Not as fun as going to the real store, but it's a good online emporium
by alexdg1 - Written: Apr 14 '07
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Because I've been a voracious reader for as long as I can remember - according to family lore, I've been reading since I was two years old - it's only natural that I would love books and bookstores. I've visited quite a few in my lifetime, ranging from humble, privately owned used book shops such as Donna's in Tampa, Florida, to big chain stores a la Waldenbooks, B. Dalton's, and Borders. Such is my devotion to books and the places that sell them that I've applied - without success - for sales positions at some stores that are within walking/bus ride range of my house.
As I've grown older and more wary (some would even say "paranoid") of the ever-more-dangerous traffic in South Florida, I've changed my book-purchasing habits from monthly leisurely browse-n-buy visits to "brick and mortar" stores to the more sedentary but less stressful point-n-click world of online shopping.
Although I am a creature of habit and tend to stick to Amazon for most of my online purchases, I sometimes do wander over to other Internet book emporiums, especially when I've been lucky enough to have won a gift certificate or if I simply want a change of scenery.
Also being a somewhat cautious fellow, I tend to visit sites affiliated with the aforementioned "brick and mortar" stores I would normally visit in Miami, though I do this with a bit of reluctance since stores with locations in Florida have to tack on the state sales tax to the bill.
One of the stores I used to visit frequently is, of course, Barnes & Noble, one of the largest bookselling chains in the United States and (according to the Barnes and Noble website), the second-largest coffeehouse in the country. I'd go with my friends or my late ex-girlfriend Junie and literally lose myself browsing through shelves and shelves of books, CDs, and DVDs, sometimes even having a cup of coffee and just relaxing.
Obviously, visiting Barnes & Noble.com isn't quite the same as going to a physical store/coffeehouse; in some ways, it isn't as much of a fun experience because you're not walking around the book shelves and browsing through books or DVDs you can actually hold in your hand before you buy them. Nor can you smell the aroma of various blends of steaming java wafting in the air as you leisurely walk and browse. (Of course, if your PC is located close to the kitchen, I suppose you could brew your own coffee and try to recreate this bit of the B&N experience!)
Nevertheless, purchasing books, DVDs, CDs, PC or video games, board games or toys at Barnes & Noble.com is still
a good experience, especially if you know what you're looking for or want to comparison shop vis a vis Amazon.
Site Navigation and Departments
Although the site is not terribly flashy and (in comparison to Amazon) rather utilitarian, it is what is intended to be: a user-friendly sister site to a major bookseller. The Home page has the basics of any reputable online store, namely a banner identifying the site, tabs with pull-down menus to such areas in the store as Books, Used & Out of Print, DVD, Music, PC & Video Games, B&N Jr. (for kids),membership/gift card, and - of course, Checkout.
There are, as you might expect, prominent displays featuring sales and bargains. Currently, movie buffs might want to take a gander at this DVD sale pitch:
Enjoy sensational DVD savings! Choose three $10 titles and we'll take $10 off your order at Checkout. Take your pick from thousands of Classics, Action flicks, Dramas, Comedies, Sci-Fi favorites, and more!
New books are also heavily promoted and given deep discounts. For instance, Walter Isaacson's new biography, Einstein, is featured on the Home page, with a 30% price reduction. Furthermore, there's a link to an interview with the author of the book, which seems to be an interesting glimpse into the personality of "one of the 20th Century's greatest thinkers."
The Home page also has links that lead to the following areas of the site:
Hourly Top 100
B&N Weekly Bestsellers
Children's Bestsellers
DVD Bestsellers
Music Bestsellers
Toy & Game Bestsellers
PC & Video Game Bestsellers
Home & Office Bestsellers
Bargain-Priced Books
Biography
Business & Money
Children
Computing & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Diet & Health
Education
Fiction & Literature
History
Medicine
Mystery & Crime
Reference
Religion
Self-Improvement
See All Subjects
Author Recommendations
B&N Classics
B&N Shakespeare
B&N Membership
B&N MasterCard
Book Clubs
Discover Great New Writers
Libros en Espaņol
Meet the Writers
SparkNotes & Study Guides
Flash Kids
Gift Cards
Home & Office
DVD Box Sets
Music Box Sets
Prints & Posters
Gift Services
Gift Reminders
From the Website at www.bn.com:
The Internet's Largest Bookstore
Taking advantage of vast warehouses across the United States, we stock over 1 million titles for immediate delivery -- that's more titles than any other online bookseller.
While I've personally never attempted to verify this claim, I can say that the search engine used by www.bn.com is one of the best. For instance, I wanted to see if the site had any new copies of Rick Atkinson's Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War. I typed the complete title into the Search box because so many books have the word "crusade" in their title, then I hit Go. Within a second, I had the following message appear on my monitor:
We found 5 items for keywords: Crusade: The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War.
Of the five items, two were audiobooks on cassettes (the unabridged version) and three were actual books on print. Sadly, no new copies are available at Barnes & Noble presently.
That having been said, it's still pretty impressive how fast and accurate the search engine is.
Like at Amazon, there is an option that allows users to "browse" through excerpts from books. Simply click on the book's URL, then click on the Preview/Read a Sample Chapter/Table of Contents link.
Actual Shopping Experience with www.bn.com: Admittedly, my dealings with Barnes & Noble.com pale in comparison with my more habitual relationship with Jeff Bezos' Amazon. I've looked at the site, of course, and it's worth noting that before I started writing regular reviews at "Ammy" and Epinions, I wrote my very first online review there, but I've only actually shopped there once.
Last spring, Associated Content (a cool website where writers can submit all sorts of articles and earn a few bucks per piece) held a contest similar to a Write-Off. I can't remember exactly what we had to do, but I won one of the prizes - a $25.00 gift certificate for www.bn.com.
The thing to remember about any gift certificate to an online store with "brick and mortar" locations in your town or city is that sales tax and shipping have to be factored in to the final cost, so naturally when I won the aforementioned prize, I knew I had to buy something that cost less than $25.00 or else be prepared to use a credit card to pay any balance higher than the amount of my certificate. I tried various combinations of books and DVDs I was in the mood for, but either (a) the final bill would go to over $25.00 or (b) the amount left on the certificate was ridiculously low if I wanted to save it for a future purchase, so I settled for a DVD of Run Silent, Run Deep, which, when sales tax and shipping were included, ended up costing me $25.00.
I did, of course, have to create a B&N account; which took about five minutes of inputting such things as my name, home/shipping address, e-mai addresss and credit card information. (B&N accepts most major cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club and JCB.) This is a relatively easy and painless exercise, and (if you're wary about credit card fraud) safe; in the year since I've visited the site to get that DVD, I've had no problems with ID theft or unwanted/unexplained purchases.
I received my DVD less than a week later, with no mistakes in my order or any incorrect charges on my bill/shipping statement.
Final Thoughts: While it is unlikely that www.bn.com will ever become my primary online shopping stop for books, I have no qualms in recommending the site to shoppers who want an alternative to Amazon or don't mind paying state and local sales taxes. It does reflect favorably on the Barnes & Noble "trademark," and it's safe, easy to shop in, and efficient as far as shipping speed/accuracy of order are concerned.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Run Silent, Run Deep (DVD)
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