Question for shoppers of Barnes & Nobel -- Is this common?

[sproutster]

This has been irking me for awhile, and I'm curious if it happens regularly to others.

I am a big book lover - I buy books every paycheck. I MUST have reading material or I would curl up and die.

...anyhoo

I tend to buy fiction and non fiction (history, or political)

I don't go to Barnes and Nobel that often, but when I do it's for a big haul. So the last 3 visits, twice, they have come close to harrassment trying to get me to get a 5% off card. I'm serious, twice, I've ended my venture telling them I don't feel like giving them my information to feed the governement on my reading matters of choice.

I will not go back - but on those two visits I have bought holocaust literature & economics literature. The one before I was on a search for Mary Ann Davidson (a romatic vampire series).

I pay cash.

[JI7]

1. it has nothing to do with what books you bought

they are required to do this to everyone who shops there regardless of what they buy.

it's about corporate profits in the end. i recommend buying books online to avoid this stuff, and also because you can often find books for less on the internet.

[MadHound]

21. Online however, you simply type in your information

Rather than giving it to the company verbally:shrug::hi:

[kaygore]

2. It's a marketing ploy

They believe that it builds customer loyalty. They have done it for years, long before the present Nazis came to power. It is based on the same marketing logic as frequent flier miles and grocery store bonus cards.

[msongs]

3. perhaps yer a tad too sensitive?

I go there but do not buy often.

they ask me if I want a card that gets me a discount for shopping there more. It is MORE than
5% off tho, so for that you might have a complaint.

I just smile and say no thanks.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/impeachbush.htm

[LA lady]

4. required

I was with Borders Group for years and at WaldenBooks we had a required percentage of transactions that had to include "Preferred Reader Cards". I had to terminate WONDERFUL employees if they couldn't meet this number. It was the one thing I didn't like about managing there. I had a very high percentage and would frequently pass the sale over to shy employees who were not making 5%.
I understand they stopped the cards requirement now.

[anitar1]

5. If you are tired of this crap, try Powells Books. Great store

and they have everything.

[Left Below]

6. I mentioned the Patriot Act / data collection to a clerk

Good guy - he explained that the CEO was a big privacy advocate a Democrat and convinced me of his sincerity.

And I don't believe in anything - to much of a skeptic.

[Katherine Brengle]

7. It really isn't personal --

I know it is annoying, but it has nothing to do with what you purchase--it's just how they do business.

[sproutster]

8. I understand marketing ploys

I'm talking harrassment -

Do you want this card, fill this out.
No.
Do you want this card?
No.
You should sign the card
No.
It will save you money
No.
...etc... to the point of angering me, and honestly I'm pretty happy go lucky.

LOL anyhoo I guess you two have answered my question. It must just be me, I just don't have this experience anywhere else. Borders is fine, as is Hastings.

I actually used to work for them, and I don't recall any pressuring for the cards (approx. 10 years ago, granted)

[ellenfl]

9. the associates probably get a small gratuity

for everyone they get to sign up. they have been doing this for years. you apparently have aggressive associates at your store. of course, i already have a discount card so maybe that's why i am not bugged by them. btw, b&n is mostly a 'blue' merchant. i quit amazon completely and only shop at b&n because of that. oh, and try online shopping. i rarely go into to brick and mortar anymore. besides, i love getting packages in the mail. it's like christmas.



ellen fl

[Catherine Vincent]

10. I think it's common.

I frequent this popular department store and they are big on trying to get you to fill out their short cc application. I had to tell this one sales lady no twice and she kept insisting. I had to give her a "leave me the fuck alone!" eye and she finally backed down. :)

[NMMNG]

11. It has nothing to do with the Patriot Act

It's a customer loyalty ploy, and B&N is not the only store that does it. I worked at Waldenbooks back in 1995 and they had a "Preferred Reader" card that gave members a 10% discount. We were required to offer the card to every customer who came to the register. We would get marked down on our reviews if we didn't do so (which could prevent us from getting our meager pay raises), and were even subject to disciplinary action for failure to offer it.

The employees are not trying to harass you, they are trying to keep their jobs.

[wtmusic]

12. I got the card

and it saves me some dough. I know what you mean about harrassment though. One time at Best Buy I went postal on some poor dude who couldn't give up on selling me a maintenance plan for my digicam.

[FoxNewsSucks]

13. I hate those stupid cards,

I have a stack of them in my car. It's a pain in the ass to have to get the right one out to get the sale price in a store.

Most of them are not "bonus cards". You really get nothing for using it. Those "bonus prices" used to be sale prices that ALL customers got.

I never put down my real name, #, or address. It's none of their business.

Although, now, at least one chain of grocery stores has it set up so that your name pops up when they scan your card. That way the cashier can call you by name. I just laugh when they call me "Barnabas" or say "Have a nice day, Mr. Collins".

[deek]

22. you don't need the card

Just your phone number. And our local B&N encouraged me to have my friends use my number for their own discounts.

[sproutster]

14. Okies, thanks.

I of course would like to continue shopping there, but honestly the tactics of this particular store tick me off - It really is close to harrassment. I actually opened this store back in the day. It's been niggling me, so I wanted opinions. :) Thanks so much. I don't know if I should complain or just not go there. Albertsons is the same way - I get ticked at them too, one day... they are "oh maybe you forgot - what is your number?" I gave them my brand new number just so they would have to put it in for nothing. Someone else had signed up with the number... sheesh.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

15. They're 92% "blue" according to buyblue.org...

http://www.buyblue.org/node/326/view/summary

Are you paying cash for all of your purchases? If not, they're gettin' the info somehow. I just give the cashiers a firm "no" whenever they ask those types of questions, particularly my damn phone number!

~~Edited to add buyblue info for Powell's since someone above mentioned the store.

http://www.buyblue.org/node/1673/view/summary

100% "blue."

[RagingInMiami]

16. I recommend Borders

They always have some monthly discounts going, and in my experience, if I happen to be buying a book that is on special, even though I'm not aware that it's on special because their specials fall under a large category, the girl ringing me up pulls out a coupon for me and automatically gives me a 20 percent discount or whatever it is.

[Minnesota Libra]

17. I don't like Barnes and Noble for the same reasons, they are.........

....much too nosy for my liking.

In fact at the library the other day I got into a conversation about how nose the government was about the books we read. Of course the conversation went through the usual "terrorism" thing to which I said, "Well, maybe I should check out The Turner Diaries and other books that will raise a few eyebrows. Then let them figure out how I could possibly be a terrorist."

We both saw the humorous sarcasm in that one because I have a disability and can't get around very well, and certainly can't get around very fast. Plus I'm pretty liberal on most every issue but one (that will be for another thread :rofl:).

Anyway, I agree that our government is focusing their attention on the wrong people. Hey, it looks good though.

[EVDebs]

18. B&N has to justify sending their credit processing overseas to India

somehow. So do Citibank et al. Higher bank fees to pay for this new system too. You'd think they'd have passed along the 'savings' to customers, but when have bank fees etc ever gone DOWN ?

By the way, read Spychips by Katherine Albrecht, and interviewed recently in motherjones(dotcom) magazine. Verrry interesting stuff. Credit cards with RFIDs, and then the abuse of the 'background check' is something that the Christian Science Monitor has been investigating lately. The makings of a fascistic police state are at hand.

[niallmac]

19. We shop Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Borders

...got the B and N discount card, saved lots of money with it.
Shot our TV in the face. It was no accident.
I like the coffee bar. I could put up a tent and live at the book store because
when I leave I am back outside in ...Boise Idaho...pretty state,
but not an intellectual Mecca.
Worried the government will know all the books you buy cuz you use a discount card?...
They know everything you say here. Discount card? They don't need no stinking discount card!
I quit worrying about what the government knows. I just march and speak up against their fascist
plots against democracy even though my own party cannot agree to speak likewise with one voice.
See ya in Gitmo evil reader doers.

[sproutster]

20. At least I feel like I might accomplish something here

Because it's not just them reading our words - Don't forget the valuable lurker.

However, I will not roll over and feed them either. I totally was not raised that way. I will not show my papers unless I have to while fleeing the country. :D