Why I Will Boycott Barnes and Noble

Parent Cafe
21

<p>Take five minutes and email. I suspect corporate customer service will both be appalled and will bend over backwards to make it right. It will not take an hour of your time. </p>

<p>I had a bad experience recently with a local store that was part of a chain. I emailed. It was just an FYI, short and sweet. It was one of those “you ought to know about what happened at one of your stores” kind of email. Not only did they email back, but they really went out of their way to make amends. They were sincere, and it made me rethink my plan not to shop there again. They really made it worth my while to email. And they really did want to know about what happened.</p>

<p>As a small business owner, I would want to know about a bad experience at my front desk. And about once every 5 years I get an anonymous or signed note about something that happened that irritated a “client.” And we educate the staff about how to improve, about what to do when someone is unhappy, and we are all better for it</p>

22

<p>Sew happy, how is their membership a scam? Pay x a year, you get y discount. It’s totally worthwhile for me and pays for itself easily. It may not pay out for people who don’t spend as much on books, but how on earth is that a scam?</p>

<p>And I don’t understand what you mean by Apple honing in on buying through the iPad. I buy on an iPad. I go to the Amazon Kindle app, buy with the one click just as I would on a laptop for a hard copy, payment goes to Amazon, I get my ebook.</p>

23

<p>I think 14 days is reasonable to return a book. Otherwise, people would just read the books and return them. I like BN as a retailer, a lot.</p>

24

<p>“And I don’t understand what you mean by Apple honing in on buying through the iPad. I buy on an iPad. I go to the Amazon Kindle app, buy with the one click just as I would on a laptop for a hard copy, payment goes to Amazon, I get my ebook.”</p>

<p>That used to be true - but after Steve Jobs (who last year boasted that reading is dead) realized just how big and alive the ebook business is, he couldn’t pass up the oppurtunity to let proceeds go under his nose. Lately - Apple has been pressuring Amazon/B&N by demanding 30% of all ebook purchases made on their devices. (The three companies are direct competitors, even if not for ereader devices, for ebook sales with Nook bookstore, Kindle bookstore, and iBooks)</p>

<p>Amazon didn’t cave in for the outrageous demand, and as a result Apple has removed to ability to “buy” a book from the actual apps. This questionable ethic (Apple lets all other app creators to let people buy stuff in-app, but won’t let Amazon do so because Kindle books are a major source of income) meant Kindle and Nook account holders had to purchase the books externally, such as on a web browser, and then go back to their iOS device, open the app, and sync, etc. Meanwhile, iBooks maintained to ability for streamlined purchases.</p>

<p>Since Amazon has always promised their “by once, read anywhere” mantra creating Kindle apps for iOS, Blackberry, PC, Mac, Android; they risked upsetting their own customers (who were bound to be upset when they found out they couldn’t buy books from their iOS apps, even though it is Apple’s doing).</p>

<p>The latest Amazon response to this was the release of the “Kindle Cloud Reader”. It is a browser based (I believe it currently works on Safari, Chrome, and perhaps Firefox, with support for others supposedly on the way) service that lets customers read their Kindle purchases inside the browser, and also saves their books I believe for off-line reading. This essentially frees up customers from reliance on apps, and instead they could access their material from device with a browser.</p>

25

<p>I think 14 days is reasonable to return a book. Otherwise, people would just read the books and return them. I like BN as a retailer, a lot.</p>

<p>I didn’t buy books at barnes & noble- I bought other stuff in sealed packages- like notebooks & stickers.</p>

<p>I wasn’t sure what kind of notebook she wanted for her journals so I had bought several different kinds. </p>

<p>They could have had one time period for their books and another time period for all the other stuff they sell, at least for things that weren’t even opened.
That’s why I was irritated.</p>

26

<p>I also had to laugh at the comment about B&N moving into malls!!!. I must be showing my age, but years ago, there were the mom and pop bookstores, and the mall bookstores. I loved popping in to the bookstores at the mall to gaze at offerings, and maybe buy a book on sale. When I had kids, there were often mandatory mall trips, and they were a drag, except for our visit to the bookstore. B Dalton Books was part of Barnes and Noble. They were in every mall, and if not B Dalton then Waldenbooks. Then bookstores morphed into the big box models. Now they are gravitating back to malls.</p>

27

<p>The successful bookstores ( IMO) in my area also offer used books. It is great fun to find books that are out of print or recently published books available at a discount.</p>

<p>But I am trying to weed out my bookshelves, so I try and stay out of bookstores.</p>

<p>This is a Barnes & Noble rant so I will add that they haven’t impressed me since the time I was looking for a children’s book and the clerk had never heard of Maurice Sendak.
:confused:</p>

28

<p>Amazon didn’t cave in for the outrageous demand, and as a result Apple has removed to ability to “buy” a book from the actual apps. This questionable ethic (Apple lets all other app creators to let people buy stuff in-app, but won’t let Amazon do so because Kindle books are a major source of income) meant Kindle and Nook account holders had to purchase the books externally, such as on a web browser, and then go back to their iOS device, open the app, and sync, etc. Meanwhile, iBooks maintained to ability for streamlined purchases."</p>

<p>I still don’t understand. I’ve not seen a single change. I click the Kindle App, it opens, I either can start reading or I hit “go to kindle store,” I get there, I buy with one-click and I tell it where to download. It’s all the same to me as a consumer whether the actual buying is done in an app or whether it opens up a browser. The process couldn’t be more simple than it is. Literally click app, click go to store, click name of book, click pay with one click, watch it download and go. What is Apple doing that is so bad?</p>

29

<p>" I click the Kindle App, it opens, I either can start reading or I hit “go to kindle store,” I get there, I buy with one-click and I tell it where to download."</p>

<p>Actually - that very “go to kindle store” button was the one Apple had been threatening to pull.</p>

<p>Some have speculated that Apple will get rid of all ebookstore appes: Kindle, Nook, Kobo - peiod, if negotiations failed.</p>

<p>In the end - Kindle’s release of Cloud Reader was basically Amazon answer to sidestep 30% fees forced upon them by Apple.</p>

<p>Here are the recent going-on’s:
[kindle</a> cloud reader ipad apple - Google Search](<a href=“kindle cloud reader ipad apple]kindle - Google Search”>kindle cloud reader ipad apple - Google Search)</p>

<p>Score 1 for Jeff Bezos, and a 0 for Steve Jobs.</p>

30

<p>I’ve had a B&N membership since they started the program. Always renew at checkout. Never had problem. Even though I’m a heavy-duty Kindle user, I still love to wander through B&N and buy non-fiction books there and the occasional fiction book that’s not available on the Kindle. Our B&N is always busy. I think a lot of major readers still have an affinity for being in a bricks and mortar bookstore. There’s just something about being surrounded by thousands of books and being able to browse to your heart’s content…</p>

31

<p>I still don’t understand. I’ve not seen a single change. I click the Kindle App, it opens, I either can start reading or I hit “go to kindle store,” I get there, I buy with one-click and I tell it where to download. It’s all the same to me as a consumer whether the actual buying is done in an app or whether it opens up a browser. The process couldn’t be more simple than it is. Literally click app, click go to store, click name of book, click pay with one click, watch it download and go. What is Apple doing that is so bad?</p>

<p>I haven’t upgraded my kindle app yet, because I like to be able to go to the store from within the app & get recommendations. I don’t want to go to the browser as it isn’t as clear ( it gives me recommendations for everything, not just ebooks)</p>

32

<p>

And by the looks of it, soon the library will be the only place you can do that.</p>

33

<p>Our mutual B&N has very spotty customer service, Bunsen. Several times I have helped customers in the children’s section b/c the employee trying to assist was so clueless. I also had a problem one year with my membership renewal, and I think I may have paid for it twice since I didn’t have the receipt. Their whole customer service approach is sloppy at that store. The B&N at Crossroads Mall in Bellevue is larger and much better run. </p>

<p>I just got an email from them about my annual renewal–“exciting new benefits”–$25 off a Nook. And by the way, the discount is going from 20% off list price to 10% off B&N price, with no explanation of how that might affect prices. I did some test comparisons, and it looks like hardbound adult titles might be a dollar cheaper or so than Amazon.</p>

<p>I prefer Amazon as their web site is easier to use than B&N. I do like browsing in a big bookstore now and then, though.</p>

34

<p>

</p>

<p>I believe that feature is gone from the Kindle app…but it doesn’t matter. You can purchase on your computer and the books will appear on your kindle list on your IPad.</p>

<p>Same thing with the Nook app…on the IPad.</p>

35

<p>thumper- I just got a new Kindle with 3g and that is how it works - so easy. But momlive - I’m with you - there’s just something about being in a book store. I donate my books to the library after I read them, since I don’t have space for so many books. I do keep some “special” ones that I can’t part with, or some that I have had autographed at book signings at the local private book store. </p>

<p>I agree that many of the B&N staff are not well informed, unlike the “real” readers at the mom & pop store. That doesn’t usually phase me though, since I like to do my own thing in a bookstore and don’t tend to ask for help. Yet I am still a fan of B&N. </p>

<p>And as for the discount membership - my son uses my B&N discount at his campus bookstore as it is a B&N store. They let him have the discount on his pricey course books, college apparel and school supplies. So for me I think it’s worth the $25 a year. I wish the bookstore on my incoming freshman’s campus was a BN store. It is terrible in comparison. And no discount!</p>

36

<p>I don’t really need the BN staff to be well informed, beyond being able to point me in the right direction.</p>

37

<p>

</p>

<p>I was talking about using the Kindle application on the IPad…the newest version of the Kindle application for the IPad does not allow direct purchase FROM the Kindle app as it did in the previous version of this app.</p>

38

<p>Thumper is correct. My DH (an avid Ipad owner who buys tons from Amazon) is furious. He wrote Steve Jobs a letter. I’ve never seen him to that before.</p>

<p>We basically gave up on Borders and B&N awhile ago. Do enjoy several independent bookstores in our area and especially some amazing ones when we get into NYC.</p>

39

<p>I’m not an Apple hater. I own a Macbook (in addition to a PC), iPhone, and iPad2 and find them to be very nice hardware with very nice intuitive software. However - Steve Jobs’ involvement in the (e)book business has been jammed full of questionable moves.</p>

<p>Apple is currently being investigated for its influence behind the implement of the Agency Model of eBook pricing. When it was just Kindle and Nook and Sony in the game - the retailers were free to price eBooks themselves, selling books for profit or as loss-leaders however they fit their business model. However, since the iPad was released last year along with the iBooks store - Apple has single handedly forced publishers to conspire and abandon this model. Now - virtually all eBook prices are set by the publisher instead of the vendor - and this has been implemented in a way where it is likely that price-fixing has been occuring in a non legal way.</p>

40

<p>^newccuser</p>

<p>Why wouldn’t Apple do this? It has been an extremely effective approach with music.</p>

<p>Personally, I deplore much of what Apple does inspite of being a very early owner of an Apple II (that will get some of you doing some searches). They run an extremely successful business. For that I continue to admire them.</p>