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Originally Posted by desertgrandma
I think so. There are many people who prefer B&N over Amazon. Who like the brick and mortar store.
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I'm one of them, but . . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertgrandma
It will be easy to keep these customers, as long as their device proves worthy.......
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No, it won't be easy to keep these customers, at least not this one.
I had a very long telephone conversation with a BN.com customer service supervisor as well as a similar in-person conversation with my local store manager about how B&N seems to be deliberately encouraging me to give my business to Amazon.
Because they can, they looked at my account and saw how much money I spent at B&N in 2009, and the amount did not include what I have spent at Fictionwise. I am, they agreed, the type of customer that B&N needs to keep and cultivate if it plans to have a long-term future. Yet, B&N does what it can to drive me away and I am close to finally saying goodbye to B&N.
I won't go through the litancy of my complaints here (yet again), but both B&N people told me all that they can do is pass the complaints up the chain. It was indicated that B&N top management are not receptive to hearing customer complaints about nook or ebook pricing or discount coupons or everyone getting the same price or unhappy B&N members. The stock response is that B&N believes it is pricing everything "fairly" and nothing more need be said and that B&N members have said that free shipping is the most valuable perk (hogwash!!!!).
Anyway, B&N is getting the initial rush with the sale of its nook, but the real test will come with ebook sales. The nook is a 1-time sale and no way to build a business; ebooks are multi-time sales (or should be) and needed to sustain a business.