If you are actually willing to purchase books at all, the best this to do is to buy online to save money on books. There are a few online retailers out there that offer prices here and there as well as different perks in terms of shipping, rewards points etc. Below I have explored both Chapters/Indigo as well as Amazon as viable options for purchasing books online without breaking the bank.
From my experience purchasing books in store you will often pay cover price unless it’s a best seller. You can also check out Costco for deals on books where they reduce the cover price on all the books they sell.
Chapters/Indigo
Rewards program: Plum Rewards
Shipping: Free Shipping on orders $25 or more
Pricing: Reasonable (compared to the cover prices they charge in store anyways)
Tips: Make sure to check out the bargain books section on the site as well as in-store and online deals.
Verdict: Use plum rewards for the discount and the free wi-fi, unless you buy a lot of books the accumulated points system really isn’t work your time. Returns are easier since you can return products in store anywhere in Canada.
Amazon
Rewards program: Rewards Visa (I’m not even going provide a link, you don’t need an Amazon Visa)
Shipping: Free Shipping on orders $25 or more (can’t be from a seller on Amazon, must be a product sold directly from Amazon Canada)
Pricing: For books, usually a bit better than Chapters
Tips: Check out the Bestseller deals here
Verdict: Amazon provides a lot of selection (aside from books as well) and slightly better prices than Chapters. They don’t offer a rewards program but the discounts themselves are worth it to go shop online. Better/more reviews are on Amazon simply because there are more users.
Overall:
Both websites are great in terms of well priced books compared to buying in-store where you often will pay full price for books (unless they are best sellers). The Plum rewards program often has offers and deals and once you gather at least 2,500 points you can get $5 off (you have to be buying a lot of books). Both work well and often for books you are highly unlikely to return them so return policies aren’t as vital.