Barnes and Noble PREMIUM Membership Is it Worth the Price?

[@shaihulud7316]

Love B&N and glad to see 50 new brick and mortor stores opening in 2024 i love the smell of coffee and freshly printed books

[@BigBearBloo]

I shop occasionally at B&N. I love it, but they still can't compete with Amazon. The Amazon prices are often better, the shipping is faster, and I can easily shop for a used copy of my desired book. The only reason I occasionally purchase at B&N is for the physical joy of being among the stacks.

[@larrystone3332]

In addition to reading books, we also collect baseball cards, Legos, etc. These purchases qualify for the discount as well. For our family, the Premium membership is a no brainer. FYI - you can also get an additional 5% discount if you make your purchases on their Barclays/B&N credit card.

[@NicholasOfAutrecourt]

I'm sure I'm reiterating the obvious here, but it's important to keep in mind that B&N corporate has done *exceedingly* large amounts of market research to ensure they make a profit off of the average custom who chooses to purchase a membership (both at the $25 and $40 member level). In other words, the average customer who buys the $25 membership will end up, on average, spending less than $250 a year on products. Those who buy the $40 membership will, on average, end up spending less than $400. They're not offering stuff like this out of the goodness of their hearts. They're doing it for the bottom line. Thanks for the lovely video, Jonathan.

[@jonathankoan]

Oh they’re certainly doing it for the money, as any company should, but it’s still pretty nice. I had a local bookstore that had a similar program, but I moved away from that one sadly.

[@moresoysauce5489]

Saving $5 on every $100 really just seems like "why bother" for me. If I got the expendable income to buy hundreds of dollars in books per year then five dollars is pretty meaningless nowadays.

[@jonathankoan]

It is that plus the 10% of each purchase, so if you think about it…it’s more like $15 off each 100, but it is still hard to justify for many people.

[@mindiwisker]

Once I figured out they get special versions of books I’m considering rebuying several books so this would be good for me for the year! Thanks for breaking it down like that!

[@Edog1337]

I got Premium for shipping benefits. Starting ordering B&N onljne a year ago, as they don’t damage books in shipping as much as Amazon. As well, they have signed editions and exclusive editions occasionally. Amazon has become extremely unreliable for online shipping. I am 3 miles from warehouse, and they ship books with no padding and 50% of new books are very damaged on arrival. Also, paperbacks i have a chance of getting an Amazon print on demand copy rather than the trade run. I hate the quality of print on demand. Thus, B&n is my online bookseller now. Physicial store doesnt carry enough hardbacks, and bad selection.

[@oddbutnice]

See I buy multiple a month, pay attention to when the x3or4 stamps events happen, and order online as well as go to the physical stores. That why it's perfect for me hehe

[@Etiam.plants]

Barnes & Noble occasionally has 20% off with double stamps with the premium membership. Shipping isn’t too bad either. I would rather support them than Amazon. Plus my books usually come with some damage when I order from Amazon.

[@MrUnicron84]

I like it for the free shipping and I don't like getting my books off Amazon. That was the main reason I got it.

[@jonathankoan]

I think that if I moved my shipping over to B&N, I’d justify the expense much more. But the prices for the books I’m usually interested in are much more competitive at Amazon. So I still use B&N for in-store purchases.

[@KZ1point0]

I would say, there is somewhat added value if you can time your shopping on days when the store offers double or triple stamps. If a person is able to do this, you could recoup the cost and make the membership more worth the cost for a casual to medium volume shopper

[@jonathankoan]

Yes! I saved a lot on the 4x day.

[@darianwebster4808]

What they should have done is bundle the free rewards one with your existing membership, grandfather you in and let you permanently keep the $25 membership as long as you don't cancel your account. Then the $40 one should have more benifits with bigger discounts for online shoppers. This is going to kill this company, which is sad because I really liked the 40% hardcover discount the most.

[@jonathankoan]

I don’t think it will kill the company, as they still have a ton of shoppers who don’t have any membership. Its probably a fairly small amount. And they recently changed their overall model in 2021 and 2022 and it’s shown significant profits and improvements, so I think it’ll be fine, they just won’t have as many people sign up for this plan as they thought they might.

[@xtruthx]

Hey Jonathan.. can you do an updated video? I went online and noticed they added things. Now you get a free audiobook each month.. and exclusive premium sales and offers very often. Wondering your opinion now that they changed it.

[@jonathankoan]

I’m glad they added that. I might do one later, maybe a video on how it worked for me long term.

[@lamujerbrillante]

I'm from the Perimeter store! Have you ever gone to the store and had something ordered shipped to you?

[@jonathankoan]

I’ve gone in and had stuff shipped to the store and held for me several times. Usually takes a while though.

[@mirandabaumcratz485]

The only thing with shipping that i love about barnes and noble and not at amazon is the condition of the books. I have quite frequently had damaged books show up from amazon and never had that happen with barnes and noble. The longer wait with barnes and noble bites though.

[@BookishChas]

I tried out the new membership, and I just don’t know if it will be for me. I do like totes, but I don’t need totes. 😂 I don’t drink coffee either, but I do drink tea, so maybe that will count? The savings might be worth it over time, but I read a lot of ebooks now, and not with a Nook. We shall see.

[@thegreypath1777]

THANKS for this video!

[@jeremycamp0206]

Thanks for the video I didn’t know they had a know program. I probably won’t because my B&N isn’t conveniently located and I’m a heathen and usually just buy my books off of Amazon or Target

[@epi1763]

Dang i felt like you were speaking to me I don't like the coffee i wouldnt spend the money on thr tote. For the rewards feels kinds flawed as only people who can read fast or buy in bulk can really benifit, as opposed to huying on amazon where sometimes the books are 5 dollars cheaper so it works out better for you

[@lizzwestbrooks2052]

that $5 feels like it might only cover my sales tax here in California XD I'm not a fan of the drink upgrade either because it was only 20c to upgrade my drink size in the first place, but I suppose its nice to save that. I don't really get the drinks anymore because the Starbucks menu is just a little too sweet for me now a days- and their regular coffee can taste too bitter. I'm just picky With everything being expensive, I'm very sad that its $40 now. I am a casual book buyer so I thought the $25/year was perfect. I kind of wish they kept the $25 deal but kept them in two separate tiers. Unfortunately this change is going to push me to purchase from Amazon instead and I might not visit B&N at all anymore... The tote isn't very interesting either because I already got lots of totes from my B&N because of the book events they had. I can only have so many tote bags before I start needing to give them away! In conclusion: I'll try it out when my membership is due for renewal, but it doesn't sound worth it to me and that makes me kind of sad. I am a low-income disabled gal and this made it a little harder to afford the membership for sure.

[@msmuniz23]

I agree I was considering getting the membership but was surprised to find out it’s $40 now

[@larryyonce]

I have it, and it is worth it for ME. I buy a lot of my books every year from B&N , especially online. This past Memorial Day weekend, they offered triple stamps for premium members and I took advantage of that for books that were on my wish list. Curious what offer they will have for my birthday (?) Not worth it for casual customers!

[@MrUnicron84]

I did for the same reason as well. Those triple stamp days make it worth it to buy in bulk. I will have more than enough to read till the next triple stamp days.

[@carlosmelendez8317]

I probably only spend up to $150 per year. It should be at least 15% off or 10% and every month you get a $5 reward that can be used every month or stacked. 10% doesnt even take off enough to cover tax. I wanna buy vinyl but $40 membership to get less than $4-$5 off doesnt seem worth it

[@jonathankoan]

For a single item it doesn’t work as much. But since I buy 15-20 books per year from them, it’s more reasonable.

[@eduardocod8924]

I mean I usually spend 500-800 a year plus coffee so seems worth it to me

[@danisdanis6532]

Does anyone know about the free ebook monthly? Are they new releases or just what they put together so they don't lose money?

[@jonathankoan]

The free ebook seems to be limited to a very small list on their website. There are only 5 available this month.

[@danisdanis6532]

@@jonathankoan thank you

[@momakhoana3247]

Hi all, sorry if this is a silly question, but does anybody know if the free shipping is international? is it just limited to the US or can someone (me lol) in South Africa qualify for the free shipping? probably the only reason I'd get the membership.

[@jonathankoan]

I’m not sure, I’m guessing it is exclusive to the US.

[@BenjaminHeyman]

I'm a veteran Barnes & Noble employee of 20 years, and believe me when i tell you that there is UNBELIEVABLE pressure from store managers and corporate to push the membership program. If you werent above 2% conversion on new memberships and 5% on renewals, you were warned and fired if your rates didnt improve.

[@jonathankoan]

That’s too bad. When I worked at BNED there was that same pressure to make sales for our homework solutions product called Bartleby.

[@BenjaminHeyman]

@@jonathankoan thankfully after 20 years I got my employee discount for life so there's that. I've never talked to somebody who was on the education side of the company. Did you work in a retail store or a college campus or somewhere else?

[@jonathankoan]

@@BenjaminHeyman I worked at a store in Lynchburg VA for Liberty University. I worked part time for about 3 years and then became a full time supervisor for about 6 months. (Now I’m a history teacher, which was my overall goal, so leaving the company was the right move, but I love bookstores so it was a fun experience. And I still invest in the company so that I can help influence it. I wish I could invest in other companies like B&N or find some smaller chains to invest in).

[@BenjaminHeyman]

@@jonathankoan holy crap you're right down the road. I'm up in Fairfax near DC! If you're ever up this way let me know, there's a fantastic used bookstore in Manassas that you'd love

[@BenjaminHeyman]

If there's anything specific you're looking for lemme know, I go book hunting at least once a week.

[@josephgeorge620]

i think they should make it to where premium members get 2 stamps per 10$. Great video though.

[@jonathankoan]

That would make it much more valuable.

[@josephgeorge620]

Do you think that's too unrealistic?

[@jonathankoan]

@@josephgeorge620 I don’t think it’s unrealistic, I just don’t think they’ll move towards that yet. Maybe they’ll grandfather it in in the future.

[@ashleyholbird4287]

The whole tote thing is very weird. I worked at B&N for 3 years. Every year they have a sale on those totes. I don't remember the exact price after the sale but they were dirt cheap on sale. B&N is a great store but even when I quit in 2019 it was clear that the company was bleeding money.

[@jonathankoan]

I know they were in tough times in 2019, but I also know they got new management in the last year-2 years, and so they’ve restructured and several stores are doing significantly better, thankfully.

[@ashleyholbird4287]

@@jonathankoan hey that's always good news! Every book store kept open is a win!

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

I don’t read many new releases and the selection at my local B&N is poor or geared to a completely different reader demographic. I have one magazine in two years. This is not deal for me.

[@johnneylan]

Considering it because my wife and I buy an absurd number of books every month ha!

[@monaedoyle3631]

I won’t be joining the Premium membership because I don’t go to Barnes & Noble that often. I usually shop on Amazon online to buy stuff including books. I wouldn’t want to pay $40.00 every year. My Barnes & Noble card that I have is most likely expired because I haven’t been to my Barnes & Noble in a while.

[@jonathankoan]

Totally understandable. I use Amazon for a lot as well.

[@sirw7630]

hmmmm a tote that probably cost $5 in material & labor, marketed as a $20 value. That's weak. The 10% off purchases is more of a selling point. Stamps? Meh. $40 is a large jump, like you said, from $25. The value proposition didn't appear to jump with price.

[@jonathankoan]

It’s been worth it for me, considering the high volume I buy anyway. But if you don’t buy a high volume, it might not be worth it.

[@annegibson6072]

I have done the math and I don't want it. I have another sources to buy books besides Barnes and Noble. I buy a lot of used books from Thriftbooks. The Barnes and Noble where I live in Delaware moved to a much smaller place so very often they don't even have the book I want. For instance I wanted The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois in paperback and they didn't have it in the store. I may go and browse but I will buy elsewhere or get it from the library

[@jonathankoan]

Totally understandable.