Parent Friendly
Parents with young kids are very welcome here! We have a great kids section downstairs. On the2nd floor there's a nursing rocker and a great set of castle/tree house/barn toys for little ones to play with. There's a changing table in the restroom, and always some extra diapers on hand. (If your child has recently outgrown a diaper size, consider leaving your extras with us!)
Frequent Buyers
WE LOVE FREQUENT SHOPPERS! And we show this with our Frequent Buyer Discount Program. Whenever you shop (and buy $10 or more of any items) we add the dollar amount you've spent to your Frequent Buyer Card - which we keep in the store so you don't ever lose it.
When you've spent $150, your card becomes a coupon for 20% off a future purchase of up to $150. You can use this at any time, and if you keep shopping without using it we'll keep recording the money you spend. Cards can be combined to make a larger single purchase, but not for a deeper discount. Books purchased with a frequent-buyer coupon do not count towards filling the next card.
The Fine Print: a card represents one household sharing a book-buying budget. Purchases by friends, roommates, or grandparents can't be pooled together, although we'll happily start a new card for each customer. Gift certificates count on the card of the person who paid for the card. Purchases made with gift certificates do NOT count on the card of the purchaser. In those cases when the money you spend here doesn't stay with us (examples: taxes, Girl Scout cookies, fundraisers), the money doesn't go on the card.
Gift Certificates
Yes, we have gift certificates! You can buy a gift certificate in any amount. They make great presents for teachers, stocking stuffers, dreidel prizes, or extremely avid (or picky) readers.
You can also buy gift certificates online. We can hold them at the store or send them to the happy recipient.
If you live far away, call us and we'll make a certificate for your local friend or family member.
Gift Wrapping
Yes, we gift wrap!
January through early November we'll wrap whatever you buy, for free.
Between mid-November and New Year's, we'll wrap one package for free (it can contain multiple items). After that, each package is $2.50.
Discounts
When you spend your dollars locally, you support a community that loves books, and booksellers who have expertise built up over years of reading, following the publishing world closely, and talking to customers about the books and authors they love. You are paying for more than a book when you shop here: you are paying for a neighborhood and a city that loves reading and writers and the life of words.
The discounts we do offer are meant to support extraordinary acts of reading:
Pre-K - 12 classroom teachers who are buying books for classroom (not personal) use: 15%
Book Clubs: 10% on three or more books purchased and prepaid all at the same time (we will call each individual club member when her or his book comes in).
Frequent Buyer Discount: if you join our frequent-buyer card, you can get a discount when your card is full. See above!
Bargain hunters should also check out our sale shelves on the second floor for 25% off paperback and 40% off hardcovers, and we often have super-deep-discounts sidewalk sales on sunny days. (All sales from these locations are final.)
Finally, there is a Little Free Library in front of the store for neighbor-to-neighbor subsidized reading!
Discounts do not combine.
Return Policy
Items that are still in new condition can be returned within 30 days, with a receipt, for store credit.
With a gift receipt, items in new condition can be returned within 60 days for store credit. (If you are giving a gift, always ask us for a gift receipt!)
Outside of those time windows, items may not be returned. We never give cash or credit card refunds, but we will put store credit on a gift certificate, for your convenience.
Book Fairs for Fundraising
If your school, PTA, community group, or nonprofit needs to fund raise, consider an in-store book fair.
Organizing one is easy - choose a date and a time, publicize it to your networks, and earn 20% of purchases made during the fair.
Contact our Outreach Coordinator to find out more: outreach@bigbluemarblebooks.com