Re: charging at Barnes and Noble. Depending on the location of the store, just look around. During the Shocking Barack campaign, they found outlets everywhere: next to a story, in an alley, and check this out-- at the base of every tree on this one street, where they would plug in that year's Christmas lights. Outlets, I bet, are a lot like rats in Chicago. Huh? One of my co-workers, Duane, used to live in downtown Chicago and he saw a rat once. Then, he started seeing them everywhere, because he knew what to look for. He mentioned this to one of his friends while they were walking and the friend was doubtful... until Duane told him that he'd seen three just during their short conversation. He pointed one out to the friend and both of them counted at least a dozen before they got to their destination.
My point is, start looking for them, and the veil will be lifted.
I think the idea of contacting the bank to see if they will, in effect, sponsor you, is great. I, too, intend to find out if any local (or global) companies want me to -fan them up, in return for merchandise or discounts or whatever. Because a big part of my riding is going to be the continued evangelizing of the bike, I'm hopeful I'll find at least a couple of "sponsors."
