This is a really good article that everyone should check out.  Originally posted on CollegeCashCow.net.  There is so much behind the scenes stuff that happens in this crazy business.  It’s about time students start to speak up more about it in a constructive way, in a manner that will actually affect you directly!  Check it out.

Posted by: Jonathan on June 1st, 2009  (www.CollegeCashCow.net)

At the end and beginning of every college semester I hear the same complaining: the bookstore is a monopoly – textbook prices are too high, sell back prices are too low.  It gets old.  When we as students blame the bookstore for the ridiculously high prices and inability to sell textbooks back, we display our ignorance and nothing is accomplished.  Someone IS at fault.  I’ll tell you who, and how you can make a difference.

I understand that many college campus bookstores are different from others.  Some are profit-bearing, others just try to break even; some are owned by the university, others by private companies.  However, all bookstores have something in common: they don’t select their inventory.

Then who picks it?  Bookstores don’t obey the basic laws of supply and demand we all learn in Econ 100.  We as the customers don’t determine how much of what product is sold and how much we pay.  It’s not us, it’s not the bookstore. It’s the professors!

The fact is, the bookstores aren’t the demons make them out to be. In fact, most bookstores struggle to do what they can to keep up with the growing popularity of buying or renting textbooks online; they do as much as they can to help students out so that they have loyal customers.  Unfortunately for the bookstores, they are the face of the textbook industry to students who want something to piss about, and there’s nothing they can do to change it.

Lets look at two very common situations that suck:

1. Situation 1: You’re going to summer school and need to only buy one textbook for a class. Somehow, the total bill for the term comes up to $150 for just that one book. The bookstore’s not at fault for the high price: they try to be as competitive as possible to internet prices without losing money.  They just got a textbook request from a professor and made sure they have enough inventory on hand.  Lets go back in time for six months.  Your professor gets a call from the publishing company, and they have some great news.  Their new version of the textbook is out, complete with a cool new multimedia CD (that we never use) and some great new examples and homework questions (just enough to make sure we can’t still use the old cheaper version).  They just can’t wait to take your professor out to lunch to seal the deal and make sure he continues using the highest-priced textbook available on the market.  Over sushi a week later, it slips the professor’s mind to consider the financial burden he’ll be placing on students by mandating the use of this book, and he fails to ask the publisher how much it will cost.  Fast forward back to present time: You’re hauled.  The real criminal is the ignorant professor.  Are you going to effect change by screaming at the poor elderly lady the bookstore hires for temp help once a semester, and then getting removed by force from the premises by university police?  Fun to watch, but not effective.  You and your fellow students can approach the professor and have a civilized talk about how much the textbook costs.  You can suggest helping him figure out how to work with older versions of the book that don’t have a couple new problems the newer one does.  You could take him a list of other comparable textbooks that are half the price and recommend he uses those instead.  Nine out of ten times, the professor will empathize with the students and work something out.  The 10th case is when it’s the professor who writes the book and just wants to extort you.  Nasty letters sent by you and your peers to department heads/deans may just do the trick.  OK, don’t be nasty, but do what you can to take that extortionist down.

2. Situation 2: lets say you buy that $150 brand new textbook.  You get through the class, and you’re looking forward to getting at least half of its value when you go to the bookstore sell-back.  You wait in line, and are then told that unfortunately the bookstore isn’t taking that textbook anymore, it won’t be used next semester.  You were about to let the little old lady have it again, but you notice that security now tails you every time you enter the building.  She probably has mace now anyway.  Once again, the solution lies in speaking with your professor.  This situation has happened TWICE to me.  Brand new book, first time used at the university, supposed to be using that edition for 3 or 4 years, can’t sell it back.  BOTH times the solution was to go speak with the professor.  Turns out the absent-minded professor forgot to turn in that darned little textbook request slip the bookstore had e-mailed him about every week for the last two months.  Silly Professor!  Two days later, textbook is sold back for $110 cash.

I think you get the idea and this post is getting too long.  I’m not slamming professors.  I’ve never had a professor that I thought was out to get students.  They all have been willing to help.  However, they’ve got a lot on their mind, from teaching classes to doing research and publishing papers.  Don’t piss about the bookstore or evil publishers, it doesn’t do anything. The bookstore does what it’s told, and publishers don’t care what you say because the professors are the ones who make the purchase happen.  Take it to the professors.  Don’t hold their absent-mindedness against them, but be sure to point it out.