I am not ...

I am not a celebrity endorser, but I would like to recommend NerdBooks.com. I found out about NerdBooks from a blog entry by Gene Bob.

In that missive, Gebo mentioned that you could use an in-store kiosk to order from the website and get internet pricing. I interpreted this as a sneaky (but not necessarily frowned upon) way to save money over the normal retail price charged in the store. I wasn't sure if the order process allowed you to specify in-store pickup or if it was shipped like usual, but arrived quickly for those of us in the DFW metroplex.

I thought of NerdBooks today because I suddenly needed a book of the nerd variety. In the past I've had the choice of ordering off the internet and waiting several days, or paying significantly more to get it immediately at the local Barnes&BordersNobleBookStop. So I thought, if you can use an in-store kiosk to place an order for in-store pickup then surely you can do it over the web as well. So I started the purchasing process only to discover no in-store pickup option on the shipping method page. So I called them on the phone to see how much more their in-store price was.

That was when I learned the secret handshake. To do in-store pickup you choose the cheapest shipping method (DHL ground) and then, on the next screen, put in a comment that tells them that you want to pick up the book in the store, so please don't charge shipping or give the book to DHL. Of course, if you don't live close to Richardson, TX this is not an option. As they say, "your mileage may vary."

I now have my book at internet prices, picked up locally. Makes me tingly all over. Or maybe I'm just itching from my encounter with Books, the dog. I'm allergic to dogs. But don't let Books stop you from visiting NerdBooks — Books is very well behaved and doesn't jump all over you or force himself on you. I sort of invited him over and got a lick on the hand and gave him a pat. And now that I think of it, I didn't notice if Books was a he or a she. Just didn't look. So please don't bark at me if Books is a girl.