sumdeus

Used 5 $5 off coupons today and 1 $5 off $50 coupon all in one transaction and got the following BD's:

Charade $13
Magician $13
Seven Samurai $17.50
Paths of Glory $13
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence $13
-$5 of $50 coupon
$69.50 total

I ordered the rest on my list and will pick up Saturday plus asked to have the others coming out the next two weeks put on hold. Very smooth transaction.

This was the same clerk I became friendly with last time. Befriending the clerks is the best way to get the coupons through without a hassle. I checked to make sure the clerk would be working Saturday so that should be another smooth transaction.

bse

Feel free to head over to Amazon and pay $30+ for the titles, we will be here getting them for $13-$17.99

HistoryProf

went in today and my favorite manager/cashier was there again. she had Magician and House on hold for me (blus) and when she saw me said "I was just about to call you! I've had 10 people beg me to give them your House blu ray!"

I had brought in one each of the $5 off one DVD coupons and one of the $5 off $50 - or thought I had...instead I had one 11/28 $5 dvd and TWO of the $5 off $50s so I actually went out to the car and put one of the $5 off $50s and thought I grabbed one of the january $5 off a dvd so I had one of each...but I accidentally grabbed a second 11/28 dvd one

Turned out it didn't matter...manager lady was leaving, but she okayed them to the cashier who was taking over for her and just said "he can use all of them, just do a separate transaction for one" - so I got House blu and the Allan King Eclipse set for $43 and then The Magician blu for $16 - she forgot to reswipe my membership card on the second one, so I missed the $1.50 member discount, but I figured the $15 off from coupons was plenty good enough (plus another $5 from my membership). So:

House blu ray
Magician blu ray
Actuality Dramas of Allan King

for $58 and change. This sale is so freaking dangerous. And I told them i'd be back friday for lots more and they were more than happy about it. She actually said during check out "Just bear with me...I want to make sure I get you the best deal possible" - so I really feel for you Austin folks

Spunkymonkey

Huh? I was taking about what the purpose of their membership was outside of this sale. I can get 10% off their already over-priced books? Oh joy.

vichyfrance

Picked up four titles today and this was the cashier's first day on the job and I saw on my way out that he used my $5 off coupon on two separate titles

HistoryProf

I bought mine right before the november sale last year. That $25 investment has saved me at least $250 over the three sales when you factor in coupons and the extra 10% off in store. I'm sorry if you don't like saving money.

Undeadcow

Apparently there was a fradulant coupon someone manufactured in the area and send all the stores on an anti-coupon frenzy.

I ended up calling the manager at the store that declined first time coupon use. She researched and called me back to say the coupon is valid but guesstimated it did not apply because my membership renewal was likely not in the date range window. I insisted the clerk (apparently media manager) was rude to me and that was not acceptable. In my fantasy world there's now a memo exhonorating coupon use in the area and maybe they will think twice next time they see a coupon. In reality they will just invent some other justification for crashing coupon use.

I think the membership is worth it but SpunkyMunky makes some good points because if they're going to start being tools about coupon use it weakens the appeal. My membership paid for itself last sale.

Edit: ...but of course I would/will use the coupons to my full advantage using tactic only to preserve their continued exploitation so perhaps their justified in giving me grief from the get-go.

kefrank

It's obvious you were not following the conversation, because you're totally missing his point. Look at what I posted earlier and then look at his responses. That will help.

Spunkymonkey

Once again, I am not questioning the worth of the membership in regards to this sale. The membership is great for this sale. What I'm saying is if they are going to start making up magical reasons such as saying that the "BN selling price" is below $20 and therefore you can't use coupons or just making up other reasons why they won't accept the coupon, what is the point of the membership? During the time that these Criterion sales are not going on, the prices at BN are usually not even close to being competitive with retailers such as Amazon (I'm not saying for Criterions, I'm saying for books/movies in general).

What I'm saying is that some of the workers and managers at these stores need to stop playing games with the coupons. If we can't use the coupons then what is the point of buying the membership? I'm not complaining if a store doesn't let you use multiple $5 off coupons, I'm complaining about the reports on here that say they were denied using even one of the coupons.

jwstl

You are missing or ignoring a key point: these coupons are supposed to be enticements for buying a membership within a specific timeframe. Spend $25 for the membership and get $50 in coupons. They are not supposed to be used by members who purchase their membership outside that timeframe. If they refuse you for that reason that is entirely their right and it is not a made up excuse or a "game". If they do so move on to the next store if there is one and try again. The fact that most stores/clerks don't check is a huge bonus for all members.

I agree with you about the under $20 excuse...that's incompetence or ignorance. But if show them the fine print and do so politely you might be able to change their mind. However, push too hard and they might shut you down by going back to the date issue above.

As for the value of the membership, if all you base it on is this sale and these coupons it may not be worth it if you consistently have trouble using the coupons. Even without the 2 Criterion sales I find enough sales and coupons (with a big help from LASERMOVIES) to make a membership worthwhile. Yes, most of the time their prices are higher but they have deals all the time. If you don't find them then you aren't looking.

The Questyen

And technically they are also in their right to deny you because the coupon says off a "dvd" not off a "blu-ray".

BuckNaked2k

That is true. Although I don't think it's the intent, I always hold my breath as they read over that part.

Mosskeeto

I guess you really meant to say that a new membership entitles a person to use coupons worth $15 towards a $50 purchase. No one gets $50 in legitimate coupons from renewing/signing up.

greylocke5

Yesterday I ordered online using the AAA 10% discount. My ordered has shipped via UPS and is due to be delivered on Thursday.

The Magician $13.49
Le Notti Bianche $13.49
Naked $17.99
Ivanovo Detstvo $13.49
Solo Con Tu Pareja $13.49
I Pugni in Tasca $13.49

Sub Total: $85.44
Shipping & Processing: FREE
Tax: $4.25
Total Shipment Price: $89.69

Paul_SD

Was fortunate that when I got into the music area last night, an older man in his 50's was talking the cashiers ear off. She was happy to service someone else, and more than happy to take the time to make the coupon work. It initially didn't at first and she thought it was because my membership was up this month- but a supervisor came along (at which point I thought "now I'm screwed") but she actually pointed out where her error was and she put the coupon through.
First several times I tried it this past summer I was shot down, so I've already anticipated paying closer to $18 for these (though if it comes to that, I'll use a combo of the 10% off and $5 off $50 which should still be OK). But at least I've gotten to check off one title at $14.
1 down, 7 to go.

My unwatched pile can't wait to get some more lifers.

Trevor

Even without this Criterion sale, there are dozens of titles every month that are cheaper at B&N. It all depends on what and how much you buy.

I'm the cheapest guy here, and I buy A LOT of stuff at B&N.

jwstl

I did. I was thinking of the $5 off $50 coupon when I wrote that. But it's actually more than $15 when you factor in the free B&N Classic book, latte, etc.

kndy

I also bought my membership last November and it's important to note that the nearest B&N is over an hour away, so online is more feasible for me. From November to April, the sale worked incredibly when the site was structured for members to get the 10% off. But since the restructuring of the site, I haven't received any coupons since April, so I have been using dvdtalk and other sites to check in at times of coupon use.

I will say that having the membership definitely had its privileges at first and I used it a lot during the November 2009 sale but as of now, it seems like the membership that works best for me is my AAA membership for the 10% off online and I will not renew it again. But I do know if I had a brick and mortar store nearby, I wouldn't hesitate in renewing the membership card in a heartbeat.

JiM T

I'm hit and miss with the coupons at the stores, just as last time they did this sale. The good news is, it seems to be the same stores giving me the same results, so that simplifies things a little.

Yesterday after getting shot down for a $40 ($14 with the coupon on sale) title, I decided to see if I could find one of the more expensive sets I've had my eye on. They didn't have them, and the otherwise-friendly lady clerk who shot down my coupon moments before was trying to help. It was weird when she grabed a set off the shelf, held it up, smiled, and asked, "How about 'Pigs, Pimps, and Prostitutes?" I skipped that one.

dex14

I'm going to go after work today. I got the free membership so I've never done this in person before. Whats the best way to do this? Print out $5 coupons and buy $20 or more titles individually? I'm planning on getting Che which is $25... I may do that seperatly.. Then get 2 $20 and 1 $15. Any suggestions on how to go about it to get the best deal? Has anyone attempted at Somerville, NJ B&N

ctyankee

Today I picked up

Charade $13.00
8 1/2 $13.00
Seven Samurai $17.50

So, with member's discount and $5 off coupon on each title ...

Sub Total: $43.50
Tax: $2.61
Total Shipment Price: $46.11

The only slight hassle was the clerk said I could only use one $5 off coupon per transaction. So, I just looked him in the eye and said, 'well, do you want to do it as one transaction or have me come up two more times?' He immediately got with the program.

Only a few titles for me, as time goes by I'm getting a bit smarter with my money and only buying titles that I will watch again and again. Saving money isn't saving money if it just sits on the shelf.

Thanks to the posters in this thread and the great posters that keep track of the coupons and things.

Spunkymonkey

That lack of online coupons for members is definitely a bummer. My local BN doesn't carry dvd's so being a member and ordering online isn't really a benefit for me. Library link or AAA discount is just as good.

Luckily I will be visiting my girlfriend up near Atlanta and I'm going to try my luck with the coupons at the BN at the Mall of Georgia. Any members try to use coupons there?

macnorton

The $5 off one DVD will work for Che.

it is best, in my experience, to buy one title at a time. If you try multiples, chance are you will get shot down.*

*This holds true for the Morris Plains & Livingston stores.

bobertkay99

How'd you manage to get the online system to apply $5 off on each of your items?

Super56K

I'd guess all those titles are dvd's and reflect the 10% discount.