The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Sites like ebates do pay out (A few years ago I made $40 because I used a referral link to buy a laptop) but I'd recommend giving them a secondary email address because they will pound you daily with emails.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

(It's also pretty terrible to buy books from any online retailer. While the difference in price is wonderful, it's actually hurting the publishing business. [snip]

With very few exceptions, I buy all "new" books from my local B&N. The exceptions over the last several years have been the occasional British book ordered from Amazon UK. Just the other day, I got the latest Bryant & May mystery by Christopher Fowler from the UK; it won't be published in the US until December. The previous Bryant & May book, a collection of novelettes, I got from the UK when it was published there last November. So far, the only US release is a Kindle edition from Amazon.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

The thing that I wonder about is whether people realize that at the point in which these pay memberships "pay for themselves," you've netted zero discount, so it had better pay for itself and then some.

Well, yes, we realize that. I don't see anyone here suggesting that they stop buying once they've hit the break-even point. It's not like one is limited in how many things one can buy at the discount.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by jayembee

With very few exceptions, I buy all "new" books from my local B&N. The exceptions over the last several years have been the occasional British book ordered from Amazon UK. Just the other day, I got the latest Bryant & May mystery by Christopher Fowler from the UK; it won't be published in the US until December. The previous Bryant & May book, a collection of novelettes, I got from the UK when it was published there last November. So far, the only US release is a Kindle edition from Amazon.

I must have very esoteric tastes because I hardly ever find what I'm looking for at my local B&N. They have a good selection, just not as good as their on-line store or, pardon my saying, Amazon. For instance, I'm planning on picking up the Women Crime Writers set from Library of America. It's available on-line, but not at any B&N in my area. As much as I'd like to support local brick and mortar stores, I think the future has spoken.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I must have very esoteric tastes because I hardly ever find what I'm looking for at my local B&N. They have a good selection, just not as good as their on-line store or, pardon my saying, Amazon. For instance, I'm planning on picking up the Women Crime Writers set from Library of America. It's available on-line, but not at any B&N in my area. As much as I'd like to support local brick and mortar stores, I think the future has spoken.

Of course websites will have a better selection. They aren't limited to space like a brick and mortar store is. Instead, everything comes from a big warehouse. B&N offers a pretty good selection for popular and well-known titles, and can often ship something into the store for you. Nowadays, if books aren't published by one of the Big 5 publishing houses (or their imprints), they're probably POD, print on demand, in which case no store will carry it.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

Nowadays, if books aren't published by one of the Big 5 publishing houses (or their imprints), they're probably POD, print on demand, in which case no store will carry it.

I'd even argue that the collapse of the industry into fewer and larger publishing houses is a bigger threat to the industry than etailer vs. retailer.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Well, yes, we realize that. I don't see anyone here suggesting that they stop buying once they've hit the break-even point. It's not like one is limited in how many things one can buy at the discount.

YOU, realize that. I have no doubt whatsoever.

But, B & N is making money from their member program. You can be sure of that. The membership program isn't chalked up to marketing expense. Theres a profit there. I've read posts here in which people talk about their buying habits and yes, it's a nice program for them. Many others not so much.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

The thing that I wonder about is whether people realize that at the point in which these pay memberships "pay for themselves," you've netted zero discount, so it had better pay for itself and then some.

When you first sign up, they send you a bunch of coupons, as well. My membership paid for itself the first two times I used it. And I use it at least as often as I'm sent coupons (usually 20% off one item), which is frequently.

If you don't think it would be worth it for you, that's your call. But for those of us who have a membership, it's pretty indispensible, and dirt cheap considering the discounts.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

When you first sign up, they send you a bunch of coupons, as well. My membership paid for itself the first two times I used it. And I use it at least as often as I'm sent coupons (usually 20% off one item), which is frequently.

If you don't think it would be worth it for you, that's your call. But for those of us who have a membership, it's pretty indispensible, and dirt cheap considering the discounts.

I don't think you understand what I said, so instead of replying several different ways I'm choosing to drop the topic.

Why is it that a general statement makes everyone feel like they have to defend themselves?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

YOU, realize that. I have no doubt whatsoever.

But, B & N is making money from their member program. You can be sure of that. The membership program isn't chalked up to marketing expense. Theres a profit there. I've read posts here in which people talk about their buying habits and yes, it's a nice program for them. Many others not so much.

I think the point of the membership regardless if people buy enough to make it worth it, is that they are promoting more sales from their site overall, people with a membership will more likely buy again from B&N than other store, so even if they loose money on the actual prices when a lot of people pay with their memberships, they have more sales and I assume their profit margins allow them to still be more profitable this way, than if they didn't had memberships.

In a way it's function is similar to loyalty points on other retailers, they don't necessarily need to make money out of it directly.

[DaBargainHunta]

IMO, B&N is a mismanaged disaster. It blows my mind that people will vastly overpay for new books there, just to support some false ideal of keeping the traditional brick and mortar bookstore alive. Hey, I love those too. Doesn't mean B&N deserves that business or loyalty, because they don't.

1. I can understand not price-matching other stores or websites, but they don't even price-match their own site. Utterly ridiculous.

2. B&N is not the small mom & pop underdog here, so let's stop acting like it is. They're the giant monolith from You've Got Mail, they're Blockbuster Video, they're...you get the idea.

As far as the membership and Criterions, that's fine IMO, because they are one of the few B&M sources that sells Criterions. Maybe the only one at this point? So, yeah, I can understand that.

But books? Come on!

I'll re-post something I said in in the Amazon raises free shipping minimum from $35 to $49 thread, because it bears repeating here.

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

This will be a controversial opinion, but B&N deserves to be undercut. They're living in the past. They don't even price-match their own website, for crying out loud. Their archaic business practices are a joke. By now, they should've changed that policy, lowered the ridiculous price of their $25 membership (some will counter that Prime is also overpriced at $99, which is true too, but you get a lot more for your money), and taken other steps to remain competitive (such as being much more aggressive with Nook hardware and book pricing). Instead, they've buried their heads in their laps. It's easy to rail against "the evil empire," Amazon, and it's not entirely undeserved, but that doesn't give B&N a free pass for its own befuddling incompetence.

So, to some of the loonies in this thread, spare us the silly-ass shaming and guilting over buying books from online retailers. No, no one wants a world where Amazon is the only game in town (which would never happen anyway, but let's ignore reality for a second), but that doesn't mean B&N should get away with being an appallingly-run business. I don't want to see it go either, but if it does, they did it to themselves.

To be fair, B&N does sometimes have great sales on hardcover books, so I still buy them from there on occasion. But no way in hell would they ever be my default option for books.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

I think the point of the membership regardless if people buy enough to make it worth it, is that they are promoting more sales from their site overall, people with a membership will more likely buy again from B&N than other store, so even if they loose money on the actual prices when a lot of people pay with their memberships, they have more sales and I assume their profit margins allow them to still be more profitable this way, than if they didn't had memberships.

In a way it's function is similar to loyalty points on other retailers, they don't necessarily need to make money out of it directly.

I disagree. For every one of us, there are 5 people, I'd bet, who pay for the membership and either don't use it much or think that they've really scored when they haven't. Using a 20% off coupon in conjunction w/ a 30% off sale is not really "scoring," it's just a lot of math.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I disagree. For every one of us, there are 5 people, I'd bet, who pay for the membership and either don't use it much or think that they've really scored when they haven't. Using a 20% off coupon in conjunction w/ a 30% off sale is not really "scoring," it's just a lot of math.

I am sure that happens too, I just meant that, even if every one of their members spent $225 on local purchases or more in a year (the point to break even), they might still be enjoying more sales and traffic overall than if they didn't offer memberships.

For me personally I prefer the way Criterion.com does it, you spend $500 you get $50 (still 10% off, except on last order ever I guess)

Other sites make it much more painful like best buy with their rewards that have expiration date.

[mrjohnnyb]

I have been a B & N Member for roughly eight years. The two things required to having an outstanding membership experience is 1) to be patient while waiting for a sale and then 2) playing the percentages.

I joined prior to a B&N July Criterion Sale and I they have since earned about 90% of my Criterion Collection purchases since that time. I usually budget $300 per sale. In addition, I drive 20 miles south into the state of Delaware where there is no sales tax.

I also take advantage of B&N's 40% off blu-ray sale, which also occurs twice a year. When stacked with a 20% off coupon, a 10% off membership, and "paid for" with a 5% off B&N credit card, I am usually quite pleased with the final price. Kick in free shipping (in lieu of the 10% off) on all b&n.com purchases and this annual fee evaporates quickly.


Needless to say, I am a very satisfied member and customer.

[shadedpain4]

I see the Pope was talking about his favorite film Babette's Feast again today. I wonder if he owns the Criterion, or just has the Italian release?

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I'd even argue that the collapse of the industry into fewer and larger publishing houses is a bigger threat to the industry than etailer vs. retailer.

Yeah, the consolidation of companies is certainly a big issue. Unless you're a small publisher and cater solely to a specific region or state (such as Orange Frazer, out of Wilmington, OH), you're chances of surviving on your own and not getting purchased by one of the Big 5 is very slim. I think that's why a lot of people are turning toward self-publishing (which, in and of itself, is a good idea but relatively and realistically impractical as a means to turn a profit for yourself or have a large reading audience).

I've noticed that, pretty recently, Random House and all of its imprints now have the Random House house on the spine and then the publisher (Random House, Delacorte, Spiegel and Grau, etc.) name underneath. While I like that those imprints are somewhat getting their due (at least the names are there), they're still under the house, which kind of eliminates the identity of those previously distinct companies. It's kind of sad, really.

Publishing is actually kind of like filmmaking in the sense that there are just a few major companies that bank on just a few films per year to make them money; for instance, Knopf purchased Garth Risk Hallberg's City on Fire for $2 million, but it kind of floundered on release. Luckily, all of these companies have back stock that will continually sell for eternity, and so their risks are diminished somewhat.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I see the Pope was talking about his favorite film Babette's Feast again today. I wonder if he owns the Criterion, or just has the Italian release?

That's fantastic. I can see this film being one that a religious person would have no problem watching, as its very honest and free of any provocative content. It's one of the few films I'd have absolutely no reservations viewing with family members, esp. rigid, uptight and conservative parents.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

I have been a B & N Member for roughly eight years. The two things required to having an outstanding membership experience is 1) to be patient while waiting for a sale and then 2) playing the percentages.

I joined prior to a B&N July Criterion Sale and I they have since earned about 90% of my Criterion Collection purchases since that time. I usually budget $300 per sale. In addition, I drive 20 miles south into the state of Delaware where there is no sales tax.

I also take advantage of B&N's 40% off blu-ray sale, which also occurs twice a year. When stacked with a 20% off coupon, a 10% off membership, and "paid for" with a 5% off B&N credit card, I am usually quite pleased with the final price. Kick in free shipping (in lieu of the 10% off) on all b&n.com purchases and this annual fee evaporates quickly.


Needless to say, I am a very satisfied member and customer.

A couple of questions for you (or any other longtime members of Barnes & Noble):

1. I'm planning on signing up for my B&N membership at the start of June, as the next sale, per my recollection, starts in early July. That would give them time to mail me at least one 20% off coupon, I would expect. Am I better served by signing up for the membership a bit earlier? Might I get a second 20% off coupon if I sign up at the start of May instead? The year covers both the summer and fall sales, so I'm good there.

2. Just to clarify, there is a one item, 40% off coupon in each of the two B&N biannual sales? I wasn't paying attention last July, but it was most helpful when buying The Three Colors set. And, if I have two Barnes & Noble stores in driving distance, would anything prevent me from using a 40% off coupon at both stores? I'm not wanting to take advantage of a good thing, only to know what other buyers already do. If it's once per sale, store wide, I'm completely happy with that.

3. Unfortunately, Texas has an 8.25% sales tax, so the membership 10% off only covers that tax, and a couple bucks more on a big sale (it saves me 70 cents per single blu-ray). Too bad I don't live in Delaware, New Hampshire, Alaska, Oregon or Montana, where there is no state tax. At least, on a $300 order, the tax saved in store pays for the membership, and I get the second order truly tax free (plus the coupons, which is really the reason for most U.S. citizens to have it).

If I buy in store, I get the 10% off; the website does not. However, if I go to buy something in store, and they do not have it, and have to ship it to the store for me to buy, am I technically then buying "in store", allowing the 10% membership discount to apply?

Thanks guys!!

[theater dreamer]

Somebody please check my math

MSRP

$124.99 John Cassavetes: Five Films
$99.99 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
$39.99 Beauty and the Beast
$39.99 Bicycle Thieves
$39.99 Manchurian Candidate
$39.99 Wings of Desire
$39.99 My Dinner Andre
$39.99 Late Spring
$39.99 Autumn Sonata
$39.99 3 Women
$39.99 For All Mankind
$39.99 Hoop Dreams
$39.99 The Last Metro
$39.99 Day For Night


John Cassavetes: Five Films
$124.99 MSRP
$ 62.49 50% off
$ 56.25 10% off in store membership discount
$ 33.75 40% off one time coupon
$ 33.75 TOTAL

3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
$ 99.00
$ 49.99 50% off
$ 44.99 10% off in store membership discount
$ 35.99 20% off
$ 35.99 TOTAL

Single films
$ 39.99
$ 19.95 50% off
$ 17.99 10% off in store membership discount
$ 17.99 TOTAL


$ 33.75 John Cassavetes: Five Films
$ 35.99 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
$215.88 twelve individual films @ $17.99 each
$285.62 subtotal
$309.18 with 8.25% Texas and local sales tax

$310 for Twelve movies and two box sets. Nice!

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

For the last year even that point isn't completely relevant.
Eitehr you can preorder/reserve items for instore pickup to use member discount and coupons, or for the last year you can order those same items to be shipped to you house with the same discounts as buying directly instore.

I wasn't aware of that. Are you saying that if I go to the store and request that they ship the item to my house, that I would get all the membership discounts that I would have gotten had the store had the item in stock? That woulld be cool.