If there’s one thing I enjoy more than a few slices of thin crust pepperoni and green pepper pizza from Pizza Hut, it’s a big steamy disposable cup of chai tea latte from the little cafe that’s tucked into the back of my local Borders bookstore.  

And if there’s one thing I enjoy almost as much as the chai and the pepperoni, it’s books.  I’m a voracious reader.  I’ll read anything you stick in front of me.  You can put me in near the periodicals and I’ll be happy all day hopping from Foreign Affairs to those crazy motorcycle magazines with the bikini models.  I love reading.

My thirst for that chai and my love for all things literary, combined with Mrs. Lampsens penchant for murder mysteries, has made our happy little family a regular fixture at Borders.  We love it the way some couples  love a night out dancing or a trip to Dave & Busters.

But there is one way to make it better without trying to smuggle in a piece of pizza pie.  Borders coupons.  Hey, any time you can do the stuff you love to do while spending less it’s a good thing.  And Borders coupons do hold down prices.

Compared to most retailers who offer lousy coupons, if any, Borders is serious about handing out some big savings. I’ve seen coupons and codes that can trim from between 15% and 40% off your total.  There are also plenty of do this/get this coupons.  Any of them can help you save enough on reading materials to afford a big cup or two of those tea lattes.

You can secure coupons via several different routes.  A simple online search will undoubtedly yield a few, as the photo accompanying this post illustrates (don’t get excited, that one has expired).  I haven’t seen any Borders specials in my Sunday paper, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they do a little bit of print advertising, too.  If you happen to be a professional educator, Borders will always offer you a cut rate.  That’s a nice little perk for our underpaid teachers, who happen to have a tendency to like reading.  The best way, though, is to get them straight from the fine folks at Borders.  

And that brings us to a word of warning to coupon hunters and a bit of encouragement to those of us who dig Borders.

 You won’t be able to hand over your coupon and wait for the savings.  There is an intermediary step.  You usually have to sign up for the Borders Reward program, which is their customer appreciation marketing tool.  The signup is painless, though, and having that membership is a good thing if you like the idea of getting even more top-notch coupons to the bookstore delivered to you.  That also allows you to use various coupon codes to help keep costs down.

I know that big chain bookstores are on the receiving end of a lot of criticism.  People decry their predatory pricing, their tendency to stock Oprah’s favorites at the expense of great lesser-known books, the way they have been running the mom and pop bookshops out of business and the fact that nine out of ten employees know more about the infection risk associated with a nose piercing than they do about the work of Dickens.  

All of those criticisms may be fair, but Borders does have a few things going for it.  First, their always comfortable and inviting.  Second, they have some great activities and story times for the kids.  Third, they make a mean cup of chai latte.  Fourth, but not least, they issue some great coupons that can really take the financial sting out of being well-read.