FAQs
Q: ARE YOU OPEN TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT NOW?
A: Yes! Our stores are both open for in person shopping. But keeping our staff and community safe is essential to the heart of Loyalty. Masking is optional in store and we offer masks for customers if they would like one. Staff will continue to mask and test regularly for the foreseeable future. We still have online shopping with free store pickup and will continue to monitor Covid-19 levels in our area and adjust hours and browsing accordingly. Any changes will be posted on our website, social media, and google business page.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR PHONE NUMBER? HOW DO I CALL YOU?
A: Currently we monitor our emails and text line (240-863-2087) every day during business hours of the store! We do not currently have a monitored voice line.
Q: IF I ORDER A BOOK FOR PICK UP, CAN I GET IT TODAY?
A: Nope! But if it is in-stock, it will be ready for pickup shortly. Every order is handled by a human bookseller who is making sure everything is correct for you. When the item is ready for pickup you will be notified via email when your order is updated and completed.
Q: WHAT DO I DO WHEN MY BOOK IS READY FOR PICK UP? WHAT IS THE PROTOCOL?
A: Once you’ve been notified via email that your order is ready for pickup, you can stop by the store you selected for pick up during our normal hours. Orders are held behind the counter—let a bookseller know you’re here to pick up an order and give them your last name.
Q: WHAT DOES ORDER STATUS "PENDING" MEAN ?
A: “Pending” is our website’s way of saying your order has been accepted by the system and in the queue! You will receive an automatic email letting you know the order has been received. However, the order has not been seen yet by the staff. When we have processed your order we will send you an order confirmation and your status will be updated to “payment received,” “update to your order,” or “completed,” with further details in the email.
Q: IS IT OKAY TO CONTACT YOU VIA SOCIAL MEDIA?
A: Absolutely! We do check our DM’s regularly, but not 24/7 so please be patient. We do not accept book submissions or resumes via social media, but if you want to know more info or find the right contact you can always use the “contact us” button on our website. For questions about orders, book availability, etc, please use the "contact us" form on the website or text us at 240-863-2087. Please tag us on social media in store pictures, videos, book hauls, etc, but please do not use social media for order questions.
Q: I WANT TO SEND A GIFT. CAN YOU INCLUDE A NOTE OR A GIFT RECEIPT?
A: Please do! We will happily add a note to your order. You can write your message in the “order comments” section during checkout. Gift receipts are not necessary for returns or exchanges at Loyalty, so we do not include them. Our contact information is inside the orders if the recipient has questions or wants to exchange their gift.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR SHIPPING OPTIONS?
We offer Media Mail and Priority Mail through the USPS. Media Mail is the cheapest option, but it takes a long time to get to you (it can be anywhere from 3-7 days for nearby states to DC/MD and 7-30 days across or out of the country). Priority Mail costs more, but packages arrive faster and in better shape. Also note that media mail is for books and paper items only, not for our bundles and gift items. We can ship to the US, Canada, and Mexico. Otherwise we'll need to get the exact address to give you a price estimate! If you're wondering why we ship with USPS, why USPS is important, and why shipping costs money to begin with we recommend reading this awesome twitter thread from our brethren at The Raven Bookstore in Kansas.
Q: I SIGNED UP FOR AN EVENT AND I CAN'T FIND THE PASSWORD OR LINK!
A: The login information is in your confirmation email from Eventbrite or Crowdcast. Often you have to scroll toward the bottom, depending on the format (sadly we cannot control the formatting of other websites). Please read through your confirmation email and check your spam for the confirmation if you have yet to receive it! (Note that if you signed up on Crowdcast/Eventbrite that the email will be coming from their server, not Loyaltybookstores.com). Please know you can always email us at events@loyaltybookstores.com to help if you have any questions!
Q: HOW COULD IT TAKE SO LONG TO GET MY ORDER?!
A: First off, we’re sorry. Trust us, we’re losing our minds too. This is not our ideal nor our usual mode of operations. Before the pandemic, a typical order would take a week to complete. Now, due to the high volume in our small store and small staff and the massive delays at publishing houses, warehouses, and at the USPS we’re all doing our best but things are difficult. (Yes. This is still true in 2023. The supply chain for books has deeply worsened, not improved, over the last three years.) Depending on what you have ordered, it can take up to a month to get your order or longer if the title is backordered! We try to pull as much as we can right from our shelves, but if you have ordered a book that is backordered due to popularity, an older title, or print on demand (as many self published or smaller press titles currently are), it can take longer. Some orders we are able to complete quickly if the items are on the shelf or we can send them directly to you or your recipient from the publisher warehouse, but other titles are backordered or delayed, coming from across the country or waiting from a reprint from outside of the USA (did you know most art, kids, and cookbooks are not made here and literally come from a slow boat from China? Of course you didn’t! But yeah, the pandemic hasn’t gone away and this is still an issue). The best way to get an order quickly is to purchase the items in stock (you can see that below each item on our website) and to select “Ship as Available” (so we ship the books to you as they arrive and do not wait for the entire order to be ready) or do contactless pickup if you are local!
If you are ordering something to be shipped and it is not unique to Loyalty (not a special gift item, bundle, or signed book etc) then we recommend using our Bookshop.org page! They ship directly to you and if you shop our page or use our affiliate link then we get a percentage of the sale. It also ships faster than we can if the book is not on our shelves! We have lists of recommended reading for all ages posted there as well.
Q: HOW DO I MAKE A WISH LIST? CAN I SHARE IT WITH PEOPLE?
A: You can build a wishlist once you make an account! Create or log into an account on our website here and then add items to the wishlist instead of your cart. You can email your wishlist to people directly from our website, or email them a link!
Q: DO YOU RECORD YOUR VIRTUAL EVENTS? CAN I REWATCH IT IF I DIDN'T MAKE THE EVENT?
A: If you RSVP to an event and miss it, you can still follow the link in your confirmation email to watch the replay!
Q: HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOU?
A: THANK YOU! Your orders are definitely support and we are incredibly lucky to have such loyal customers (ha)! We also accept donations (after we meet our needs as a store we move any remaining money from donations to BLM DC or Feeding America). Gift cards and memberships also help immensely with our store’s cashflow and benefit you in the long run (huzzah! Love a win win)! You can also gift memberships! Another hot tip is that our Loyalty Branded merchandise and cool gift items (like puzzles! Or bundles!) have a better margin than books (which will always be our heart) and help keep the store afloat! So get something a bit unusual and it goes a long way!
Q: DO YOU LIKE BOOKSHOP.ORG? DOES IT HELP YOU?
A: Yes! We love Bookshop.org (full disclosure, Loyalty owner Hannah Oliver Depp sits on the board of Bookshop so… yeah, we’re Team Bookshop). If you want something shipped and you’re not getting something unique to Loyalty, we break even if you order using our affiliate site (make sure our logo is in the upper lefthand corner — follow the link from our main menu if you’re not sure). , and it’s both faster for you and easier for us. In-store pickup orders and any unique Loyalty offers (Bundles, gift cards, signed books, and other goodies like swag must be done through our website, not Bookshop). But if you want to send something quickly to someone (or surprise yourself with a treat), Bookshop.org/shop/loyaltybooks is good for us. Thank you!
Q: I WANNA LOOK COOL.
A: We do too. Might we suggest rolling around town in some sweet branded Loyalty swag? Or you can support our Bonfire fundraiser and rock some limited edition merchandise items!