Bookstore should help students save
|
January 13, 2010 3:04 AM
|
As a student at WLU, I spend a lot of money on my textbooks.
In previous years, when the booklist was released, it contained the ISBN number of every book, and I saved myself about one month’s worth of rent by purchasing my textbooks used.
This year however, the policy has been changed, and the list contains only the title and price of each book.
I made a call to the bookstore and spoke to the student manager, who told me that the new bookstore policy was to not display the ISBN numbers of texts online, because “students take the numbers and buy their books elsewhere.”
In disbelief, I got in touch with two higher-up officials, each of whom gave me a slew of excuses for the new policy.
As a consumer, I do not deny the bookstore its right to withhold information about its products from customers.
However, since the bookstore is the only official source for the book list, I would like to see enough useful information on that list for students to be able to purchase their books wherever they can afford to.
If that means that the bookstore does not get enough business from students, they should respond by becoming more competitive in the marketplace.
I already pay thousands of dollars per year in tuition for the privilege of attending university, and should be free to purchase my books wherever it makes economic sense for me to do so.
–Jonathan Fritz