Barnes & Noble―the magical place that has books, coffee, and comfy chairs to enjoy said books and coffee. Who could ever want to leave? How can you make yourself leave? The answer: you can’t. Usually, for me, it requires my mother telling me that we need to leave now and at least one more circle around the Young Adult section to make sure I got the book I wanted. For other people, they may not be at Barnes & Noble for the books. They could be there for the aforementioned coffee, the board games, the magazines, the CDs, the movies, the sheet music for Wicked and Hamilton, the calendars… need I go on? The fact of the matter is, once you’re in Barnes & Noble, you’re stuck for a good hour, maybe more depending on the day, and to some, that’s problematic. Other times, you’re only allowed twenty minutes to browse, and that’s just not feasible; so, allow me to give you some tips on how to make it feasible.

• Enter with a goal

• If you have a specific book that you’ve been wanting, stick to it. Go straight to the bookshelf that has it, pick it up, keep your eyes on the prize: the cash register. Don’t look to the side, don’t look behind you. If you look behind you, at all of the books waiting to be bought, you’ve already lost.

• Carry the specific amount of cash you’re willing to spend

• Do not bring your credit card. With a card, you technically don’t have a limit. This means unlimited books, coffees, etc. Bring a $20 bill with you. Yes, you still have to decide what books to get, if you want to get two paperbacks or a hardback, or if you forego the books entirely and splurge on coffee.

• Bring a buddy

• Preferably a buddy who isn’t as into Barnes & Noble as you are. Personally, my best bet would be my mother, because she often has stuff to do, or my brother, who hates to read and would be annoyed the entire time.

• Give yourself a time limit

• This might seem like a silly one because you hypothetically could just ignore the time limit. My advice? Set an extremely loud alarm―that way you can’t pretend like you don’t know the time―and tell your buddy to make you leave. Give them permission to use force if needed.

• Shop online

• Let’s face it: once you’re in Barnes & Noble, you’re stuck. So, I would just advise shopping online. You get to do it at your own pace, you can continuously add items to your cart over a period of time, and many of the books are at discounted prices. Plus, you get free shipping on orders over $25 so it’s not outrageous.