6 Ways I Try to “Save a Little Change at the Bookstore Retail Chains”

1.  JOIN MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS

Yearly, shell out the $25 for your favorite bookstore chain‘s membership program. You’ll earn it back in savings before long, especially as it concerns saving 10% on purchases. Plus, free shipping! I don’t know about you, but I hate paying for shipping. That’s one reason why I keep up with my memberships, as well as subscribe to Amazon prime. (Off course: I won’t buy anything off Fingerhut unless free shipping pops up as an offering.) No, for real; I love being a member. The added benefit is it cuts the bookseller from giving you his or her pitch to become one.

2. HIT UP THE BARGAIN SECTION FIRST

New releases take something like twelve months at least to hit the bargain/remainder section. So you may find a cheaper deal there. Such as a newly released mass market’s hardback counterpart a full 90% off from its original price. Which, in turn, stomps on the mass market's current price. Plus, that area has better deals on exclusive classics you may be interested in reading. And don't get me started on how you can use that area to racked up on book-ish gifts. Whether it's a book, stationary supplies, diaries, or neat little ole kits; there's always something to be had in the bargain section.

3.  SIGN UP FOR COUPONS & MASSAGE THE SYSTEM 

Member or not, coupons are available by simply signing up to receive emails. While I’ve never received physical coupons in the mail from Books-A-Million, they do offer the use of coupon scans via your cell phone. Super convenient! However, Barnes & Noble periodically send physical coupons in the mail. They usually come around certain holidays and all throughout the summer months. So sign up to receive emails. But also remember to delete those emails quickly if you've placed your book spending on a budget. Because we all know how inciting the situation can get with those blood-red numbers reading a certain percentage off.

Yet here’s a cool “trick”. You can massage the system on those days when coupons are dry and you need a quick little deal on a book you've been eyeing–but hate to pay the full price. If you decide to receive email coupons and want one, put a couple of books in your online cart and abandon them by exiting the site. To encourage you back to land the initiated sell, the system'll shoot you a random coupon to close the deal. Try it and watch what happens.

4. IN-STORE-PICK-UP-UP-UP

I can’t stress this enough: use the In-Store Pick-Up feature online. Sometimes a book’s online price is a couple of dollars cheaper than the in-store price. And not only because of tax differences, as online purchases do tax you. Even so, if said book is available in-store, you can pay the online price and pick it up at the store for that same price. You're going to the bookstore anyway, so why not save a few dollars and have your interest item on reserve for you. Especially while you sip and browse.

5. DON’T BUY ANYTHING

Don’t buy anything. Go in there to browse, and absorb the atmosphere (if you will). No, for real; as much as I walk out of these stores with books, I walk out without. If I’m interested in a particular book, but not sure if I want to buy it, I’ll take a picture of the book. Then what, you wonder? Well, I'll go see if it’s available via my local library’s network. This works best with new authors, or authors and books I need to give a test ride to. Not buying anything can take a little restraining at times, but sometimes it's for the best. You got plenty of unread books at home, anyway!

And say your library's network doesn't have the book you're interested in; request that they do. Most library's offer a purchase suggestion feature for the public to request unavailable titles.

Now if that doesn't work (as seen in the above image), then give yourself permission to either buy the book used (to save a little change) or follow any of the above suggestions to knock a couple of dollars off the final sale.

6. RETURN YOUR PURCHASES

I’ve worked several retail stores in the past, and know all about the flip-flopping pains with processing returns from shoppers who make returning items a chronic habit. Even so, I encourage it in most cases. This is something I’ve bitten into recently, as I’ve acquired several new release titles only to land into a reality check. Discount or not, I've been overspending in regards to my financial goals. My mantra was always "at least it's not alcohol and just books". No, ma'am. That thinking won't cut it anymore. While I'm usually pretty good a restraining myself, with all the new releases that came out in September to early October, I calculated how I racked up over a $100 in book spending. And, as recently as last Saturday, I took every last one of those new releases back.

How I walked out of bookstores in September

One: I wasn’t going to read them as soon as I’d planned. Two: I didn’t think they were going to be as exciting as I’d hoped (one proved it 60 pages in). Three: I figured it was best to wait for the hold list at my library to call me up next. Meanwhile, I'm reading the stuff I already own within my reading list.

I can wait, dude.  Just because they're new doesn't mean I need to read them now.

Sometimes, no matter how much we want it, making that buy isn't necessary. It can always wait. Plus, a smiling savings account is far more gratifying. Which is why my last suggestion is to simply sell books you don't need. I use Amazon Marketplace to do so.

It's just any idea.

Place any of your suggestion down below in the comments section.