The Great Depression of the 30′s and 40′s meant the demise of many businesses. However, one small business moved to 18th and Fifth Avenue in 1932, and continued to grow in popularity throughout the 20th century. With the 21st century has come some economic worsening many have compared to the late recovery out of the Depression in a pre-WWII America. The same small business that began thriving in the early 1900s, continues to thrive today. Barnes & Noble, of course, is the business being discussed. Originating in 1873, Barnes & Noble began as a book-printing business then morphed into a bookstore in 1917 and continued expanding from there. In 1971 it was purchased by Leonard Riggio, who deftly revolutionized the book selling industry, offering exclusive Barnes & Noble discounts, massive availability, and an inventory unparalleled by contemporary bookstores.
This Fortune 500 company has been a pioneer in the industry, being the first bookseller to advertise on television and the the first to offer discounted books. In 1975, Barnes & Noble offered The New York Times bestsellers at 40% off the publisher’s list price. Now, in this time of financial turmoil, Barnes & Noble still offers incredible book deals, with competitive discounts on bestsellers and up to 90% discounts on used, digital, and new textbooks. In the United States alone, over four and a half million students and faculty take advantage of Barnes &Noble’s phenomenal textbook savings through its college bookstores.
Barnes & Noble has expanded since its humble beginnings to offer more than just physical books. They are also the leader in eBooks, offering millions of new and used titles from a network of sellers, and the Barnes & Noble Music Store was distinguished as the Web’s best by Forbes.com. Each subdivision of Barnes & Noble is accompanied by useful tools and a vast wealth of information to help the customer make the most informed purchasing decisions. The Barnes & Noble Studio offers Emmy-winning documentaries, video author interviews, and the leading weekly book show, Tagged! Barnes & Noble Kids allows the option of shopping by age, by parent popularity, staff picks and more.
The 40 million Barnes &Noble patrons are a testament to the staying power of the company. Even up against the wildly successful Amazon, Barnes & Noble has continued to be a strong competitor by giving their customers incredible deals on books, music, toys & games. They have remained loyal to their long-established traditions while also ushering modernity and the digital age with open arms. In 1997 they opened their comprehensive website, and in 2009 the company released the first generation of the Barnes & Noble eReader, the Nook. Most recent on the market are the Nook Color and the Nook Tablet. The Nook Tablet is their fastest and lightest production, with a premier touchscreen and access to more than 2.5 million books, magazines, comics and more. Movies, television shows, and music, are all easily accessible as well, making the Nook Tablet one of the premier devices for entertainment.
The millions of millions of Barnes & Noble customers go to barnesandnoble.com for its enormous selection, abundance of useful tools and information, and, of course, great deals. World-side, Barnes & Noble operates 705 bookstores, many of which include a Starbucks-sponsored cafe for patrons to relax, refresh, and read in the company of other book buyers. The atmosphere of Barnes & Noble, complete with its cozy cafes—all offering free AT&T wireless internet—and sizable staff of friendly book-lovers, is one of style and grace, comfort and convenience. These amenities have made Barnes & Noble not only a wildly popular place to buy books, but a place to enjoy coffee and books in a place devoted to the forestallment of online-only bookstores, and to the propagation of a social community of coffee and book enthusiasts.
While in recent years Barnes & Noble has moved away from being an exclusive discount bookseller, you can still find great Barnes & Noble discounts both online and in store. Online at barnesandnoble.com, there is the persistent Deal of the Day, which offers everything from DVD packages, special releases, and hard-to-find titles, to bestselling books and Blu-rays. Even online is a section for staff picks, so if you never make it into a store, you can see what’s being talked about by fellow book lovers.
If you really want to save both in store and online, you can become a Barnes & Noble member for a marginal annual fee of $25. That’s basically the price of a hardcover best seller. The thing is, if you buy two copies of Walter Issacson’s biography of Steve Jobs (one for you and one for a friend) you’ve already more than paid for that membership fee, because on every hardcover best-seller Barnes & Noble members receive an additional 40% off. For Steve Jobs, that means 40% off of $35, for a savings of $14. Twice over that’s $28, or $3 more in savings than the membership fee is. Members also receive 10% off of nearly everything else in the store, exclusive Barnes & Noble promotions via email, and free express shipping on most online orders, so you never have to wait 5-7 business days again.
In the age of digital reading, Barnes & Noble has stepped up to the batter’s box and slammed one into deep left field. It was unclear for a time whether the brick and mortar would remain standing, but as the company is rounding third, it seems pretty assured that they’re not looking back, but continue to give competitive prices, excellent savings, and some amazing special offers. To get the best discounts from this ever-innovating bookstore, take a gander through our Barnes and Noble coupons and see what you can save.