“I think, when the new Harry Turtledove comes out in August, I’m going to buy it brick-and-mortar. Even if it costs more. I’m always getting screwed when I have it delivered.”
“Why don’t you order it from Barnes & Noble online, and then pick it up from the store?”
"…
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“Sure it does. You order it online, at 20% off or whatever, and have them ship it to the Barnes & Noble.”
“No, you can’t do that…No, see, books you order online are shipped from a warehouse. Brick-and-mortar stores have to sell what’s shipped to them.”
“Right! So you have it shipped to the store.”
“No, I can’t do that. If I order it online, I can only have it sent to a residence. Or a business, but not to another store.”
“But you could order it from Borders, and then pick it up from Borders Express!”
“Borders Express is just a mini-Borders. It doesn’t mean ‘express’ like overnight shipping.”
“Well, why don’t you ask them?”
“Because they’ll say they can’t do that. If I buy from them, I have to buy what they have in the store, and pay those prices. I can’t get the 20% off unless they’re selling it at 20% off.”
“But that’s what you’re doing with Harry Potter! You ordered it from Amazon, and now you’re getting it from Barnes and Noble!”
" :smack: I never ordered it from Amazon. I called the store and pre-ordered a copy that they’re selling. I never went online to order it at all."
"…
“Well, why don’t you ask them if you can do that anyway?”
At this point, I don’t know what to say. I just know there’s no way I can do an end-run like that. Ordering online means you have it shipped to you. No way is Borders or B&N going to say, “Sure, we’ll pay to ship it to your local store, eat the cost of the shipping and mark down the price!” Either I buy it in person, or I wait to have it delivered for a reduced price. I cannot do both.