# Why did you stop going to Barnes and Nobles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676 "2010-08-18T22:29:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/81 "2010-08-19T16:59:37Z")
Barnes & Noble rarely has anything off the beaten path book-wise. I’ll wander through every so often but do most of my shopping at Amazon or Hastings (used books). Of course I do take the opportunity to race through Powell’s like a gibbering lunatic whenever I’m in Portland. And hit Half-Price books in Seattle when I can. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/82 "2010-08-19T17:36:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, and I don’t like their “discount” pricing games. I don’t want to pay for or carry a membership card, I don’t want to get coupons by e-mail, I don’t want to make calculations about how much I buy and when. I enjoy playing games, but not this sort of thing. I already have enough things in my purse, and especially I have enough cards in my wallet. I don’t want to carry (and keep track of) another card. And I particularly don’t want to give out my phone number, unless the store is willing to guarantee, IN WRITING, that it will never use that phone number for marketing purposes. It’s OK to call me if I’ve left a bag in the store. It’s NOT OK to call to “let me know about a special offer!!!” I used to go to Bookstop about every week, but then they closed down that location. If B&N opened another Bookstop close to me, I’d probably start going at least every other week. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/83 "2010-08-19T18:20:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Come on down the Green line to the Booksmith in Brookline (Beacon St. at Coolidge Corner) – they’re always busy, and their used section downstairs is fantastic. Terrible if you’re driving a car, though. I’ve been there. It’s easier for me to get to Cornerstone Books in Salem, or the bookstore in Concord, or the one in Marblehead. But the stores in Saugus, Wakefield, Lexington, Bedford, Medford, and elsewhere have all closed. even the used ones. Except for the new “charity” ones in the malls. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/84 "2010-08-19T18:59:17Z")
Several points of clarification regarding the B&N membership: [ul] There is a 20% discount on all hardcover books [/ul][ul] There is a 10% discount on all other merchandise including the cafe and non-book items[/ul][ul] Lately coupons are routinely sent out, via email, for additional 15% off one item[/ul][ul] The annual membership fee is $25[/ul] I will follow up shortly with other comments regarding this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Richie\_Incognito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e36b37/32.png) [@Richie\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richie_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/85 "2010-08-19T19:20:42Z")
I do about 90% of my book shopping online via amazon. The prices are better. The selection is better. Since a book is a book, I don’t have to worry about whether it will fit or if its elecronic parts will work. There is no reason for me to enter a book store other than to browse. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/86 "2010-08-19T19:56:11Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > > [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > > > That’s too bad. I have one of their discount cards and there are plenty of convenient locations near where I live and work. I guess I’ll have to go to Borders (which is about the same in most ways, IMHO). > > Not around here they’re not. B&N are giant bookstores; all of the Borders around here are Mall stores or strip mall stores. Huge difference. Crap! ☹ > > Amazon just got more business. I’m not sure where you live in Atlanta, but your post is demonstrably wrong. There are huge Border’s stores all over the city. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/87 "2010-08-19T20:39:41Z")
☹ I love BN. We go there - the whole family - at least once a month and buy a stack of books. Mr.Q. goes more frequently on his own. (We, uh, totally make use of the membership card.) I don’t understand book shopping online. For me, the only way to find something to buy is to browse the tables. I do buy academic books and gifts online, but that’s a pretty small percentage of our book purchasing. Upon re-reading this post, I suspect we may have a book problem. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/88 "2010-08-19T20:44:33Z")
I’ve never stopped going to B&N, though I also buy books and music at Half Price Books. Being constantly reminded about the B&N discount card and what I could supposedly have saved with it always irritates me though. > [@James Stewart of the Wall St. Journal](#): > > I can’t say I miss physical books. You are an ass. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/89 "2010-08-19T20:58:25Z")
I like book stores. They are a nice quiet place where I can sit in a corner and read magazines. I guess reading them at the store instead of buying them is why they are going out of business. Damn, I should stop by this weekend and buy something, just cause. ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/90 "2010-08-19T21:01:23Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Because we have [Bookmans](http://www.bookmans.com/). I’ll never buy new again. Or at least, as long as I live here. A combination of Amazon and THIS. I love Bookmans. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/91 "2010-08-19T21:17:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Upon re-reading this post, I suspect we may have a book problem. BetsQ: My name is BetsQ, and I have a Book Problem. SDMB: Hi, BetsQ! Cal: Our family, too. They’re not in denial, but they don’t want to do anything about it. Including me. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/92 "2010-08-19T21:39:46Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > … And I particularly don’t want to give out my phone number, unless the store is willing to guarantee, IN WRITING, that it will never use that phone number for marketing purposes. It’s OK to call me if I’ve left a bag in the store. It’s NOT OK to call to “let me know about a special offer!!!” Huh. They jam my e-mail inbox with offers for things I have absolutely _no_ interest in – and they’ve got a point-of-sale system, so they should _know_ what I’m interested in (Amazon does) – but I’ve never gotten a phone call. And since I realized I never answered the OP’s question: I still go to B&N… but not nearly as often; Amazon, more likely. Because since they dropped the physical inventory they carry, they don’t have anything but the mass-marketed “hot” books. And I’m not interested in reading “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, or whatever. So I go to Amazon, and probably pay less to get it shipped to me in a few days, or even pay more to download it on Kindle. Either way, B&N stores lose out. And from what I’ve seen, it’s their Nook business that’s the only really promising part of B&N anyway, so the stores probably aren’t that exciting financially to B&N, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/93 "2010-08-19T21:44:15Z")
Got a Kindle. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/94 "2010-08-19T21:47:06Z")
I stopped reading physical books. I bought at used bookstore for couple decades before that, because the books are priced ridiculously. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/95 "2010-08-19T23:02:53Z")
I used to prefer Borders; I could easily spend a whole day there. Until last year, when they cut their selection by at least half. The second floor of the Tysons Corner Borders now has so much empty space which once had packed shelves that you could play soccer up there. It’s just sad and I spend almost all my time at B&N now. Even they, however, have made major cuts in their shelf space and selection in order to put in toys and other kiddie crap. ☹ If both bookstores close, there won’t be much left to look forward to. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/96 "2010-08-19T23:07:06Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > > [@breezman](#): > > > > Just go to the [PINES website](http://gapines.org:80/opac/en-US/skin/default/xml/index.xml). You might have to go to your local library to set up the account before you can reserve anything. > > Many thanks. > > ETA: Now I realize why I’ve never heard of this. None of the metro Atlanta county libraries participate in the PINES system. Aww, _man!_ You got me all excited there for a minute. > [@Kyla](#): > > I never liked them. They have the same generic feeling that a Starbucks does. Just like you (and by “you” I mean “I”) can’t feel as comfortable in a Starbucks as you can in a real cafe, you don’t get that homey, bookstore vibe from a Barnes and Noble as you do from an independent bookstore. Even Borders is better, although I can’t pin down why, exactly. I think the lighting might have something to do with it. It’s about decor. Barnes and Noble uses dark wood shelves that are 8 or 9 feet high, all across the store, and a creamy-greeny paint on the walls. That, combined with the drawings of Famous Dead Authors that they put on their walls, makes the store feel cool and claustrophobic and somewhat off-putting. My local Borders, on the other hand, uses light wood for it’s shelves, and the tall racks are all along the perimeter of the store. In the middle are low shelves that I can see over - that. plus the warmer lighting, makes Borders feel much more low-key and inviting. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/97 "2010-08-19T23:45:24Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Borders has better discounts and Amazon has better prices. Plus the New York Public Library is huge. If you’re in New York City check out Bookoff. They have a branch on 45th between 5th and 6th Avenue. They largely specialize in Japanese related material but if you go in the back towards the left hand side you’ll find a treasure trove of recent fiction and non-fiction at $1 and $2 apiece. One of my favorite places ever after the library at 42nd and 5th closed down their used book sale. > **[BOOKOFF GROUP HOLDINGS HOME en - BOOKOFF GROUP HOLDINGS](https://www.bookoffgroup.co.jp/en/)** > > ブックオフグループホールディングス株式会社のホームページです。ブックオフグループの紹介、会社情報、IR情報、サステナビリティ、採用情報などを掲載しています。 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/98 "2010-08-20T00:35:37Z")
Come to think of it, the most annoying part of their discount card is the hard sell you get every time you try to buy something. If I have any possible excuse to drop what I wanted to buy and leave empty handed, I take it just so I don’t have to deal with the hard sell at the checkout line. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/99 "2010-08-20T02:45:03Z")
I live near Rochester, NY. Barnes and Noble is the primary bookstore in that city (four stores). Borders is second (one store or two if you count the one out in Victor). And nobody is third. There are no other general interest new book stores in the city. So I go to Barnes and Noble on a regular basis and I would not be happy to see them close. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676/100 "2010-08-20T04:57:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t understand book shopping online. For me, the only way to find something to buy is to browse the tables. This is usually what I’d prefer to do. However, if the stores aren’t carrying what I’m interested in, well, then I have to go to Amazon and order by the authors that I KNOW I’ll like. I read over my recommendations on Amazon, I read the book recommendation threads here, and then I buy a book or two by a new author over at Half Price Books. If I like the author, then I go back to Amazon, and buy new books. That’s how I found Peter Hamilton and John Scalzi. It’s really, really pathetic when I wander into a bookstore, browse for an hour, and can’t find ANY books that I want to buy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-you-stop-going-to-barnes-and-nobles/550676.md?page=6)