Is it any wonder

[Gonz]

Barnes & Noble site has Kings new Dark Tower audioCD for $45, a 40% savings. I was going to be in the truck for almost 20 hours (yesterday & today) so I thought I'd stop at the one near my house & pick it up.

Well, after 20 minutes trying to find the sumbitch, I had to ask one of the ever so freindly & informative clerks to point it out...she went where the audiobooks are (I found that after 10 minutes) & looked dumbfounded. She wandered around & finally located a copy, brought it to me & I went to checkout.

The checkout clerk, in her peppiness & spontaneity almost said "Hi"...it was nearly a shock. She ran my card & said $67.58. I looked at her & said the website had it for $45. She, much like her amazingly bright co-worker, looked completely dumbfounded. She replied that it was the website, it was my turn at looking goofy. I asked if they didn't honor the BARNES & NOBLE prices at their stores. She, in turn, replied that they usually have lower prices online.

Bewildered at the complete & utter stupidity of such a policy, I balked & walked, listening to Rush fill-ins & other assorted bad radio for 19 hours, 37 minutes.

Is it any wonder bookstores are going out of business. Waldenbooks has "teamed" with Amazon & has the same price. Tomorrow I'll see if they are as stupid. If so, I'll order online & they can kiss my ass for the extra $20.

 

[tonksy]

you know...your public library now has a buncha audio books...i'm a library booster....if i had to buy everything i read?....yikes.

 

[Squiggy]

I don't know of many businesses that don't do "price matching". You should have just told them to match their own online price.

 

[Gonz]

I don't know of many businesses that don't do "price matching". You should have just told them to match their own online price.

Which is why I was so surprised. I hate clerks that don't know their own job. I didn't have time to fight or I would have started one

 

[Mirlyn]

Which is why I was so surprised. I hate clerks that don't know their own job. I didn't have time to fight or I would have started one

While most places do price matching, all the ones I've seen explicity deny the eligibility of online prices.

 

[Professur]

I had a computer store with the same thing. They had lower prices on the website, figuring that anyone ordering online would have to pay their shipping and handling charges. They wouldn't honour the prices instore either. They also lost all my business, and that of anyone and everyone who'd give me two minutes of their time.

 

[Gonz]

I've done much of the same Prof. You can bet I'm done with B&N. I emailed them to find out if the woman was stupid or just their policy.

Mirlyn, I can agree with not matching others online prices, but your own? That is plain ridiculous.

 

[Mirlyn]

I've done much of the same Prof. You can bet I'm done with B&N. I emailed them to find out if the woman was stupid or just their policy.

Mirlyn, I can agree with not matching others online prices, but your own? That is plain ridiculous.

Dunno if ours our different. I'd have to see how that gets handled. I'll bet our online prices are the same as whats in the stores.

Then again, most of our stuff online can be ordered and picked up at the store, eliminating s&h.

 

[Gonz]

Here's the email correspondance so far.

Gonz-Do your stores match your online prices? Can I purchase online &
pick-up at a nearby store?

B&N-Dear(my name),

Barnes & Noble.com offers very competitive pricing on many items,
resulting in the best value for our customers. However, we do not
honor requests to match the prices of our competitors for individual
products, and we are unable to adjust the price of your order.

Gonzo-I asked if YOUR stores match YOUR online prices & whether I could buy online & pick up at a B&N store.

B&N-Dear Customer,

To learn more about placing an order, please refer to the follwing
link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/po_how_to_buy.asp?userid=2WT07C8QDX#1


Ship to options are available when placing an order.

Visit www.bn.com and click on the options that appear in the upper
right-hand corner to view information about your order.

We look forward to your next visit.



Does anybody get the feeling that they don't want to answer the question?

 

[Leslie]

I'm really detesting the new form letter style of help mail, it is utterly unhelpful and I have quit dealing with places that use it.

Maybe a letter to the Office Of The Vice President at B&N is in order now

 

[Gonz]

The VP is next...right now, she gets one more chance

So, am I to assume that you will not answer the question I posed, twice?

Just to be safe, here it is for a third time:

Do Barnes & Noble bookstores match prices from Barnes & Noble dot com's
website? Also, may I purchase an item online, from the Barnes & Noble dot
com site, and pick that item up at a nearby Barnes & Noble bookstore?

 

[Leslie]

follow the help link...

Placing an Order by Phone
If you do not wish to establish an account on our web site, you can still order by calling 1-800-THE-BOOK (1-800-843-2665) between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET, 7 days a week. If you are calling from outside the United States, dial 201-272-3651. Please have ready your credit card and an email address where we may contact you.

now THAT could be fun

 

[PT]

More likely they have an automated system that picks up on keywords and tries to answer your question. Keep trying.

 

[Gonz]

They name their auto systems Carla & Candice then. I just don't think they can read. They get one more attempt because it's now a mission to piss off B&N or get an answer trying

 

[Mirlyn]

They name their auto systems Carla & Candice then. I just don't think they can read. They get one more attempt because it's now a mission to piss off B&N or get an answer trying

Customer Relations Department
Telephone: 800-422-7717
E-mail: [email protected]

Got this already?

 

[Mirlyn]

Hadn't done this in awhile....

For the hell of it (read: boredom) I played around with the phone system for our B&N here and got ahold of a district manager (why the hell he's picking up at this hour, must be in the store) and after a few words, I found out they're lower online because shipping will even it out 90% of the time (according to him) and the online section is controlled differently than the retail side (hence no price matching). The company tacks an additional percentage for building overhead on the brick-and-mortar inventory which makes it more expensive. Very rarely does the product ever sell for a drastic difference between the two at the bottom line, but there are sometimes sale products that make the difference noticeable.

Yeah, I suppose it could all be BS, but it kinda makes sense.

 

[Inkara1]

So does the online price plus shipping match the bricks-and-mortar price before or after sales tax?

 

[Gonz]

Thanks Mirlyn. That's kind of the answer the woman at the store with no personality hinted at originally. Either way, I ordered online, just because of teh 40% off & the free shipping & no taxes. I'm still going to harass the custservice dept until I get a straight answer.

It takes us back to the title, is it any wonder that brick & mortar bookstores are dying? Save 40% online & get free shipping or save 25% in store & pay taxes. That adds up to quite a difference, especially when one often shops for books. Too bad, so sad.

 

[greenfreak]

There's no question that buying online is the best way to go for companies and consumers. Companies save money by not staffing dedicated people to take and process your order, consumers benefit by lower prices and ease of use. Till you have a question or a problem, of course, and that's where the automation should stop-with support. But it doesn't and those auto reply emails enrage me too.


I've found that kind of trend in most businesses now, especially with the economy the way it is. I've read articles on how major computer manufacturers are automating their systems as much as possible to save money. You find more and more automated phone systems than ever before. Humans are being pushed out all over the place. THE MACHINES ARE TAKING OVER. AND WE'RE LETTING THEM.

 

[Gonz]

Dear Customer,

Barnes & Noble.com offers very competitive pricing on many items,
resulting in the best value for our customers. However, we do not
honor requests to match the prices of our competitors for individual
products.

When you place order online, you would have to provide shipping
address. Unfortunately we can't deliver order to Barnes & Noble book
store.

Please do accept our apology for the inconvenience.


Visit www.bn.com and click on the options that appear in the upper
right-hand corner to view information about your order.

We look forward to your next visit.


Sincerely,

Ramesh
Customer Service Representative
Barnes & Noble.com

I was right, they can't read.