Black Friday is a special time of year. It’s not because of the tons of awesome sales–though I love those too. It’s because I bought my very first tablet, the Nook HD, during Black Friday in 2013.
What I remember most about that particular Black Friday is the crazy ordeal I went through to get the tablet. Like many of my tech purchases, the process was a lot more complicated than clicking the “Buy” button. Over the course of a week, I went from no tablet to two to one.
In honor of my Nook HD’s fifth birthday, allow me to recount the story.
From No Tablet to No Tablet
I knew Barnes & Noble (B&N) would be selling the Nook HD for $79 on Black Friday. Every tech site in the world was sounding the alarm about it.
The Nook HD seemed like the perfect fit for me. I was already in the market for a tablet. I had always been partial to B&N because my first eBook reader was the original Nook. I liked the look of the Nook HD, even though I remember some people comparing it to a bar of soap. Moreover, I knew I would never find a better tablet at that price.
True to form, I had problems pulling the trigger. My brain kept producing reasons not to buy it. Did I really need a tablet? I could buy a number of more important things with that $79. Did I really need that tablet? I could put that $79 towards the tablet I really wanted, the iPad. I alternated between staring at the product page and pacing for seemingly hours.
By the time I convinced myself to go for it, the device was sold out. I had pro-and-conned myself out of an awesome opportunity.
From No Tablet to One
Because I enjoy torturing myself, I checked the B&N website again later that afternoon. To my surprise, there were more Nook HDs in stock. I had a second chance! I placed my order without hesitation this time.
The day after I received my confirmation email, however, I received a second email from B&N. It said that my order had been canceled. Understandable. Their system was probably getting slammed by people doing the same thing I was trying to do.
Instead of wallowing in pity, I took action. I called my local B&N store to see if they had any Nook HDs in stock there. They did! The wonderful salesperson even did me a solid by asking if I wanted them to hold one for me. That was an emphatic “Yes, please!” I told her what color (Snow) and capacity (8 GB) I wanted and immediately jumped in the car, thanking God all the way to the store.
The purchasing process was painless. I gave my name to the cashier, she pulled the device from a cubby behind the counter, and I paid. Boom! I was officially the proud owner of a Nook HD.
I was so excited to finally have the tablet I opened the box in a parking lot. I couldn’t turn it on or set it up yet, but I just had to see and hold it.
From One Tablet to Two
The next day, I received another email from B&N. This time, it said they were reinstating my original online order. In other words, there was a second Nook HD coming my way.
I emailed customer service right away, in hopes that I could cancel the order. But it was too late. I would have to return the device to the store after it arrived to get a refund.
The second Nook HD was delivered about a week later. I briefly considered keeping it. The combined price of the two tablets was still less than the regular price of one, after all. The second one could be my backup tablet.
Ultimately, I decided to return the second tablet. There was already a shortage. Other people were probably out there searching for one of the tablets as frantically as I had been. I didn’t want to be greedy.
I took the unopened Nook HD back to the store the next day. The salesperson was amused when I explained the situation to her. She refunded my card with no problems. All was right in the world.
Conclusion
Although I went through a lot of drama to get my Nook HD tablet, the struggle only made me love the device more. It also made for a cute story.
These days, my Nook HD is no longer my primary tablet. About a year after I bought it, I got an iPad mini. The Nook HD is now (ironically) my backup tablet, the device where I often read Pocket articles, Nook books, and other ePub eBooks. iPad or no iPad, though, I will always cherish my Nook HD.
Edit: Right after I posted this, Barnes and Noble released a new Nook. Looks interesting!