Hey. Do I get my Harry Potter book today?

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 02:59 PM

I pre-ordered through Amazon (60% off, no tax AND free shipping) and am supposed to get it on the release day. Is that today? I got shipping confirmation a few days ago.

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 03:00 PM

Oh. And if any of you fuckers spoil the ending I will memorize the LL Map, go to your house with the guns I stole from Ballz, and kill you.

Linzyhop · 07-20-2007, 03:06 PM

it's released tomorrow, not today.

midnight tonight. so it will be shipped tomorrow to you.

Publius · 07-20-2007, 03:11 PM

If it is anything like the last release, the books went out from the publisher to bookstores/shippers 2 or 3 weeks ago with a "strict on sale" date of 7/21 (meaning if any store put it out on sale before that date, they are liable for a heavy fine from the publisher). Amazon and the other direct-delivery sellers probably sent them out 2 or 3 days ago with strict instructions to the shipping company that they not be delivered before Saturday morning.

In all likelihood your copy is sitting at the closest UPS terminal to your house, or even already being loaded onto a truck specifically designated for Harry Potter book delivery tomorrow morning. It really is amazing the clout that these books get, shipping companies normally ignore delivery delay requests, but they take the Potter books deathly serious.

My guess is you'll get it on your doorstep before noon tomorrow.

My store normally opened at 10am ... on the day of the last Harry Potter book release I had to be there at 6:30am to unpack the strict on sale boxes of Harry Potter books, set up the displays, and we opened at 8am. We were a small mall store that didnt participate in the "midnight madness" 8 hours earlier and even we sold about 400 copies of it that day.

JaJae · 07-20-2007, 03:13 PM

My girlfriend is going to be waiting on line for four and a half hours tonight to get her copy... I expect she'll have it read by the time I wake up tomorrow.

Publius · 07-20-2007, 03:15 PM

From what I understand, several area B&N store managers just about formed a lynch mob prior to the last release to go down and string up the news director for one of the local stations. The fucking asshole ran a story about a week and a half before the release date for the book that said, basically, "Local bookstores already have Harry Potter, but they REFUSE to sell it to you!" Which resulted in literally hundreds of people causing huge scenes at area stores (luckily only two people that I'm aware caused a scene in our store).

Hey dipshit, we'd be fined by the publisher if we sold it to you before the release date.

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

If it is anything like the last release, the books went out from the publisher to bookstores/shippers 2 or 3 weeks ago with a "strict on sale" date of 7/21 (meaning if any store put it out on sale before that date, they are liable for a heavy fine from the publisher). Amazon and the other direct-delivery sellers probably sent them out 2 or 3 days ago with strict instructions to the shipping company that they not be delivered before Saturday morning.

In all likelihood your copy is sitting at the closest UPS terminal to your house, or even already being loaded onto a truck specifically designated for Harry Potter book delivery tomorrow morning. It really is amazing the clout that these books get, shipping companies normally ignore delivery delay requests, but they take the Potter books deathly serious.

My guess is you'll get it on your doorstep before noon tomorrow.

My store normally opened at 10am ... on the day of the last Harry Potter book release I had to be there at 6:30am to unpack the strict on sale boxes of Harry Potter books, set up the displays, and we opened at 8am. We were a small mall store that didnt participate in the "midnight madness" 8 hours earlier and even we sold about 400 copies of it that day.

I heard a story a little while ago that said a lot of the smaller book stores aren't even going to carry the book. When Borders, B & N, and the other HUGE stores sell their copies for 60% off the smaller places just can't compete so a lot aren't even going to try.

Publius · 07-20-2007, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I heard a story a little while ago that said a lot of the smaller book stores aren't even going to carry the book. When Borders, B & N, and the other HUGE stores sell their copies for 60% off the smaller places just can't compete so a lot aren't even going to try.

This is true. Using B&N as an example (since that is who I worked for), even my small store that typically only sold about $1,200 worth of product a day aside from the Christmas season received about 1,000 copies of the book prior to the release date (pretty much our entire storage room was filled with boxes of Harry Potter). Some of the larger stores received 3,000+. As the largest bookseller in the country, B&N receives such a huge bulk discount from the publishers that we'd actually still make money on the books even at 50%-60% off.

Smaller booksellers that don't receive such favorable discounts from publishers just can't compete on big ticket items like that.

Publius · 07-20-2007, 03:29 PM

i think B&N's 55,000 square foot flagship store in New York City received close to 10,000 copies of the Half-Blood Prince, if I remember the numbers correctly from our post-Potter company newsletter.

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

i think B&N's 55,000 square foot flagship store in New York City received close to 10,000 copies of the Half-Blood Prince, if I remember the numbers correctly from our post-Potter company newsletter.

Wow. That's a bunch of trees

Hey, where has your lovely better half been hiding? I haven't seen her post in a while?

Publius · 07-20-2007, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

Wow. That's a bunch of trees

Hey, where has your lovely better half been hiding? I haven't seen her post in a while?

she sticks to OT

thomez · 07-20-2007, 03:46 PM

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

she sticks to OT

Attention whore....

Linzyhop · 07-20-2007, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

she sticks to OT

who's your better half?

Publius · 07-20-2007, 04:53 PM

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

who's your better half?

Sheana

Stylerod · 07-20-2007, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

Sheana

A cutie pie that wasn't afraid to show pictures of herself on the board

Linzyhop · 07-20-2007, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by Publius

Sheana

what's her screenname.

Linzyhop · 07-20-2007, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by Stylerod

A cutie pie that wasn't afraid to show pictures of herself on the board

Diesel66 · 07-20-2007, 05:03 PM

arent you a bit old for that kiddie book ?

Publius · 07-20-2007, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Linzyhop

what's her screenname.

...

Sheana