I am more than aware of the cost of running a "Brick and Mortar" front end, but this is just plain rude.

The shop needed a couple of books on Active Directory for reference and planning. I found two books totaling $77.60 and selected the option to have the local store pull it and have them ready to pick up. There was an option to be notified on the cell phone when the order was ready, so I selected it.

About an hour later I got two messages stating that my orders were ready for pickup. It was odd that the full retail price was mentioned in the text. I wrote it off to bad programming.

When I arrived at the B&N across town my books were ready and at the full price of $115.08! I showed the clerk the web printout and the similar Amazon pricing. She said that B&N does not price match ANY stores (even their own). You would be proud. I kept my temper, choosing not to berate the cashier, since she had nothing to do with the policy and making a fuss would not help resolve the issue.

The best way to get B&Ns attention is to take business elsewhere and show others how they can save LOTS of money by following my lead.

Presenting Amazon. No real secret here. But did you know that Amazon started out as being a book retailer? If you can wait a couple of days, you can save a BUNCH of money. Here are some tips:

1. Take free or slow shipping as possible.
2. Amazon represents multiple vendors. Be sure to place as many items with one vendor as you can to combine shipping cost.
3. Check new and used pricing. Sometimes new books are actually cheaper than used!
4. Beware the shipping and handling monster. Amazon monitors these charges, but sometimes a vendor gets uppity with charges and can surprise you at checkout.
5. Be sure to check the version of the book you are ordering. This is especially true with tech books!

I truly hope B&N gets their act together and stops taking their clients for granted.

Tags: Books, Amazon, Used Books, Brick and Mortar, Ripoff