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I go to Barnes and Noble often here in NYC and I see lines of people about to purchase books. Books on Amazon are far cheaper and Barnes and Noble don't match prices. Barnes and Noble member discounts are pretty laughable as well. The way Barnes and Noble run their business is strange because they don't try to reach out to the customers. They have a very corporate structure and they operate their business like it's still 1999.
Why would anyone chose Barnes and Noble over Amazon.com?
Some people don't shop at Amazon, some don't care about the price, some are loyal to their bookstores, some are members and get exclusive offers... etc... etc...
They have their reasons, I guess. It doesn't bother me.
some people don't want their financial info out there in the scary spaces of the Intertubes.... so they would rather write a check and hand it to some underpaid clerk, with all your bank info right there for everyone to see.
If it's only a few bucks difference and I want it NOW, then why not? Plus I like the experience of browsing a book store and don't mind paying a few bucks extra to help try and keep it alive.
A lot of people simply don't care about paying a premium for a local experience. Given the rents in NYC, I suspect the cost of a book or two is chump change for many.
If I am interested in a book I may just browse through it a bit before buying. Amazon attempts to make that possible to a limited extent but it is not the same. YMMV.
Well, I will say this in defense of B&N: I sit and read books I have no intention of purchasing at a WNY Barnes & Noble around 10 hours per week on average. I do purchase a coffee or tea from the in-store cafe every other visit or so. I've yet to do that at an Amazon warehouse. Given that you go often and yet are criticizing people for purchasing books there, you might well do something similar to what I do
If it's only a few bucks difference and I want it NOW, then why not? Plus I like the experience of browsing a book store and don't mind paying a few bucks extra to help try and keep it alive.
Yeah, I sometimes wonder about B&N's future. We've already lost Borders! I'd hate to be resigned to visiting libraries
Some people value the bookstore experience. They like to browse and make serendipitous discoveries of books they might not have found otherwise. They like to see and experience the books before they buy them.
These people are generally harmless. There is no reason for alarm or concern because they choose to purchase books from B&N.
Also, maybe they own stock in B&N and are just protecting their investment.
If you work or live in midtown Manhattan you don't care about saving $2.00 on a $35.00 purchase.
Take a look around you sometime. There are plenty of clothing stores and they all charge city sales tax. Why would anyone pay that when they can go to Paramus or shop online and buy the same clothes tax free?
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