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Barnes & Noble Review |
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Being the nosey, unannounced bookstore reviewer and book crazy person I am, this often had me visiting different medium-sized and large cities across the United States. During my brief sojourns, one bookstore name certainly stood out among the crowd ... Barnes & Noble.
Having learnt that Barnes & Noble was a leader in the book retailing business, with bookstores throughout the US, I wasn’t surprised to hear that Barnes & Noble is - as several book lovers claim - close to being one of the largest bookstores on the internet. That left one question ... would their website match their premier status, too?
Curiosity aroused, I ventured out once again but this time, thankfully, on a less tiring journey through cyberspace. My aim was to visit the Barnes & Noble site and pack my findings into brief reviews, like this one. Since then, I must admit, I’ve been a frequent visitor and customer. Here’s an honest, personal review of what I found. |
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Features :  |
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At first sight, the Barnes & Noble site is certainly welcoming, as I found out. That it features an enormous range and variety of books was evident from the word GO. Barnes & Noble claim to have books of every topic and title, and they are right.
I saw new books, old books, rare books, used books; e-books on a wide range of products and services; the latest best sellers; and every conceivable book topic you could think of. In addition to books, Barnes & Noble also offers a wide collection of the latest DVDs (movies); music CDs; a large range of video games; gift items; toys; and more.
Another highlight is the exclusive Barnes & Noble book club where customers have the opportunity to interact with other book lovers to discuss the latest books, and more. Insofar as payment, Barnes & Noble offers multiple options. All major credit cards are accepted, viz. American Express, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard and Visa. |
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Ease of Use : |
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Given that Barnes & Noble offers hundreds of book categories, you would think it would be difficult to find a particular book you want. As I discovered, Barnes & Noble have addressed this problem intelligently. The Barnes & Noble search engine allows you to pinpoint the book/s you want by author, title or keyword ... in a matter of seconds. What’s more, you can also find specific books by using the browse pages to scan numerous book categories. The site has also made purchasing easy. All you do is set up an account; enter your email ID; create a password; indicate your choice of communication mode; enter credit card data; and choose the shipment option you prefer. |
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Customer Services : |
Barnes & Noble offers impeccable customer service via their highly responsive customer service center. You can access them at anytime via email and phone; check the status of your order; go through the FAQ page; and call their toll free number for anytime assistance.
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Delivery Options & Return Policy : |
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Barnes & Noble offers standard shipping that is free of charge for orders of $25 and above. For faster deliveries i.e. next day or within 2 days, a few extra dollars are added. However, Barnes & Noble members enjoy free delivery on orders of $10 and more. Barnes & Noble offer full refunds, provided that books and other items are returned in their original and unopened shrink-wrapped condition within 14 days of the delivery dates of the orders.
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Security & Reliability : |
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Buying books was one thing, feeling secure using my credit cards to do so, was another. However, Barnes & Noble put me at ease, because I found they have some of the safest security measures in place. Barnes & Noble uses cutting edge firewall and encryption technology to protect a customer’s personal information, in addition to employing other stringent physical and procedural measures. And they spare no pains to fiercely protect personal information from falling into the hands of unauthorized persons, at all times. |
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Summary : |
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In the final analysis, I found that Barnes & Noble does live up to its position as a premier online book store player, on all fronts. Their site was a pleasure to navigate; prices extremely competitive; shipping and payment options highly attractive; and customer service friendly and responsive. Would I hesitate to recommend Barnes & Noble to you or anyone else? ... No way! |
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