Why doesn't Barnes and Noble just lower its prices? For my birthday, I wanted a cookbook. So I went to Barnes and Noble and selected it: $40. 

Before I got the register I checked it on Amazon: $20. 

I started price matching every single cookbook I was interested in and collectively, i could save 60% on Amazon. 

So why doesn't B&amp;N just lower their prices already? 

Doesn't it make sense to sell 10 products at 0.50 cents each than to not sell 10 products at 1.00 dollar? 

Isn't that how that guy who owns all those Family Dollar stores is able to bank? He makes a nickel to a dime for every product he sells but sells many products that he is now banking it? 

USNews stated in an article that B&amp;N themselves stated that their prices are so high because they wanna provide for income for their authors and prevent Amazon from becoming a monopoly. Pardon my French, But that sounds like bologna! 

Furthermore, they don't price match. Not even with their own online website. 

Is B&amp;N slowly slitting its own wrists? Are these stubborn CEOs who just don't want to face reality? 

Or is there some economic strategy here? Like they're waiting out something?
Kling's maxim: Price Discrimination Explains Everything
Who are the sorts of people that purchase at Barnes &amp; Noble? Less price elastic buyers, like those that are purchasing a gift, those less comfortable with buying online, those that value in store recommendations and assistance, and those that just like the in store experience. Barnes &amp; Noble wants to maximize profits, not maximize revenue. Selling to more price sensitive buyers like you means also lowering prices for less price sensitive buyers.
Say the cookbook costs Barnes &amp; Noble \$15 to buy. If they set the price at \$20 they make \$10 of profit selling one copy to you and one copy to the price inelastic buyer. If they set the price at \$40 they make \$25 in profit selling just one copy to the price inelastic buyer.
In summary: Barnes &amp; Noble targets buyers willing to pay high prices and lowering prices means making so much less per unit sold that they cannot make up the lost profits on higher quantities