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This idea is at least a step in the right direction. Many people enjoy the bookstore and browsing experience, and it's going to be a challenge to incorporate ebooks into that experience. At least they are trying something.
However, for me at least, I like to buy a book and then perhaps get a beverage and sit in the cafe and read. It would be nice to be able to download the book (or a sample) and enjoy it with a beverage, before or after you buy the book. Getting an e-mail link that you have to go home and download doesn't work in that scenario--unless, of course, you read on a smartphone or other device that also has e-mail capability, in which case you'll have the book on your device immediately.
That's one thing I like about the nook--you still get that bookstore experience. You can browse, perhaps look at the paper books and then fire up the nook and see if it's available, and then even read a little while you enjoy a beverage (which you got at a slight discount due to the coupon sent to your nook). Not everyone buys that way, but many people do, and value the bookstore experience, as Zelda pointed out.
I think perhaps a combination of the e-mail delivery (which will be perfectly fine for many people) and a bookstore kiosk or computer for immediate download will be the best way for independent bookstores to go. Remember not every ebook reader uses SD cards. I know that is an expense, but perhaps a cooperative could be set up that will place computers/kiosks/whatever in each participating independent store. I don't even know if you would need a full-blown PC for such an activity. A dedicated touchscreen tablet device with specialized software would work. That way kids messing around couldn't load it with crapware.
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