Where's Ann Coulter? Why is Barnes & Noble hiding all copies of TREASON from their customers?

Self ^ | June 27, 2003 | tuna battle

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

If you take a stroll to your local Barnes & Noble, in search of Ann Coulter's new book, Treason, you may find yourself looking long and hard for a copy. I found the purposely elusive, strategically placed best-seller only after nearly 10 minutes of browsing the bookstore.

Why is Barnes & Noble hiding this book? Treason is currently #3 at bn.com, easily beating out Living History, yet the Barnes & Noble on Monroe Street, in Toledo, Ohio, has conveniently removed the book from plain sight.

I landed at the new releases, best-sellers, non-fiction section; one whole shelf is dedicated to Ms. Clinton's lies (and 20% off too; 30% off, if you're a Reader's Advantage member).

But, no Ann Coulter.

In addition, although a best-seller, Treason is not on sale. Barnes & Noble has apparently broken their own policy by asking the cover price -- this is the first time EVER that I can recall Barnes & Noble asking the cover price for a new best-seller.

What's going on here and what can we do?

Go to Barnes & Noble tomorrow and just try to find Treason without asking for assistance. I’m serious – I dare you (and please post your findings).

[EDINVA]

Brilliant response! Let the managers deal with customers taking all their clerks' time having to go and get the book. Make it COST them not to make it readily available.

[Cate]

Our books were actually to the left of the entrance which made me laugh. Too funny. Hitlery were down the center aisle.

[Cate]

At Costco there were none of the Hitlery books, but there were audio books on cds. So I did my patriotic duty and buried them all over the book table. They needed to be face down at the bottom of the piles as not to scare small children. They could be in some serious therapy after seeing that face. I once got in trouble at the LBJ library for turning all the stuff with Bill Clinton's face to the wall. My husband wasn't impressed that I was acting 'childish'. Oh well, it made the child in me happy.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I also picked up my copy of "Treason" at Costco. Up yours Hitlery!

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

"Let the managers deal with customers taking all their clerks' time having to go and get the book. Make it COST them not to make it readily available."

The only problem with this strategy is that someone who has no idea who Ann Coulter is would never stumble upon this gem (Treason). Case in point: I was with a friend when I (eventually) found the book. He had never heard of Ann Coulter. I read a few passages from the book and he was impressed (and bought a copy himself).

Now, if I hadn't been there, would he even know who Ann Coulter is right now? Would the purchase ever have been executed? Not unless this best-seller was placed (rightly so) alongside all the other best-sellers.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Coulter was talking about this on Scarborough Country yesterday.

[honeygrl]

When you see all the other best sellers on sale and this one is not find a manager and ask why and tell them you know it is a best seller and is #3 on their website and discounted there. Tell them you will buy the book on the website and send comments to their corp people about the book being singled out by the one store and not being treated the same as the other best sellers. Make sure to say it all loudly enough so that everyone hears you. Not hard to talk loud enough for that in a book store usually. If they won't sell it to you at the right price, then leave and buy it elsewhere or online for the correct price. Just make sure you let them know you noticed what they are doing and are going to tell others (and their powers that be) about it.

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

"Coulter was talking about this on Scarborough Country yesterday."

Good. Because this *is* a BIG deal.

[honeygrl]

Our B&N isn't in a mall. It's a huge store on the corner of a shopping center. I like to go there because they have chairs where you can sit and read through some of a book before deciding to buy it. They also have a play area for the kids. More like a library setting than a book store. In ours, you could read through Hillary's book and not even buy it and then buy Treason on your way out if you wanted.

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

"Prominently displayed at the Westside Pavilion Barnes and Noble. Picked up a couple of copies at full retail (thank me later, Ann). Surprising for this part of LA."

Los Angeles can't get away with it, but a smaller city like Toledo can. This is why the B&N's in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago MUST treat Ann's book like any other book. If they didn't -- being in large cities -- all hell would break loose (and it still might).

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

"In ours, you could read through Hillary's book and not even buy it and then buy Treason on your way out if you wanted."

A lot of folks would love to thumb through "Treason" as well (without ever purchasing it). My gripe is that customers (or potential buyers) shouldn't have to look longer to find "Treason" than "Living History".

[halfdome]

Perhaps your evil twin was doing the same to Ann Coulter's book.

[honeygrl]

"A lot of folks would love to thumb through "Treason" as well (without ever purchasing it). My gripe is that customers (or potential buyers) shouldn't have to look longer to find "Treason" than "Living History". "

I'll look in our store here this weekend and see how easy it is to find. If it's not with all the other best sellers, I'll say something. I wanted to go buy it anyhow. And for everyone else, paying book listed price instead of a discount price isn't going to get Ann any more money. The discount price is lowering how much the store makes a profit on the book. (someone correct me if i'm wrong on this) If the store is hiding the book and not discounting it then that is all the more reason to make a fuss and get them to discount it like the rest of the best sellers.

[joanil]

You are quite correct.
The word "Treason" alone is enough to turn ones head.
Which is most likely why the mall stores do not place it up front. To do so would surely invite passerby that would look, leaf, and then buy!

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

"If the store is hiding the book and not discounting it then that is all the more reason to make a fuss and get them to discount it like the rest of the best sellers."

There are a few cities, places that cannot get away with hiding the book (reasons in parentheses): bn.com (you can't "pull" anything on the web site -- the audience is too large; you'd never get away with it). New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington D.C. brick-and-mortar B&N stores (see above -- audience too large to pull anything and get away with it)

[Tamzee]

I had to go to Wal-Mart today and was really looking forward to picking up "Treason" while I was there. I hunted high and low.... no luck. I even looked behind all the other books in case someone covered it up on purpose, they just didn't have it out at all :-(

[Jay D. Dyson]

I'll check the local booksellers here in California and see if that's the case.

As an aside, I did a bit of freeping while I was on vacation near the Great Lakes. At the bookstores I visited, I took several copies of Ann's book (which were toward the center of the store) and propped them up where they had Hitlery's books on display (which toward the front of the store, with higher foot traffic).

After about an hour of cruising around the other shops nearby, I went back to the bookstore to see if the management had caught on to what I did. Several of the Ann Coulter books were gone, but a few remained...which lead me to believe the books hadn't been moved back, but had been sold! :) So I "restocked" the section and then went back to my fishing hole.

A Freeper's work is never done, I tell ya... ;)

-Jay

[Cate]

Oh, thats scary. I'm a gemini and sometimes think the evil twin is inside me.

[Zevonismymuse]

What's going on here and what can we do?

I took a tip from another Freeper on an earlier post. Today I took some copies from the small display in the back of Borders in Santa Barbara and placed the copies of Treason over the copies of Hillary's book which had a huge display in the front of the store.

[tuna_battle_slight_return]

Which is most likely why the mall stores do not place it up front. To do so would surely invite passerby that would look, leaf, and then buy!

I thought a bookstore was in the business of selling books -- period. There's a problem when a bookstore will not advertise or promote a best-seller simply because the operators disagree with the author's views.