People go to B&N, sit in the cafe without making a purchase, read a book & return it to the shelf after marking their place so they can continue reading on their next visit.
Rude or just cheap?

Neither. B&N has been inviting people to do that for decades.

It's cheap. Buy the book and read it at home. You can read for free at the library.

But the nice thing is that none of us have to act that way. While the "kill them with kindness" is probably the right thing to do, the squirt gun posse sounds like a lot more fun. I have found the vast majority of people are fantastic and a pleasure to be and live around. Keep smilin' and keep ev'ryone guessing.

Maybe so. But that's B&N's decision. they must have some market study that told them it brings more potential buyers into the store.