Large Celine/Bukowski order with each book shipping separately-- why? (1 Viewer)

This is definitely a First World problem, but it is also very annoying, so I decided to post about it and see if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Barnes and Noble recently had a "20% off if you spend $100" sale, and it seemed like a good time to add Bukowski books that I'm still lacking to my collection. I also decided to give Celine another shot, as I tried to read "Journey" many years ago and it didn't click with me, but that may well have been my problem and not the author's. In all, I placed an order of eight books, bringing the total past $100, which, with the discount, ended up saving me over $20. I chose the option for all, or at least most, of the books to be shipped together, which is part of B & N's "free shipping" deal. However, as the books have begun to ship out via UPS, it literally looks as if each one of them is going to be sent separately, which means that eight different boxes, each containing one book, will soon be coming to my apartment, delivered by a likely pretty frustrated UPS employee!!

Why in the world would B & N go with such a weird and cumbersome way of getting these books out to a customer, when the terms of the order stated that it was supposed to be shipped mostly or all together, and when three of the books actually shipped out on the same day? Has anyone else had this happen with B & N or another, similar, online retailer? I would call them about it, but I have a distinct sense that their call center (in the Philippines) is not going to give me very helpful answers.
 
They are coming from different warehouses. Or "fulfillment centers," as they are usually called now. (Probably because if you call something a "warehouse" you have to pay something closer to a living wage to the workers. Just a guess.)
 
Thanks for the replies, d ray and mjp. My opinion may be a minority one among online customers, but I really wish that B & N would just ship out all of the books, at one time, in one package. In order for that to happen, I would have been happily willing to wait a few days, or even a week, for the complete order to arrive.

Ironically, though, checking the updates for my order, it does look as though all of the books are likely going to ship out today, but just in seven different packages (two of the eight are going out in one package). The UPS delivery person for my apartment building is not going to be happy with me, and seven emptied packages may not even fit into the fairly small area where such things are supposed to go here for recycling...

As a person with a physical disability who is unable to drive, ordering online is often, now, literally my only way to get the books, music, and movies that I want-- but so, so much about the online buying experience, itself, makes me seriously miss the days of brick-and-mortar stores in the '80s and '90s. Yes, I had to special-order more than a few of my purchases and wait for them to come in, but it was exciting to wait in anticipation, finally get the phone call, and go to the store to pick up that great book, record (or CD), or movie. I miss those days so much. I know, I know, I'm old... :)
 

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