My favorite place to buy books online
Written: Aug 02 '01 (Updated Feb 07 '03)
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The Bottom Line
If you prefer new books to used and cannot leave the house, this is the site for you!
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UPDATED Feb. 8, 2003
Barnes & Noble is still our families favorite bookstore, after all this time. Tonight my husband plunked down about $115 for various books. However, if we did not still belong to the Reader's Advantage program it would have been $13 more. Even without belonging to the program there are still thousands of books discounted at great rates!
After all this time, B&N is still offering free shipping on its site if your order 2 or more items. PLUS, don't forget the additional savings of 5% with the Readers Advantage program! I have noticed that most books are also cheaper online than in the actual store, so you could really save more by shopping online.
The Reader's Advantage program is by far the BEST discount program to which I belong.
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My family loves books! Before I gave birth to my last child in October of 1999, my husband, son and I would make a weekly trip to the local bookstore and spend anywhere from $20 to $50 a week on books for all of us. (This may sound high, but let me point out that most of the books were used, and that my husband buys a lot of expensive computer books.) However, after I gave birth to my daughter, it soon became too expensive and inconvenient to make the weekly trip. And while my two stepdaughters are with us, the trips to the bookstore are even more infrequent.
Anytime we want fiction that is not brand new, we still stop by our local bookstore because it has a great used book selection. However, for anything new, we usually would stop by Barnes&Noble about 10 miles away. Because when we do get out to the store we do spend a lot, we decided to sign up for the Reader's Advantage program. For $25 a year you get 10% off any store and cafe purchases, and 5% off any online purchases. You also get a free subscription to Book Magazine, which comes out 6 times a year. (Being a huge book nerd, I love this magazine!) We earned the $25 annual fee back within a short time.
The site is very easy to use. Recently I was searching for Orson Scott Card's book Earthfall (could not find it used anywhere!)All I did was enter the book's title into the search engine, and I got back 4 different selections. One was the paperback I wanted, another was a book by a different author, and two were for hardcover editions that they did not carry, but that I could get through one of B&N's dealer networks. After selecting the book I wanted, I proceeded to the checkout.
But, wait! I just noticed that they are offering FREE SHIPPING if you order just two items! Well, what the heck, there is ALWAYS another book I would like. And if I don't have to pay shipping I might as well order it now than wait until I get to the store.
After my selections are complete, I head to the checkout. Here is where you can enter any coupon codes, your Reader's Advantage number, and if you would like gift wrapping. You then continue through the checkout and sign in, or register as a new customer if you have never ordered through the site before. You then select the shipping address, method, and how you are paying. The methods include credit card, gift certificate or paying by phone. After you select payment method you can review all the information on one screen and verify that you do indeed what this order shipped. It is very idiot proof.
After you confirm your order, you receive a email confirmation. As soon as the order is shipped you will be emailed a shipping confirmation along with a tracking number. Take the tracking number and go to the UPS or Postal Service site that is referenced in the email and you can see the status of your delivery. The UPS tracking works great! It will tell you the day that they are planning to deliver it. The USPS is not as detailed, but at least you can confirm that they have the package en route.
I have never had any problems ordering books through the site. Once in a while one book is not ready to be shipped with another in the same order. When this is the case you receive an email informing you when that book will be shipped. B&N does not hold up the rest of the order just so they can save a few bucks on shipping.
It is rare that I have not been able to find a book at this site. Also, all the books that I have searched for have always been cheaper at the B&N site than at Amazon.com and a few others, even without taking the Reader's Advantage program into consideration. Since the site is still offering free shipping and handling for two or more books, I have not even bothered to stop by the B&N bookstore. I can wait a few days for my book if I don't have to drag all the kids along.
To recap, the best way to save money with B&N.com:
1. Order 2 or more books at a time to avoid shipping costs
2. Sign up for the Reader's Advantage program if you think you will spend more than $500 on books a year
3. Keep your eyes open for B&N.com coupons for additional savings.
4. If friends and relatives usually give you gift certs for holidays, etc., make it known you prefer the B&N cert that can be used on or offline.
5. If you are ordering a high priced book that is not at the store you can save 10% on the order if you are a Reader's Advantage memeber, AND avoid shipping charges if you have the book delivered directly to the store. Call the order in and the store will call you when it arrives. They will hold your order for two weeks.(We have done this a few times when ordering expensive computer books that can be anywhere from $30 to $80)
Happy Reading!!
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Sherry Karr
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 89
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me: Married with Children
I have a business that I operate from home.
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