Barnes & Noble Booksellers review: advertised price vs in store price 21

Terri Pucin, Vice President of Customer Experience for B&N.. try contacting her through the switchboard main number [protected]. Good luck although I recall her being the biggest ### in the world and she is supposed to lead the entire company's customer experience but she is absolutely a horrible wench when I contacted her which tells a lot for the company if the person at the top is completely rude.. I hope the company can see this and fire her and replace with a new competent and nicer person!

Hostile Service. Triangle Town Center, 27616.

I actually used the 'Pick me up" button for a book. Didn't hear back so I just went there to the store. Several copies on the shelf. Same complaint though. Went to check out and charged me full price vs what was online. Got back to the office and got a email and text replay saying they couldn't find it in the store? Said go to www.bn.com order it. Not shopping this company again.

I don't think people understand that the online prices are lower due to shipping costs. Not to mention, everyone now recieves the members price online, while in the stores, you do not. So if the price in store is $15.oo, and the online price says $13.00, you have to add the shipping cost of $4.00 onto the online price which makes it $17.00. So you actually get a better deal in most cases if you actually go to the store and buy it. I really don't see what everyone is complaining about. If you would read the computer screens and see that the prices clearly state ONLINE PRICE, then you wouldn't have had this problem in the first place. It is not the stores fault, it is lack of comprehension on the consumer.

today Im trying to buy a book at the bn.com price is $155.24 and store pick price is $229.99. That's way people complain.
The book number is ISBN-13: [protected]

Still don't understand the complaining. Buy the stupid book online for the lower price then. Another thing.. From the looks of the product and stores I've checked by using zip codes, no Barnes & Noble stores even carry this product in house. If you went to the store, they would have to order it for you anyhow. So just order it online yourself. Like I said before... Pay attention and do a little bit of research to see if the book is even in the store. Not hard people!

I found this complaint listing after doing a search to try to figure out why a b&n.com has the book I'm interested in priced at 14.79 but when I do In-Store pickup, the price is $27.99. Unlike the title vgirl commented about, the book I want is carried in-store and there are 3 Barnes & Noble stores with 5 miles of my zip code.

In order to compete, brick-n-mortar stores that sell online need to lower prices to match online retailers. If a customer purchases a book online and requests to pick it up from current inventory at the store, the price shouldn't change. Unfortunately I think this type of policy will become the norm with the ubiquity of smart phones and the ability to locate a better online price for any item at any time.

I STILL DON'T GET THE COMPLAINT!.. If you order online, you get the member price, even if you don't have a membership. BUT you have to pay for shipping if under $25. Store prices are higher usually because of mass shipping, and paying the EMPLOYEES to make sure your book is entered into the system correctly and shelved in the correct location. Also if you reserve copies, that also takes EMPLOYEE time to check the online reservations, find the book verify the reservation, print out the reservation slip and take it up front to the hold area. Sometimes that can take up to 15-20 minutes if the book is due out and in the back stockroom or not in the correct location (usually due to customers not putting the book back where they found it.) Not to mention having to help other customers while trying to get your reservation, answer phones and cover breaks, lunches and shelve books that are arriving from the numerous trucks that are delivering. All that costs money. But noone understands what really goes on so they [censor] and moan. All that for a book that online says $15 and $28 in store. That in store price is actually going to be 30% cheaper cause it is a new book, and that is given to all in store customers. Members get 40%. so that makes the book about $18 in store and no additional shipping. So you would be paying $15+$4+ Tax. In store it would be $18 + Tax, actually making it cheaper to buy in store. But whatever.. Keep complaining and I'll keep running my [censor] off only to be talked to rudely, yelled at and forced to clean up the messes that you and your children make due to lack of respect for the working man/woman. Afterall... I'm not a human, I'm in sales which makes me your servant. Have a fantastic day and come again even though you made my day miserable and caused me to cry.

The website clearly shows an in-store and an on-line price.

Salem, NH, a few of the cashiers I've dealt with aren't very friendly.

When I went to use a store discount coupon to buy a magazine, one cashier who sees me every week suddenly refused to use it, saying that "my screen is giving me a message that the coupon isn't eligible." I tried to tell her several times that it doesn't say on the coupon that it can't be used, but she kept insisting that her screen told her. She refused to question it or call a manager to see if they could help me in any way, she just ignored whatever I said and acted like I didn't understand English.

She added that they're using "smart coupons" now, which means they must think that customers are all stupid, or that the employees aren't themselves smart enough to figure out what's okay and what's not.

It seems that if you get one of their memberships they are all over you, but if you are one like me who never gets one, they act like you are second-class. The only reason I still go there is because there isn't another bookstore in the area, and I think they know that, so they feel they can behave however they want with customers.

Yeah, same complaint, I did an online search for a book. B&N had what I wanted. The online price was listed. No where is it stated that the 'Pick It Up' price is full retail. On the contrary, they lead you to believe the online price is the 'Pick It Up ' price. I went into the store and fully expected to pay the online price. That is the only price listed on the reservation site.

When the clerk declined to give me the book at the price listed I left the store. Not angry, I'll just buy this book at Amazon instead.

I just had the same thing happen. Online price was $19.99, I clicked pick up in store, put in my zip code, and it gave me a list of stores I could pick it up at. I didn't click pick it up, instead I went to the store (clearly it is in stock, or it wouldn't have given me the option), where I was presented a price of $35.96. No where on the site was there a store price listed. This is nothing more than a bait and switch. Plus to top it all off, I wasted gas, and when I was at the store. There was only 1 clerk working checkout, while 3 other employees stood behind the counter chit chatting. So I had to wait in line 10 minutes to be told that I was going to be paying $16 dollars more (because it comes from a different stock (yes this is the reason I was told, like the book was printed on higher quality paper or something, give me a break)).

I understand that online prices are different than store prices but to have someone order online, invite them to pick up at store and then slam them with store prices is deceptive.
There should be a note next to invitation online informing customers of price difference upon pickup. The fact that B&N has not done this by now, as I am sure they have become aware of the confusion, does not speak well B&N. Then we have a hysterical customer representative who has no business on this forum if her nerves are so frazzled. I work in customer service too and I have to say B&N is being deceptive.

The reason the coupons are being done like this now, is because people were printing out multiple coupons and using them over and over. So now they have specific codes for each person receiving a coupon. If you try to print out more than one and use it multiple times, if rejects the coupon. Don't blame B&N, blame the lame customers who are trying to screw over the stores.

There are plenty of companies that will either honor the online price, or allow the pick up in store if it is available and let you pay for it online...getting the online price...it's just their business model, and it's a outdated one at that...people want the cheaper price...they don't care about your retail problems...it has nothing to do with being un-informed, and there is a precedent because other companies will perform this service for them...just bad business in my opinion...and I own one myself...

I agree with the OP 100%. VALOGIRL - OBVIOUSLY you don't understand false & deceptive advertisement as well as good business ethics. I won't go into explaining these things to you because obviously you're one of the few that isn't able to comprehend the phrase "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT." DUH?!? Go get an education.

I experienced the same thing and sent an email to their customer service. It's been a few weeks and I haven't heard back from them at all. I'll let my email do the explaining here:

"I would like to complain about an experience I recently had on top of which I hope your company improves on.

I have been a Barnes and Noble customer for a very long time now and appreciate all the business it provides. Although there still exists some things that really frustrate customers, even loyal ones, such as the following experience I encountered.

MY EXPERIENCE:
Using my IPHONE, I selected a book to PICK UP IN STORE and even confirmed it with my information. The price heavily marketed and in red was the ON-LINE PRICE, so naturally consumers think they are going to the store to pay for the price they saw online. Once I got there, I learned that CLICKING ON THE "PICK UP IN STORE" merely reserved the book so I could pay the IN-STORE PRICE. Such a simple mixup due to false advertisement led to a very unnecessary argument with B&N store workers and clerks.

Once I arrived home, I confirmed that the price for in-store is clearly shown when you click on the PICK UP IN STORE link and confirm it if done on a COMPUTER.

But when you use the IPHONE (and I'm sure all other MOBILE/PORTABLE DEVICES SHOW THE SAME THING), thanks to the waste of a drive and wasted time, clicking on the "PICK UP IN STORE" DOES NOT SHOW THE IN-STORE PRICE AS WHAT CONSUMERS MUST PAY FOR.

Because of the false advertisement presented on the iPhone, your company wastes consumers' time when they actually drive out to the store and.on top of which people like me go through a frustrating experience filled with confusion when arguing with store workers in terms of how much the books is actually worth (on-line price vs in-store price, despite clicking on a link that is ON-LINE).

Advice: Make it OBVIOUS, CLEAR AND CUT for mobile/portable devices through which by clicking on the "PICK UP IN STORE, " the price that must be paid is the IN-STORE PRICE! (Not the on-line price that is bolded, red, and fully marketed on the screen prior to clicking on the "Pick up in store" link.) It's a very simple task that would save time, frustration, and keep loyal Barnes and Noble customers (like me) from switching over to other companies. That is, if your company cares at all about those things."

VALOGIRL - "I don't think people understand that the online prices are lower due to shipping costs. Not to mention, everyone now recieves the members price online, while in the stores, you do not. So if the price in store is $15.oo, and the online price says $13.00, you have to add the shipping cost of $4.00 onto the online price which makes it $17.00. So you actually get a better deal in most cases if you actually go to the store and buy it. I really don't see what everyone is complaining about. If you would read the computer screens and see that the prices clearly state ONLINE PRICE, then you wouldn't have had this problem in the first place. It is not the stores fault, it is lack of comprehension on the consumer."

Just to give you another reality check, "The Hunger Games" series was approx $50 in-store and $25 online. Do the math. It's not always shipping that creates the issue. Read between the lines - situations aren't always just black and white. If you don't get that Barnes and Noble uses dirty, ethically wrong business tactics to get a majority of their customers to come into their store to purchase something... ANYTHING... then you need to GTFO and take some business classes. Seriously.

I experienced the same thing yesterday. I agree with GeoGolfer and youngMD. Seems like valogirl works for the company so there is definite bias there. Over and out.

Besides shipping fees and blah blah let's look at the facts. Bookstores as we know them are becoming a thing of the past. Barnes and noble will one day fall into the deep abyss with borders and walden. Now, wouldn't it just make sense to sell the books IN the store for the same price you would online?! If this were the case, I would go to BandN right now to get the book I need. If I decide to order online I would NOT even consider BandN because Amazon is almost always cheaper AND I get free 2 days shipping with Prime. Barnes and noble is obviously still in the past with their thinking and into oblivion they will soon go if they don't act more wisely.

So... YoungMD... You're wrong. On MANY counts. Let me start by first letting you know that it is NOT ok to call me stupid, which you basically did. I have a college education, and am quite intelligent. Second... The customer is NOT always right. I have worked from the day I turned 13. I have had to put up with EVERY scenario you can imagine. What I learned was this... Don't ever put up with a customer's crap, especially if they are degrading you. Now... I just used my phone to go to both the mobile & pc sites. BOTH clearly stated that the prices reflected were ONLINE prices. It even said that you would save 40% by ordering online versus picking up in store. The online price means online, not in store. I honestly do not understand how people get confused about this. It really isn't hard to deduce. I guess maybe my bottom line is this... Re-read your posts, and look at the snobbish & overall mean way you all sound. Would you ever allow someone to talk to you like that, especially at your job? Well I don't allow that, and never will. That has nothing to do with having an education, that has everything to do with having respect. Which, in my opinion, many of you do not have.

@volgirl works for Barnes & Noble btw. I really didn't want to get involved in this and this is an old thread, but if you are in customer service you do not belong there. The way you are responding to people having a reasonable gripe (I just checked and either they changed the website or my browser doesn't show the price for in-store and online). In this day in age even brick and mortar stores compete with online stores. Is it wrong the way Barnes and Noble handles the differing prices? No. Is it clearly stated? It does note that online and in-store can be different, so yes I guess it is. Is this an appropriate business model in today's market? Absolutely not. This is why the majority of these book chains have failed and Barnes and Noble will eventually too. The absolute disregard for the customer when it comes down to something that will make the franchisee have to lose money. I see how it makes good immediate business sense to keep the big money happy, but at the same time this point of view will/does hurt the franchisee in the long run. I grew up in bookstores and always love to go when I can. Large stores like Barnes and Noble destroyed most of the mom and pop stores, then decided they really didn't care about the customer and are letting them die off. Now we are left with going to Barnes and Noble and getting screwed price-wise or ordering online. I am not saying that Barnes and Noble is the only culprit here, but this is completely wrong, in my opinion (I say this as people seem to get attacked here for giving opinions *cough *cough valogirl *cough and I want to be clear this is not fact)