# Barnes and Noble, ya'll are just great big doodie heads! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507 "2003-06-22T00:35:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/21 "2003-06-22T14:38:15Z")
[hijack] I’m not the only one that anal about these books, I see, **Fenris**. My British version copy shipped at about 4 AM yesterday but won’t be here for several more days. I caved and went and bought a copy at the mall. There seemed to be fewer changes in this one than the previous ones, beyond spelling and punctuation. (Interestingly, the American spelling of “center” really struck me as odd in one spot…it just didn’t fit. They should have left that one the way it was! The “centre” spelling is only pretentious when Americans are using it to look cultured.) There were some British words in there that were definitely not in previous American versions. I could handle a few changes here and there, but when I heard they’d changed the TITLE of the first one I went ballistic. How stupid do our own publishers think we are? [/hijack] Not mentioning that the “party” is for people who preordered the book only is damn sucky, in my book (no pun intended!). I don’t know if the local B&N did that, since I thought I’d be patient and wait for my British copy. Yeah, right, I just finished the book a few minutes ago. So much for patience. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/22 "2003-06-22T16:20:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Only thing I’ve heard is from abused bookstore guy: The idiot chains thought it would be a “bonus” to the people who preordered if they were the only ones who could get copies. > > Doesn’t make much sense to me either (how is it a bonus to someone who preordered that I _can’t_ get one from Borders given that their copy is reserved?) but it’s the only explaination I’ve heard. > > Were it up to me, I’d give a bigger discount to the people who preordered and maybe only allow preordered people at the midnight party or somethin’. But to not sell the book at all to non-preorders? :rolleyes: > > Fenris \*\* But, dear **Fenris** , you’re missing the point of our increasingly punitive society. Not only must we reward the quick, the rich, the smart, the lucky; we must also do everything within our power to punish those who don’t quite measure up. Doing this not only makes the losers painfully aware of their inadequacy, it also allows the winners to adopt an even greater sense of smug self-righteousness. I mean, what’s the point of rushing to do something if you’re not constantly reminded of your own brilliance for getting in early? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/23 "2003-06-22T16:50:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Were it up to me, I’d give a bigger discount to the people who preordered and maybe only allow preordered people at the midnight party or somethin’. But to not sell the book at all to non-preorders? :rolleyes: \*\* The irony is, if they’d given away your reserved/preordered book to someone who just showed up, this Pit thread would still be here. “I preordered! Why did they give my book away?” :mad: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/24 "2003-06-22T17:42:58Z")
I’ve had a similar experience to others with B&N ordering a book for me. My husband ordered a book for me in December, as a Christmas present. Per the store’s suggestion, he put in the order and bought me a gift card for the purchase price. When January was waning, I finally went in to check the status. I was told it wasn’t in, and they couldn’t even estimate when it would come in. I verified that my gift card would work at [BN.com](http://BN.com), and told them to cancel the order. I ordered online, and got my book the next week. Well long about _April_, my local store called to tell me my Christmas present had arrived. :rolleyes: I preordered Harry Potter from Amazon in January, paid $17.97, got free shipping, and it came in the mail yesterday. Much better. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/25 "2003-06-22T17:47:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*The irony is, if they’d given away your reserved/preordered book to someone who just showed up, this Pit thread would still be here. > > “I preordered! Why did they give my book away?” :mad: :rolleyes: \*\* The real irony is that you missed the fact the two propositions aren’t mutually exclusive! See…it’s possible to have enough books on hand to cover the preorders (keeping the preordered/reserved books seperate for the people who preordered/reserved them). And it’s _also_ possible to order more books than were preordered and putting the extras out where people who didn’t preorder can buy them. Presumably each bookstore has budget to order new books. The preordered books don’t affect that budget: the stores have already been paid for the books. If they ordered more than _exactly_ the amount of preordered books, the people who chose to preorder would be guaranteed their copies, and the people who didn’t would still have a chance to give their money to the bookstore. That way, the bookstore would get the money from the people who preordered AND the money from the people who didn’t. Trading books for money is why bookstores exist. Telling people “We won’t let you buy a book here.” is bad for business. It’s even worse for business when other stores less than 500 feet away _are_ selling the same book to anyone who walks in the door while still holding the preordered copies for people who preordered. Perhaps it would have benefitted them to order say…an few hundred extra copies of **Order of the Phoenix** and maybe cut down their orders of **Knitting Tea Cosies for Hats For the Procyon Pinheads for Fun and Profit** or **Hillary and Ann Coulter: The Hot Jell-O Wrestling Smackdown!** given the relative demands of each. Books that more people want should be ordered in greater quantities. Essentially, Borders and Barnes and Noble ordered zero (0) copies of **Order of the Phoenix**. This is a bad business decision. Having stock of popular items allows people to give the stores money. Again: trading books for money is what bookstores _do_. This is called “economics”. Granted, I’d take the risk that they sold out, if I didn’t preorder. And that might even have prompted a rant. But not the same type or degree of rant. There’s a big difference between “Damn! They sold out! I shoulda pre-ordered!” and “What? They didn’t order _any_ copies to sell? Don’t they _want_ my money? I’ll just go directly to Target next time and not even _bother_ with Borders” No-one’s ranting that people were allowed to preorder, we’re universally ranting that it’s stoopid to _only_ order _exactly_ enough to cover the preorders…and no extras…for what’s apparently the bestselling book of the last 100 years. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/26 "2003-06-22T17:55:08Z")
Fenris, dearest, I would like to affirm my commitment to bear your children. Just let me know when you’re available. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/27 "2003-06-22T18:11:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Presumably each bookstore has budget to order new books. The preordered books don’t affect that budget: the stores have already been paid for the books. If they ordered more than _exactly_ the amount of preordered books, the people who chose to preorder would be guaranteed their copies, and the people who didn’t would still have a chance to give their money to the bookstore. That way, the bookstore would get the money from the people who preordered AND the money from the people who didn’t. Trading books for money is why bookstores exist. Telling people “We won’t let you buy a book here.” is bad for business. It’s even worse for business when other stores less than 500 feet away _are_ selling the same book to anyone who walks in the door while still holding the preordered copies for people who preordered. > > Perhaps it would have benefitted them to order say…an few hundred extra copies of **Order of the Phoenix** and maybe cut down their orders of **Knitting Tea Cosies for Hats For the Procyon Pinheads for Fun and Profit** or **Hillary and Ann Coulter: The Hot Jell-O Wrestling Smackdown!** given the relative demands of each. Books that more people want should be ordered in greater quantities. Essentially, Borders and Barnes and Noble ordered zero (0) copies of **Order of the Phoenix**. This is a bad business decision. Having stock of popular items allows people to give the stores money. Again: trading books for money is what bookstores _do_. This is called “economics”. \*\* Most bookstores I know of were sent enough to cover their pre-orders, plus maybe 100 extras. It was a corporate, not a store, decision. Most stores I know of didn’t make you _pay_ to have one held, you just had to give them your information and they’d hold one for you. And perhaps Wal-Mart/Target et al didn’t do preorders, so THEIR 1000 copies could all be put out on the floor, vs. being held for people. If you want to blame someone, blame the corporate/home office types who made the decision, not the individual stores. I doubt store managers were cackling with glee at the prospect of turning away customers. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/28 "2003-06-22T18:30:31Z")
Um, guy? Read for comprehension, 'k? 1. I was point blank told that Borders (at least the Borders I went to) didn’t order _any_ extra. I said that in the very first post I made and I repeated it in the post you quoted originally. 2. As I stated above, the Target I went to _did_ have pre-orders. And they somehow managed to ALSO have books available for walk-ins. Which you implied was impossible in your earlier post. 3. _Every_ bookstore I’ve ever worked in (which includes two chain bookstores) has had a discretionary budget to order books above and beyond what the corporate types order for the store. Otherwise, how does the Albuquerque Borders get 50 copies of **The Yummy Local Recipes of The Santa Fe Shriner’s Wives** while the New York Borders gets 2 but the Brooklyn Borders gets 35 copies of **Firehouse 322’s Recipes for Steamin’ Hot Cuisine** and the Albequerque Borders gets none? 4. Generally “preordered” _does_ mean “prepaid” while “reserve” means “held, but not paid for”. That’s not always true, granted…but it usually is. In any case, the Borders I went to had a whole table set up for people who’d prepaid. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/29 "2003-06-22T19:06:08Z")
Ok Fenris, I bow out. You’re way cooler and smarter than I am, a veritable savant of the Smarmy Sarcasm Dance. For a board devoted to fighting ignorance, it sure gets rallied around a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/30 "2003-06-22T20:11:17Z")
Hmmm…who was the first person to cast aspersions and throw around the :rolleyes: ? But I’m glad you learned that I’m cooler and smarter. Any day that you learn something hasn’t been entirely wasted and thus ignorance _has_ been fought today. And perhaps you’ll remember this next time you’re tempted to slime your way into a thread to get snotty in an otherwise pleasant thread. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/31 "2003-06-22T21:52:44Z")
I’m glad our Electronics Boutique handled their Vice City midnight party much better. Their “advertising” consisted of calling people who had preordered, and several times while the line outside the store was forming they warned people that unless you preordered, you couldn’t get a copy that night. ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/32 "2003-06-22T23:27:32Z")
How stupid can an industry be? Despite the hype that’s been surrounding this for weeks, no store in my area (not B&N, Borders, Target, Walmart, Costco, etc.) has any copies left for people who didn’t pre-order. At the same time, parents are talking about how their kids are getting through the whole book the first day or two. It’ll serve the penny-pinching corporate drones right if all the people who can’t get copies now just borrow from the pre-orderers instead of buying out the second wave. Pththththththpt! ---
**Author:** ![bloodytoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@bloodytoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bloodytoe)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/33 "2003-06-22T23:55:18Z")
The B Daltons I worked in on Saturday rocked. They are owned by B&N. We placed many fake orders for multi copies of the #5, we also order extra from an independent book distro. We had about 500 extra books. Sold em all on Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/34 "2003-06-23T01:44:57Z")
Fenris, dear, my managers DID order 100 extra copies, aside from the reserves. Infortunately, corporate policy was to continue taking reserves until last Sunday. That meant that we only had the 100 extra Scholastic sent us on top of the 10000 we had. And sorry to hear you’re in Asgard, in Atlanta at least we were told to sell the books to everyone who walked in and screw the reserves. My store will actually get in trouble because we weren’t selling the reserved copies until Saturday evening so we have about 100 left for tomorrow. Policy was to be completely sold out tommorow and make everyone wait until our Tuesday shipment. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/35 "2003-06-23T02:11:08Z")
Am I the only one waiting for the paperback? Just wondering. heh ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/36 "2003-06-23T02:58:54Z")
Hope you’re patient. Goblet of Fire took 2 years to come out in paper. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/37 "2003-06-23T03:04:03Z")
I ordered from Amazon, and my order arrived on Saturday afternoon, bada boom, bada bing! Such _tsuris_! ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/38 "2003-06-23T03:05:12Z")
That should be Such _tsuris_ in this thread that could have been avoided. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/39 "2003-06-23T03:07:17Z")
Could have been a publisher trick. Maybe they wanted to drive up the prepaid numbers by trying to make it harder to get the books non-prepaid. Of course, this backfires in that 1) Evidently the discount stores didn’t play ball, and 2) if the bookstores don’t publicize the ploy it falls flat. So I don’t know… just shootin’ blanks here. ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507/40 "2003-06-23T04:39:44Z")
“Hope you’re patient.” Oh yes! I’m quite patient. Especially since I’m still on book 1. ehehe! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barnes-and-noble-yall-are-just-great-big-doodie-heads/183507.md?page=3)