Bookstore Info Rant

debyan · Jan 28, 2003

so sorry, that's the pits:( deb

Vsummer1 · Jan 28, 2003

I asked about that once. The bookstore clerk was a student like me, so he could relate and this is what he said:

The instructor's job is to let the bookstore know what they need for the upcoming semester. When the instructor (or the department) doesn't update the bookstore -- that is where the problem occurs.

SOOOOOO place the blame on the instructors for not doing their job to let those poor souls at the bookstore know what they will be requiring.

essarge · Jan 28, 2003

Racket doesn't even come close to what our bookstore is!! As you all know how expensive our books are! In most of our classes we only use about 1/2 the "required" book and, if you're a good little student, you NEVER highlight in them!! You then, again being the "good little student", take them back to the bookstore to find that, even though the book is in excellent condition, you recieve $16 for a $90 book because "the market has too many available"!!

Now the best part is waiting to get your books for the new semester. They are always "on order" and get to the bookstore around the 2nd or 3rd week in the semester....just in time for your 3rd exam!! But again, being the "good little student" you trapse over to the bookstore, buy the book, and study your orifice off to get caught up!!

I stopped buying my books from my school in my sophomore year. If I have a book to sell, I sell it to one of the upcoming nursing students for more than the $16 that the school offers me!!!

JudithL_in_NH · Jan 28, 2003

The college bookstore situation rankles me, too. I want the advance notice so that I can order the book cheaper somewhere else; just going to the local Barnes & Noble tends to save at least 10% over what the bookstore charges. Even that's a substantial savings on a semester's worth of books. It seems, however, that most instructors I've run across think it's OK to not have the books available until the first day of classes, if they're even in the bookstore by then.

Back in the olden days (the 70s) when I did my BA, the schools I went to had an active student-to-student book resale market going on. The bulletin boards around the bookstore were plastered with info about used books for sale, and both buyer and seller did much better than the bookstore would sell/offer for the used books. At my current institution, that just does not happen.

I've been visiting colleges with my senior son--and it's seems no place we've been enables this either. At his top choice school I asked point blank during our tour, "What opportunities are there to buy used books from other students?" And I wondered where the bulletin boards of days gone by were. The admissions officer said "Oh, we don't encourage that. We want our students to have the most up-to-date editions, so they must buy from the bookstore."

Oy! This place's tuition is already $25K . . . and we're supposed to drop another $2K per year in their pockets for books?!

Rant concluded! Guess when I get into the nursing program, I'll have to cultivate relationships with second year students to develop my own source for used books.

(Hey, Deb--are you the DebsZoo who posts at Siamese Internet Cat Club?)

nursing 101 · Jan 28, 2003

half.com is so far the best "bookstore" I can think of...

And you can resell your books too

DebsZoo · Jan 28, 2003

Originally posted by JudithL_in_NH
(Hey, Deb--are you the DebsZoo who posts at Siamese Internet Cat Club?)

No, sorry, not the same. Lol, and I thought this name was one-of--KIND.

Update: Now the third class has changed instructors! ROFL.............when I get back up I'll think about buying another book and having yet another sit by the wayside.:roll

natsfanrn · Jan 28, 2003

Our bookstore tends to sell a lot of the required books in unique "packages," bound with a CD or supplemental study guides or notes or with other "required" books, so that you HAVE to buy from them since you can't get the same bundled set elsewhere (and can't check ISBN numbers to even make sure you have the right edition). Plus, the stethoscope that's sold in the bookstore isn't even permitted in the nursing program!

renerian, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2003

Vsummer you are partially right. My hubby teaches at the college level. One time the college changed the book after her ordered it, changed his order but ooops forget to tell him so all the students had a different book then him. It is truely frustrating for everyone involved I know.

renerian

Mkue · Jan 28, 2003

It's so frustrating when you try to sell a book back and suddenly there is a "new" edition so they really don't want your book back and you paid over 100.00 bucks for it and it's non-nursing so you don't want to keep it..lol. This happend to me a lot during pre-reqs.

Bookstores I swear are racketeers !

Angelica · Jan 29, 2003

My school required us to purchase a pamphlet produced by our state's BON. It has about 6 pages of text. The bookstore was asking $18 (I have no idea what the bookstore's profit margin is). I absolutely refused to buy it--heck, I could read it in the bookstore!

essarge · Jan 29, 2003

Maybe Brian could start a "student bookstore" section where we could sell books to each other!