Barnes and Noble

I accepted a new job last week as a Reading Specialist/Instructional Coach at the high school level. I am very excited about my job, and, of course, turned to Barnes and Noble for some new resources about content area reading, and the role of a literacy coach. I sat on the rug in BN for over 2 hours yesterday, and read/took notes on several different resources. Finally, I decided it was time to leave. I chose 2 books and made my way to the register. I happily pulled out my educator card only to hear the cashier say, "Sorry, neither of these books are approved for the educator discount."
"WHAT?!? Clearly, they are educator books, what is the problem?"
"The publishers deny the discount."
Too embarrassed to put the books back, I bought them at full price. I was not happy. So, when I came home I searched for a cheaper price online (amazon.com, half.com, ebay even) and found that the prices on them weren't even worth it. What is the point of offering an educator discount if the professional books we crave and love aren't on the approved list for the discount? Yes, I understand I can buy books for my classroom, but I don't have a classroom anymore. My job is to be a resource for other teachers in my school, and I believe I need to be current with all the newest professional books out there. Is there anything we can do to persuade the publishers to give back the discount? And, does this happen at Borders as well? And, do the authors of the books we buy know we do not receive a discount?

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