be listed.
Placing orders and checking out are very easy to do as well. Once you are satisfied with the items in your cart, you can then select a method of payment whether it be through telephone, credit card, gift cards or a combination of everything. Coupon codes can also be entered at this time to ensure more discounts. Keep in mind that your state tax will be added to your final total.
Checking your order status is easy as well to see the progress of your items in transit. Once an order is placed, an e-mail will be sent to you on the expected date items will be shipped depending on the inventory at the warehouse. Everything is shipped from the warehouse. Once everything is ready to be shipped, another e-mail will be sent. As for the shipping costs, I usually take advantage of the free shipping deal if you place an order of $25 or more. This is the standard shipping method that usually takes 3 business days or less for the order to arrive. If you wish for another method of shipping, alternatives are available for you.
Returning items is easy. You can do one of two things. The first way is to return any new and unopened items, in their original condition, by mail within 30 days of the shipment date. The packing slip and completed form must be included. However, you will not receive any shipping refund through this method and must pay for the extra shipping cost back to the warehouse. Refunds are rewarded in the form of the original payment. The second way is to actually go to a Barnes & Noble store and return the item. Keep in mind though that you will receive a store credit instead and it can’t be used online.
When I joined, I had the option of joining the Membership Program. I carefully looked at this and weighed the options of doing so. There is a membership fee of $25 a year if this interests you. At first I was resistant to paying out money for this, but upon further review I started seeing the benefits from actually participating in the program.
Barnes & Noble.com lists two or three prices for each item. The first is the actual retail price that you would find in the store. The second one is a special discounted price ranging from 10%-40% off (sometimes even more) the retail price listed. The third is always the member discount—an extra 10% off—the entire thing. 10% off may not seem like a lot but it does add up and pays for your membership enrolment quite quickly.
Other benefits from the membership program includes coupons that are e-mailed to you. They range from anywhere to an extra 15%-30% off one item or the entire order. However, these were printed coupons that could only be used at an actual store. Recently though, this has changed so now these coupons can be used both at a store and online. And if you do visit an actual store, the membership card can be used in almost everything, even getting a discount at the Starbucks in the store.
Becoming the Savvy Shopper
So why shop online at Barnes & Noble.com when it won’t beat going to an actual bookstore? While I do agree that it doesn’t beat the ambience and atmosphere of being in a bookstore, there are some advantages to ordering online and only if you look really close at what is being offered online.
I look online to, first of all, find the cost of any given item. I look for the items that have an extra discount online. Remember when I said that there are usually two or three price listings online? It’s the second price that I look for the most. This is where the extra discount is offered online and one that isn’t available in stores. I usually order these items and take full advantage of the online prices.
Is this site better than Amazon.com? There are times that the prices on Amazon.com are cheaper but I’ve always had a problem with the shipping. This isn’t the case with Barnes & Noble as I have always received my items within the time they have indicated.
The other reason why I constantly use Barnes & Noble.com is to take advantage of the rebate program offered through Upromise.com. Upromise is a site designed to help save some money for your child’s college education and many, many stores are affiliated with them. Going through the Upromise site and clicking on the link to Barnes & Noble guarantees me a percentage back (it used to be 3%, now it’s at 2%) of my total order (minus taxes and shipping, of course) that gets put into my son’s college fund. I’m sure there are other rebate sites that offer something similar with a bigger return, but anything that will help for my child’s education is always beneficial.
I have no qualms with Barnes & Noble.com. I’ve never had a problem with their service at all and have received all my items in a timely manner. Shopping online won’t stop me from visiting my bookstore but it’s nice to know that there are some incredible deals online if one takes the time to really do some comparison-shopping. Sometimes it’s actually going to the store and sometimes it’s shopping online. It just becomes a matter of what works the best.
Related Reviews
Upromise.com
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? books, dvds, toys
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