Bookstore Sounding Board
Do you carry a football jersey with Unga's name on it, and #45 in a 3T size?
Oh Jay, we hope you’re sitting down and have an Advil handy. No sugar coating this one: the answers are no and no. So why can’t we produce for you? 1. An NCAA ruling forbids us to use any player’s name on a jersey while he is still on the team. 2. The minimum printing requirements for infant/toddler jerseys are so high that we can use only BYU on those jersies. Now, if you have a few hundred close friends who want size 3T with #45 on it, get back to us.(Posted 2/24/2009)
Why does it take so long to put the book list up? It seems that professors choose the books for their course at least a semester in advance, so why does it take so long to tell the student which book to get? Having more time to buy will allow for more shopping around, shorter lines, and less rush the week before school starts. I don't want to sound cynical, but do you do this so that students are forced to buy from the bookstore if they want their book before classes start?
Jared, the answer you seek isn’t as simple as you hope. It’s true professors submit titles well before the semester the textbooks are needed. If you really want to know why it takes so long to get a polished, complete list available, you need to read the following. Students can find all the information about their textbooks, including ISBNs, six weeks before classes begin by looking on the shelf tags on the textbook floor or the comprehensive list at the textbook information desk. So, if you come to the Bookstore, you have all the information you need a month and a half before the first day of instruction. We don’t put ISBNs online until a week before the semester starts for three reasons. But first, an overview. Compiling an accurate list of almost 5,000 textbook titles each semester takes considerable expense and effort. All facts have to be verified. In addition to the standard information (author, title, edition, etc.), some texts come in different packages with options like an online homework and grading system, password packet, workbook, CD, web site access code, DVD, different configurations of music CDs, anthologies with one name but different volumes (1A, 2A, 3C, 3D, ABL, G, or I?) Does the professor really want to order the 4th edition as requested when the current edition is the 6th? We make calls to professors and publishers to be sure everything is correct. And we can’t simply cut and paste from the previous semester because each time more than a third of the texts are new. Now the three reasons. 1. If we post the final, polished list online six weeks early, the possibility exists that an enterprising entrepreneur will take it and open a competing bookstore. That can and does happen. No university bookstore, of any kind, wants to donate its labor and business information to a competitor. Even state universities, because of the Freedom of Information Act, must provide the raw data from the professors but a legal ruling protects them from having to share the final, polished list. BYU is a private school and is not required to provide data to potential competitors. 2. The major reason students want ISBNs online is to make shopping easier by being able to cut and paste data into online stores. If students want ISBNs, they are available early in the Bookstore. So why don’t we make things completely easy and post them online? The Bookstore, like all on-campus businesses, is expected to be self-sustaining and must pay all its expenses. In our case, that means fixtures, shelving, payroll, utilities, shipping, upkeep, remodeling, and rent (yes, rent-—we don’t even get the space free), plus making a small profit which then goes back to the university. We can’t keep the profit, but we have to earn it. And we don’t get a dime from outside sources--not the Church, not donations, not tuition. This is not our decision. This is our mandate. We are a self-sustaining business, and as long as the university wants us to be a business, we have to make a profit. 3. When you buy from the Bookstore you are protected even when a mistake is made (inevitable with 5,000 titles) or situations change. The nature of a university is that faculty will change their minds and students will change their schedules. We give you a full refund no matter the source of the problem. But we can’t offer a refund when you buy elsewhere. One example. A student bought a required text from another source. On the first day of class, the professor said that text is optional. The student brought it to us wanting a refund because he bought it from our information in good faith, identifying it as required. We pulled the written request from the professor, showing he required it. When called, the professor said he changed his mind and forgot to notify the Bookstore. Had the student bought it here, he would have had a full refund. We know you can sometimes buy for less elsewhere. Some online sellers do not offer refunds, so if the book is the right one and you paid less, you win. If the book is the wrong edition or not needed, then you lose. If you want to be protected, we simply caution you to investigate the support you get from your seller. The BYU Bookstore has the same markup (25%) as Amazon, other university bookstores in the USA, and the publishers themselves when they sell online. In addition, we offer instant and full refunds, whatever the reason you return a book. The final comment: If you have any questions or concerns, Tom Hirtzel, Textbook Manager in the Textbook Office on the upper level of the Bookstore, would honestly be happy to visit with you. (By the way, he is a genuinely nice guy. Give him a chance.)(Posted 2/23/2009)
I am a graduate--BA class of 1971. I do not use credit cards. Can I order an item and pay by money order?
Absolutely. We eagerly accept money orders. All you need to do is add the shipping and tax, if applicable, to the purchase price. We will then need your shipping address and contact information (e-mail and phone). Shop freely at www.byubookstore.com and send the money order to BYU Bookstore, Attn: Fulfillment Center, Provo UT 84602. If you have any questions, call toll-free 800-417-8345 for trade books and 800-23-2578 for general merchandise.(Posted 2/23/2009)
I am trying to find t-shirts of sweatshirt of BYU? I live in North Carolina. Where can I order them?
Type in www.byubookstore.com, then click on BYU Apparel, and you will find headings for BYU Hoodies & Sweatshirts and also BYU T-Shirts—dozens of each that can be ordered online. We stay up late at night to figure out ways to separate you from your money. Anything else we can do for you?(Posted 2/23/2009)
What is the Book ISBN?
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The short response is that this number provides a fingerprint for each book published, identifying each edition and variation of that title. That’s why having a correct ISBN will assure that you get precisely the book you want. If you want the history and changes that have been made since its inception in 1966, including what the initial digits mean, type ISBN into Google and go to Wikipedia.(Posted 2/23/2009)
(Page 6 of 21)
Jump to page: Previous Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Last modified: July 15, 2006. Maintained by BYU Bookstore Support.
Copyright © 1994-2006. Brigham Young University. All Rights Reserved. XHTML CSS 508