"Since I did not have a receipt, they refused to let me return it."

So, what's the problem? Most stores won't allow returns without a receipt. The store didn't lose the receipt, you did. Take some ownership here.

Your second complaint, about the long wait, is more valid than your first. Without a receipt how do they even know you bought the book from them?

Today I went to the Pittsfield Barnes and Noble to return a book that I had purchased . Since I did not have a receipt, they refused to let me return it. When I returned home, I had called the Barnes and Noble customer service number and the person on the phone told me that there was nothing that they could do because I did not have a receipt. They also explained to me that each store has a different policy regarding returns. After my phone conversation with the people in customer service was over, the person tried to convince me to purchase a $25.00 membership card.
This is not my first problem that I have had with them either. In September, I ordered a book for a class that I was taking and they they told me that it would be in in a week. The book did not come in until after the class was over.(8 weeks) I have had it with them and refuse to shop at their store anymore.

Where did the rudeness enter the picture?