Marketing mistake

If you haven't noticed, most retailers are offering huge sales to tempt customers through the doors because of the slow buying season. While a store loses a certain amount of money from these discounts, by reducing "select items", they get buyers into the store, browsing, and more than likely making an unplanned, full-priced purchase. Another discount strategy is to require a minimum purchase which also encourages spur-of-the-moment buying as customers must pick up enough items to meet the minimum value. That was the kind of coupon I had for Bath & Body Works: buy $30 worth, get $10 off. It's only valid for the shopping season, December 1st-24th. Seemed like a good enough deal, and if I'd gone to a store, I probably would have used it and bought more than $30 worth. However, when I'm not in Collegetown, I'm home in Seriously Smalltown, the South and the nearest Bath & Body Works is at 30 miles away, highway.
With the expiration date tomorrow, I, like most of my peers, was prepared to turn to the internet. I've purchased from the online store before, previously subscribed to their newsletters, have an account, etc. However, the coupon is only redeemable "in store only".
What?
Why?
Merchandise online costs the same as in-store, except online retail has practically no overhead charges that have to be made up. I even pay the shipping, so they make a bigger profit margin on online sales. Also, one can find items online that the stores have run out of, so inventory moves out more efficiently.
Is this major retail chain another industry that has failed to embrace the potential of online promotion, like publishing? 2009 is nine days away and Borders may not make it there. Rather than just let Amazon rule the web, why aren't publishers and bookstores doing more online promotion?
My dad always says the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It's ridiculously simple, but if you think a minute that extremely applicable to most parts of your life. And such a simple problem should have a simple solution--try something different!