Locked out of Born to Run
Early in the summer, it was announced that Bruce Springsteen would release an autobiography of his life. I've been a fan for 30 years and looked forward to this. I had a plan. I would go to the Barnes & Noble a mile from my house, be there early, get a copy, and maybe call out sick or be late for work.
In early September, Springsteen announced a book tour. The first stop, that Barnes & Noble a mile from my house!
By the time I saw the announcement at 11 am, all tickets to the store for the event had been given out. I didn't even know about a tour until after the store sold out tickets. How did all these people get tickets? I called the store and they had no answers.
I was ticked. I live walking distance from the store. I'm a Barnes & Noble member. I pre-ordered the book. Couldn't someone from Freehold or Barnes & Noble give me a heads-up about this?
The next day I went to the Barnes & Noble (the Mike Love autobiography came out) and told the desk person that I was annoyed by this. She ignored what I said.
Before I was annoyed, but now B&N doesn't care about customers. It's on! I hit Twitter with snarky comments about B&N. Every Springsteen advertisement on Facebook, I commented how I got locked out of the book tour.
Over the next few days I got over it. There were people more deserving than me, saw more concerts, had more bootlegs (of which I will not confirm or deny bootleg CDs in my house), or have a touching story. The event didn't even sound exciting. Buy your book (not pre-ordered), say "hello," get a quick picture and get out.
Then I got a call from the Barnes & Noble in Freehold telling me that I might not be able to get the book the day it came out because of security at the store.
WAIT, I pre-ordered this book and everything else I wrote above and now someone in California will have the book before me. I could download it at midnight on Kindle before I could get a book from the bookstore a mile from my house.
This disgust wasn't just because of a book. I have four books for sale on Amazon. I live a mile from the store that I get to. Back in the Harry Potter craze days, B&N had midnight sales. B&N couldn't have a midnight Monday sale or early Tuesday? No. If you're from Freehold, you can't get into the store that you pass everyday on the way to work.
My wife suggested, it's on! I hit Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BruceSpringsteen.net and Barnes&Noble.com. Now it's not just a book. Now it's screw you Freehold!
The day the book came out, we got a phone call at 3pm from the Barnes& Noble in Freehold. The store manager wanted to see me. When I got to the store at 6pm, I saw people buying the book. People from Freehold! I must have struck a nerve at corporate because when I went to the help desk for the manager, I got a regional manager.
He said he read the things I posted and I was right. The manager didn't know about the event until he read it on-line. It was a shame that readers from Freehold, who supported Barnes & Noble for the 21 years they were in Freehold, got locked out. That's not how they normally do things. Decisions were made and due to security and the reaction, they found themselves in an odd situation. It wasn't right for Freehold readers.
In the end, that's what I wanted, to hear that I was right and the residents of Freehold got a raw deal. Someone could've said that a few weeks ago and I would've got over it. The manager and I talked, had a laugh and in the end, I got my book on the it came out. The manager, Drew, said he would feel the same way if this were him.
The management of B&N didn't think this through, but the booksellers and managers in the stores are real people and they get it.
So if you're in Freehold, stop by the Barnes & Noble because the people there are really caring and they get you. They are readers and book lovers and they are our neighbors. Rick Riodan has a book coming out later and I'm going to get a copy at the Freehold Barnes & Noble. Join me!
In early September, Springsteen announced a book tour. The first stop, that Barnes & Noble a mile from my house!
By the time I saw the announcement at 11 am, all tickets to the store for the event had been given out. I didn't even know about a tour until after the store sold out tickets. How did all these people get tickets? I called the store and they had no answers.
I was ticked. I live walking distance from the store. I'm a Barnes & Noble member. I pre-ordered the book. Couldn't someone from Freehold or Barnes & Noble give me a heads-up about this?
The next day I went to the Barnes & Noble (the Mike Love autobiography came out) and told the desk person that I was annoyed by this. She ignored what I said.
Before I was annoyed, but now B&N doesn't care about customers. It's on! I hit Twitter with snarky comments about B&N. Every Springsteen advertisement on Facebook, I commented how I got locked out of the book tour.
Over the next few days I got over it. There were people more deserving than me, saw more concerts, had more bootlegs (of which I will not confirm or deny bootleg CDs in my house), or have a touching story. The event didn't even sound exciting. Buy your book (not pre-ordered), say "hello," get a quick picture and get out.
Then I got a call from the Barnes & Noble in Freehold telling me that I might not be able to get the book the day it came out because of security at the store.
WAIT, I pre-ordered this book and everything else I wrote above and now someone in California will have the book before me. I could download it at midnight on Kindle before I could get a book from the bookstore a mile from my house.
This disgust wasn't just because of a book. I have four books for sale on Amazon. I live a mile from the store that I get to. Back in the Harry Potter craze days, B&N had midnight sales. B&N couldn't have a midnight Monday sale or early Tuesday? No. If you're from Freehold, you can't get into the store that you pass everyday on the way to work.
My wife suggested, it's on! I hit Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BruceSpringsteen.net and Barnes&Noble.com. Now it's not just a book. Now it's screw you Freehold!
The day the book came out, we got a phone call at 3pm from the Barnes& Noble in Freehold. The store manager wanted to see me. When I got to the store at 6pm, I saw people buying the book. People from Freehold! I must have struck a nerve at corporate because when I went to the help desk for the manager, I got a regional manager.
He said he read the things I posted and I was right. The manager didn't know about the event until he read it on-line. It was a shame that readers from Freehold, who supported Barnes & Noble for the 21 years they were in Freehold, got locked out. That's not how they normally do things. Decisions were made and due to security and the reaction, they found themselves in an odd situation. It wasn't right for Freehold readers.
In the end, that's what I wanted, to hear that I was right and the residents of Freehold got a raw deal. Someone could've said that a few weeks ago and I would've got over it. The manager and I talked, had a laugh and in the end, I got my book on the it came out. The manager, Drew, said he would feel the same way if this were him.
The management of B&N didn't think this through, but the booksellers and managers in the stores are real people and they get it.
So if you're in Freehold, stop by the Barnes & Noble because the people there are really caring and they get you. They are readers and book lovers and they are our neighbors. Rick Riodan has a book coming out later and I'm going to get a copy at the Freehold Barnes & Noble. Join me!