eBooks Help Board

[#1]

I stopped by my local B&N store Friday evening.  They expect to get the demo before November 30th.  But not sure exactly when.   I've got to call back during the week when the manager is working.   I really want to play with it before I commit to purchasing it.

[#2]

My goodness! Logic!

[#3]

According to BN here in Ventura. They are expecting a demo Nook 11/24.. With a guarantee delivery of 10/30 if you order early.. I guess they also have a special on the 2 year warranty of $69. The warranty is supposed to cover ANYTHING that happens to the device.

[#4]

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Therinia wrote:

I'd rather just pay cash and pick it up in the store the day it is released...hopefully my store will be one that carries the unit for in-store purchase.

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Call your local B&N, they should be able to tell you right away if they'll be carrying the Nook in-store when it's released. We've known since launch that ours is.

[#5]

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RHWright wrote:

The only difference being that for the store to properly receive "credit" for the pre-order they have to set about a new bn.com account for you and your nook. If you order on an existing account, even if you do it in the store, they will not be credited for it. So you may be told you have to set up a new account, but this is not true.

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As a B&N employee, I would like to point out that getting credit for the pre-order has nothing to do with setting up a new account for customers. The reason that we don't want to have a customer's pre-exsisting account logged into our system is to protect the customer's privacy. We use a new account and continue through the check-out process without signing-in at all so that your personal info doesn't stay in the system once the window is closed. We have multiple employees sharing the same customer cervice computers, if we log into your personal account, there is a higher risk of someone elses purchase being applied to your account/credit card later on in the day if it isn't succeccfully logged-out.

Personally, I've never heard anything even suggesting that stores recieve any credit for the nook pre-orders because we place them through bn.com, not our in-store system. Please get the facts before making accusations that will mislead customers and cause complications when we're trying to help them in-store.

[#6]

From what I understand, only some of the B&Ns will have up-front "kiosks" that will actually sell the nook (and nook accessories) in the store.  The rest - they will have a demo as others have mentioned.  For those stores with a kiosk, they are supposed to have an employee dedicated to the kiosk during all store hours.  So, if you're fortunate to be close to one of the high-volume B&Ns which will have the kiosk, that would be cool!  If not, you can just look at your local store demo and make your decision then.  I'm not sure if the B&Ns that won't carry the nook will or will not carry the accessories.  My guess is probably not, initially, but then, B&N will meet demand accordingly - it's only in their best interest...

[#7]

BTW, I did pre-order the nook in-store.  They ran my credit card and it showed up as a "pending" on my credit card for the full amount, but has not been actually charged.  They said they would actually charge my account when it's shipped.

[#8]

I walked into the nearest B&N on my lunch break hoping to get a feel for the device and compare with the Kindle device my friend has.  I was disappointed( almost angry) when I was told they would not have any units in the store until around Thanksgiving.  They advised me to pre-order on the B&N web site.  No why oh why would I want to fracking order a device that only has reviews from people I don't know and which I can not see/touch/test?

I was also told that the local store won't have any for sale until Dec 9, just in time for the holidays.  Yeah! Right! I am sure the expectations/hype will exceed supply and B&N will have a PR problem.

Go ask people who pre-ordered a fitbit based on TechCrunch hype.  There are some people who pre-ordered in 2008 who don't expect product until December 2009 and the company won't be taking new orders until January 2010!

https://www.fitbit.com/order

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23fitbit

[#9]

If you live in San Antonio, TX forget about getting a nook in store on launch day.  I've called all the B&N in town and they said they don't expect to have any stock for sale until the 7th of Dec at least (even then, they don't know how many units they may receive..if any).

I'm a try it before you buy it kinda guy, I was really excited about getting a nook on the 30th for my birthday (also the 30th), now there is no way that's gonna happen.  B&N really dropped the ball by not having stock for sale in store.  The reason I'll never buy a Kindle (ok one of the reasons, the other being the Orwell recall) is I can't try one out before I buy it.  I'm sure there's no way I'll even get to try it out in store on launch day as every store I called said that they would only have one demo unit on hand.  I'm not gonna wait in line to be rushed in trying out the nook, then place an order. 

Looks like I'll be sticking with paper books for the time being because B&N won't be able to meet demand for those that don't want to order online.  For a brick and mortar store, they sure have a lot to learn about making the walk in customer happy.

[#10]

I understand the need to advertise an upcoming service/product however after seeing the advertisments I downloaded the B&N reader on my iPhone and decided I really like eBooks so I went to a store and.. no Nooks! Don't you hate it when a company creates demand for a product and then makes you wait for it?? well that only works if you are the only one who will carry it.. Since I decided I wanted an eBook reader I ended up ordering and receiving the Amazon Kindle.. not what I wanted but since all the books I wanted from the B&N ebook store are available on kindle I decided to get it.. love the newspapers as well. Also ordered one for my sister. I love B&N but I love books more and in the end I just wanted a reader for my commute and the ads were enticing. Sorry B&N.

[#11]

@EdwardRad

Thanks for the advice;  I called.  The person I talked to checked and they "didn't know for sure" so she wouldn't say anything definitively.  From the way she was talking I got the idea that they were going to have them, but didn't know the exact day for sure, like she wanted to tell me yes but couldn't.  So I think I'm going to wait to order and cross my fingers, and if they don't get them in I'll order one then and just have to wait a little longer.  I still have my PDA to read on, so there isn't a rush...I just want a new toy to play with.    

[#12]

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Holger wrote:

I understand the need to advertise an upcoming service/product however after seeing the advertisments I downloaded the B&N reader on my iPhone and decided I really like eBooks so I went to a store and.. no Nooks! Don't you hate it when a company creates demand for a product and then makes you wait for it??  

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????????  Are you literally saying that companies should not advertise products BEFORE they come out?  No, I don't hate it when a company creates demand for a product and makes me wait for it.  Should AT&T and Apple not have advertised the iPhone before they came out with it?  Should Microsoft stop advertising their new operating systems before they release them?  Perhaps movies should not advertise until they are actually in the theaters... 

To all businesses - do not advertise your products before release!  It creates demand and then makes you wait for it!

Seriously, I'm looking forward to my nook, ever since I pre-ordered.  Only 24 more days!  I've already found some free ebook websites, downloaded a few, installed Adobe Digital Editions (free software to see and manage ebooks), and I've even burned a few of my "white noise" CDs (you know, sounds of the beach and whale sounds and all) so I can put them on my nook and listen to while reading. 

I did not read the nook advertising and then go get a Kindle because the nook hasn't been released yet...

[#13]

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PC_FL wrote:

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ever since I pre-ordered.  Only 24 more days!  I've already found some free ebook websites, downloaded a few, installed Adobe Digital Editions (free software to see and manage ebooks), and I've even burned a few of my "white noise" CDs (you know, sounds of the beach and whale sounds and all) so I can put them on my nook and listen to while reading. 

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Excited much? I Just Hope Amazon doesn't burn us with a K3 :/

[#14]

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Holger wrote:

I understand the need to advertise an upcoming service/product however after seeing the advertisments I downloaded the B&N reader on my iPhone and decided I really like eBooks so I went to a store and.. no Nooks! Don't you hate it when a company creates demand for a product and then makes you wait for it?? .

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Don't you think you would be frustrated if you couldn't get ANY information until the day it released?  Demand is an important thing, and having information to base estimates of how many units will need to be manufactured will aviod more problems in the long run.  Barnes and Noble chose a date to release information AFTER they chose a date for the hardware release.  They still have to manufacture the hardware and organize the logistics of a release.  It doesn't just happen like magic!  Patience, my firiend, patience.

[#15]

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RedStateGuy wrote:

Reality check:  That "other" online bookseller has only offered its e-reader for online sale since its introduction, and neither sales nor enthusiasm has seemed to suffer because of that seemingly limited retail opportunity.  In fact, I would guess if you asked the upper echelon of that company, they would claim that not sticking it in every big box retailer has only added to its mystique and therefore has generated additional sales, not reduced them.

Reality check for you - the "other" online bookseller does not have stores, and so therefore you have just made the comparison entirely apples to oranges instead of having any basis in reality as we know it and live it every day.  With no stores, it's a no brainer that you can't walk in, see it, touch it, use it alongside paper copies and make a decision. Hardly the same as B&N's reality.

[#16]

I am going to do my best to address some of the questions and concerns from this thread.

ALL stores are slated to have a Demo copy of the NOOK.

Many stores are offering customers to put their name on a contact list if they want to know when the demo comes so they can try it before they buy.

If you pre-order the nook, your credit card will NOT be charged until the item ships to you.

The member and employee discount is not available for the nook because it is price competitively and already deeply discounted for all Barnes and Noble customers. The prices of the e-books are on-par with the e-books offered by other companies.

Those stores that will be carrying the nook for in-store purchase already know that they will. Call your local store to find out if they will have it.

Hope this answers some of your questions and concerns!

[#17]

The guy at my store said they may have a real Nook on Nov 30.  They had the plastic mockups so you can see and feel what its like.  There was quite a lot of interest in the Nook from customers and I think it will be a big hit.

[#18]

Stores most certainly do get credit for bn.com pre-orders placed for customers in-store, in the same way as used & out-of-print orders placed in-store.  Where that credit actually shows up and if it has any real meaning for the store's financials is a bit of a mystery.

[#19]

What made you choose Nook over Kindle? I wish Nook had text to speech functionality.