Foo - How wrong is it...

... to sit in Barnes and Noble and read an entire book? I found a great one, but I can't afford to buy books right now, so I go there every so often and read the book, chapter by chapter. Is this akin to stealing?

I'd do it.

Can it be found in the local library? If so, go there first if it makes you feel better. Second, you are helping Barnes and Noble in a way, by making their store seem inviting. By inviting, I mean this, someone walks by the window and says "WOW, is that UA sitting in there reading? I better get in there and read too, I don't want to appear dumber than UA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Can it be found in the local library? If so, go there first if it makes you feel better. Second, you are helping Barnes and Noble in a way, by making their store seem inviting. By inviting, I mean this, someone walks by the window and says "WOW, is that UA sitting in there reading? I better get in there and read too, I don't want to appear dumber than UA!!!!!!!!!!!!"
My first choice was the liberry but they didn't have this book. Also, I don't know if a crazy, bearded, homeless looking dude qualifies as "making their store seem inviting." :P

My first choice was the liberry but they didn't have this book. Also, I don't know if a crazy, bearded, homeless looking dude sticking out his freaky tongue qualifies as "making their store seem inviting." :P

you got me licked.

you got me licked.
The only way I can concentrate is if my tongue hangs off the side of my face... :P

The store makes it conducive to do so, so NO. Don't wreck it or anything and behave yourself.
Return the favor someday by actually buying a book . I'm being sympathetic here.

sometimes the library can order it from another in the area, check the libraries website.

would the responses here change if the bookstore were on a highway frontage road, with a tall sign that said "Late Night Books + Peepshow" ??

ummm....UA, porn magazines are not to be read in the store. :innocent:

My first choice was the liberry but they didn't have this book.

If you can't afford to buy, you need to borrow. Library is your best choice. If they don't have it, you'll need to be less selective about the books you choose.

Just don't bring the book into the men's room; that would really be wrong.

















The women's room would be even wronger.

+1 on the suggestion to try interlibrary loan. One additional issue is that if you are there often enough to read through the entire book chapter by chapter, eventually the book might not appear new. Although I suppose you could read from a different copy each time I would still use the library since that is what they are for (borrowing not buying) . If they don't have the book you want perhaps you could suggest they purchase it?

Maybe see if they're hiring? employee discount + cash could be nice. If they can't use you up front, I'm sure you'd be a hit in the peep show.

+1 for the interlibrary loan. I can get my hands on any book...it just might take a while.

If the bookstore has chairs, it's not stealing. If they have nails studding every horizontal surface, you should probably take the hint and read standing up.

Do you really want to know? Technically, it's stealing. You're enjoying the fruits of labor of several other people without paying for it. Not only that, you're doing it in the very store that sells it. Brazen, wrong. But bold. Have fun.

What makes this uberworse is that I cannot get a library card here. The amount of stuff I need to show proof of my residency is, unfortunately, beyond my abilities at the moment. Interlibrary loans are great but work well only for those for whom it applies.

I was gonna say, doubt you can get a library card so soon after moving there. Get your GF to get you library books?

Or buy it off Amazon. Haven't bought anything from a chain bookstore in yonks.

Or buy it off Amazon. Haven't bought anything from a chain bookstore in yonks.

money situ won't allow me to do that. Everything I have right now is what I have and I have no money coming in. Books are a luxury I can't afford right now. :(

What makes this uberworse is that I cannot get a library card here. The amount of stuff I need to show proof of my residency is, unfortunately, beyond my abilities at the moment. Interlibrary loans are great but work well only for those for whom it applies.does the gf have a lib card? just use it. at my library you check out books yourself, so they wouldn't notice if you had someone else's card. might not notice even if they did it for you...

does the gf have a lib card? just use it. at my library you check out books yourself, so they wouldn't notice if you had someone else's card. might not notice even if they did it for you...
I can do the self checkout, I suppose, but I'd need her to do the interlibrary loan.

I can do the self checkout, I suppose, but I'd need her to do the interlibrary loan.

online?

online?

still have to be there in person to pick up the book.

My first choice was the liberry but they didn't have this book. Also, I don't know if a crazy, bearded, homeless looking dude qualifies as "making their store seem inviting." :P


you got me licked.

I have to go brush my teeth now.
That mental image has left me with the aftertaste of dried leaves and pet hair.

I have to go brush my teeth now.
That mental image has left me with the aftertaste of dried leaves and pet hair.

if you roll it over your tongue, you will also get subtle nuances of oak, blood and failure.

It would take me about a week to sit down and read through an entire book. So the in-store reading plan won't cut it for me.

You go to the cafe and order coffee, then use the receipt to keep your place in the book. It's better than the library because it has more comfortable seats, coffee, and hotter women. Also, it is part of their business model to have people read for free, sort of like NPR,so I wouldn't worry about it. I'm always real careful to keep stuff in mint condition when I'm done with it, but I have read entire books in there over the years many times.

B&N invites this activity, therefore it isn't wrong.

What's wrong is marketing a hot series of books that are addictive as crack, then selling the hardcover six months before the (still overpriced) paperback is finally released. Dastards.

Barnes & Noble will return the book to the publisher as unsold and not pay the invoice amount on it. Technically, what you did is like downloading music--neither the artist, nor the producer sees a penny of royalty or profit. Except for the top authors, most rarely make a living at writing. And publishing is a miserable industry if you're out to make money. So what OP did didn't hurt the store at all, but sure didn't do the artist or publisher any favors.

Just an alternate POV...

UA, why dontcha get something mailed to you, use the envelope as proof of residence?

B & N encourages people to read in their stores. They provide chairs for readers.

If you have enough time on your hands to hang out in B&N and read...why not get a job and buy some books?

UA just moved to Michigan...maybe he'd rather buy a couple of houses than some measly books. :D

Do you really want to know? Technically, it's stealing. You're enjoying the fruits of labor of several other people without paying for it. Not only that, you're doing it in the very store that sells it. Brazen, wrong. But bold. Have fun.

Actually it's likely not stealing. If it's anything like Chapters, they invite people to sit and read their books. Undoubtedly their banking on you buying the book or at least coming into the store and finding other ones to purcase.

Library. I loves my books pristine and unthumbed through as some people split the spine on them and so when I look for the books that I purchase (and I follow several series), I avoid "wrinkled" spines aka pre-read, unless I go down to the used book store and supplement some of my favorite series with ones they carry that I'm missing (darn loaning out books anyway, grrr)