Bookstore Sounding Board
Why is textbook information not available until a week before classes? That limits the time I have to shop around and get prepared before classes start. (Maybe that's the point?)
You’re not far off target, Jon. While the following may be more than you want to read, it takes a bit of space to answer your question. Students can find ISBNs six weeks before classes begin by looking on the shelf tags or the comprehensive list at the information desk. 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. Many 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 2/22/2009)
Thanks for making the book-exchange available. I really appreciate the service!
You’re welcome, and we thank you for writing. It’s not often we get a straight-up compliment, and we always print them out to take to family gatherings to enjoy the surprised looks on the in-laws’ faces.(Posted 2/22/2009)
I went to the Site Map which has a line "store hours and information". But, when I went there, there were no hours posted. They should be.
Take a bow, David Shaffer. You have discovered a chink in our armor, and we congratulate you. The store hours are found under “About Us.” Our hosting company, which provides the site map, inexplicably doesn’t have a field for store hours under “store hours and information,” so we’ve asked them to remove “store hours” from the heading. Thanks for your careful reading.(Posted 2/22/2009)
I purchased a textbook for my Psych 350 class used at the bookstore this semester. There are references at the end of each chapter to a CD, but none was with the textbook when I received it. I really need to sell it back, but am afraid that the bookstore won't take it. Also, when does buyback begin?
You are right to be concerned. Often the book is not complete without the CD, but not always. In this case, the Psych 350 title we think you are referring to (there are several) is not required for the class and therefore not necessary for sell-back/buyback. The beginning for this semester’s buyback is April 16.(Posted 2/22/2009)
This isn't a question, actually -- in the last answer posted (in February), you list Becky Walker's phone number as 422-2959. That's actually my phone number -- Becky's is 422-2595. Thought you might want to fix that. :) Thanks, Ben
Ben, we have wronged you, and we are sorry. Thank you for pointing out our error and making things right. We kiss your ring.(Posted 1/23/2009)
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