The Barnes & Noble Store Membership: A Review

I'm a frequent shopper at Barnes & Noble. One could almost say that it is my home away from home, which may sound a bit sorry to some people, but I'm actually proud of that fact. I think they have the best selection of books of any bookstore and the best customer service. I've been shopping there since I was young and I hope to be able to introduce my children to the Barnes and Noble experience in the future. There was one thing I was always unsure of when it came to Barnes and Noble though: their membership program.

I've always been leery of any store membership. I never really saw the purpose of paying a larger lump sum to save a few cents. I would frequently get irritated that every time I would go the cash register I would be inundated with the usual shtick about getting the membership and the perks it had to offer. Barnes and Noble members instantly save 10% on their purchase when they use their card. Big deal I thought.

One day though I decided to give it a try. I had some extra money and decided that I could spare the $25 to join. So when I got to the register I was asked if I would like to join and this time I said, "yes." Of course the cashier was excited because the sale of the membership meant she would be getting a commission. So she gave me the necessary application form, I filled it out and walked away having saved 10% on what I had purchased that day, which was about $5 considering I had spent nearly $50.

I've had the membership for about 4 years now and I'm thoroughly glad I got the membership. The perks are well worth it. That 10% savings can even be applied to books already marked with a percent savings. For example, Barnes and Noble will sometimes mark new release books with a sticker saying that you can get 40% off their price at the register. That's a great deal in itself, but then you can use your membership and save another 10% which brings the total to 50%; 50% off of a new release book is an incredible savings.

There are coupon perks too. Whether you sign up to receive the coupons in your e-mail or regular mail, they offer some great coupons. The coupons I've received have usually been between 15% - 25% off. You can combine that with your normal 10% savings and, taking the above example again, add both the coupon and your membership savings to a book, or other item, that has already been marked down. So add an extra 25% off to the 50% you're saving on the book and that's a 75% markdown. That's nothing to scoff at.

You can use your membership in the Starbucks Café that may of the stores have as well. Any savings at a Starbucks is a godsend. The savings are also a godsend in the DVD and CD section of the stores. There are countless online perks as well, check it out at the link I've provided. The one thing I suggest, because I do it myself, is not to sign-up for automatic renewal. You'll be notified anyways when it's time to renew and if you don't have the money, automatic renewal can bite you in the behind when you're least expecting it, but definitely spend the $25 for the Barnes and Noble membership.