Barnes & Noble Says Some Nooks Will Be Late, Offers Gift Certificate

The delay could hurt Barnes & Noble's image. The tardy deliveries may also cause some people to order a Kindle from Amazon to make sure that their gift of an e-reader comes on time.
The news shows the difference between a company where e-commerce is a tiny part of its business and one where e-commerce is at the core. Amazon's Kindle is its largest selling product. It can't afford to run out of the product or ship it late. The same imperative apparently does not hold true at Barnes & Noble.
Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 24/7 Wall St.