http://reston.patch.com/articles/spectrum

and reston's last new book store being replaced by.. the container store. *facepalm*

I converted to Amazon years ago

Say it ain't so!

B&N will be closing numerous stores across the country in 2013 after dismal Holiday sales and strong performance from rivals Amazon and Walmart.

Look for Best Buy to follow suit as it struggles to keep itself out of bankruptcy!

A few months ago, I wanted to buy a book that I was able to find on their website listed for $22 with the option to pick it up in-store. I went to the store and the cover price was $30, so I asked the cashier if I could get their online price and she told me "no, the online price is the online price and the list price is the in-store price." After that I went home and ordered it on overstock.

Phantom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A few months ago, I wanted to buy a book that I
> was able to find on their website listed for $22
> with the option to pick it up in-store. I went to
> the store and the cover price was $30, so I asked
> the cashier if I could get their online price and
> she told me "no, the online price is the online
> price and the list price is the in-store price."
> After that I went home and ordered it on
> overstock.

Back in high school, I worked at a skating pro-shop. The owner had a strict policy against price matching of any kind. He said he had a store to maintain and employees to pay and he couldn't stock the store in the kinds of quantities that warranted the low prices found by "Pierre's Skate and Puck" in Montreal. So, we spend a half hour fitting someone for skates and then they'd take their sizing info and buy their skates online. Did I mention the store went out of business in 1999? And that was before online shopping really got going...

If you own a brick and mortar and you don't match online pricing...you simply won't survive. Then again, maybe that's what a big box like Barnes and Noble ultimately wanted for themselves.

B&N wouldn't even match their own price.

It interesting that home supply places like home Depot and Lowes don't go out of business too! I guess home supplies are to large to go by mail.

I can see clothing stores still surviving because people like to try stuff on before they buy. Grocery stores would be the same thing you would want those shipped, it would cost to much.

Phantom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A few months ago, I wanted to buy a book that I
> was able to find on their website listed for $22
> with the option to pick it up in-store. I went to
> the store and the cover price was $30, so I asked
> the cashier if I could get their online price and
> she told me "no, the online price is the online
> price and the list price is the in-store price."
> After that I went home and ordered it on
> overstock.

I had a similiar experience at Kohls.

Also an advantage home centers have is that people often go there when something needs to be fixed and dont want to wait for an item to be shipped.

Luckily, The Used Book Store at Lake Anne is doing well.

Econ 101 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It interesting that home supply places like home
> Depot and Lowes don't go out of business too! I
> guess home supplies are to large to go by mail.
>
> I can see clothing stores still surviving because
> people like to try stuff on before they buy.
> Grocery stores would be the same thing you would
> want those shipped, it would cost to much.

I tied buying home supplies by mail once. The mailman was bitchin' about having to bring the shingles all the way to my door. Then the bastard broke my mailbox when he jammed the bags of concrete on top.

Ordering food was easy but the milk kept leaking all over the other envelopes when he put it in sideways.

I miss Hechinger's

Harry Homeowner Wrote:
> I miss Hechinger's

Somebody has to, I guess...

"B&N wouldn't even match their own price."

I went to Tysons b&n recently and asked sales person about the cost of the old Route 66 tv show set. The B&N store price was way more than what I'd seen online but then she said that b&n might have cheaper price at this certain website. She didn't say the name but it wasn't Amazon cause I asked. By golly she found the item for a few dollars more than I'd seen online elsewhere and no shipping charge so that came out pretty good pricewise.
SOLD!
Thing is I've asked other salespeople(I'd never encountered the young lady who sold me the Route 66 set) at that store about price on other obscure video's and they always tended to be surly and unhelpful beyond that's the B&N price.

Use to be salesman over at Fair Lakes B&N who was able to find obscure videos at a decent price for me but unfortunately he got ill and did not return. Now I might asked occasionally and have feeling from salespeople ,like you want what?
So I stopped trying.

Don't get me started on the retail price of stuff at B&N and the stupid discount card. B&N prices were always higher and even higher now with Borders gone.

NEVER BUY DVDS FROM BARNES AND NOBLE! They try and screw you to the wall...

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for $30? Not even a Blu-Ray...

WTF??

Soooo....I hope that doesnt affect Starbucks....since they are connected...

Ahmayzin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Soooo....I hope that doesnt affect
> Starbucks....since they are connected...


You'll just have to go to one of the other 15 within the mile radius of that location.