Natalie Yemenidjian
In an effort to make teachers aware of their ability to combat the high price of textbooks, Greg Osweiler, Pierce College Student Store manager gave the Media Arts and Anthropology departments a pizza party May 8 for getting their textbook orders in first for summer school 2007 classes.
When teachers order their books earlier students save money.
Buybacks are more efficient if the bookstore knows what textbooks are in high demand, which translates to students getting more money for their books.
“In general, the bookstore’s textbook initiatives have been a great success. We have about 250 percent more textbook requisitions in place for the summer and 150 percent more textbook requisition turned in for fall, as compared to the same time last year. This should translate to at least $50,000 more going back to students from buyback at the end of the semester,” said Osweiler in an email after the pizza party.
The buyback will take place May 29 through June 1 and June 4 through 5 at 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
“We’re trying to encourage teachers to turn in requisitions earlier to book publishers,” said Shant Varozian, employee of the bookstore.
When teachers are early with their requisites the bookstore can order more used books from the publishers. More used books means less costs for students.
“We want to buy back book we sold this semester,” said Osweiler who has managed the Pierce bookstore for five years and thought of the pizza party initiative.
“If we had a sea of yellow [used book] stickers on the shelves by fall, that’d be fantastic.”
Used books are 75 percent of the original wholesale price, which save students hundreds of dollars annually.
Publishing companies get money they lost from used book sales through making new editions that are not always needed.
Phil Stein, anthropological and geographical sciences department chair and coauthor of a physical anthropology textbook used by many teachers, is in his ninth edition.
“There are major changes. The book has colored illustrations now, it was out of date in that field,” said Stein.
One step Stein took to save students money was dropping supplementary books that he could otherwise get around using.
“Instructors have the most power in this,” said Osweiler.
Teachers are buying more supplementary books then they need. They aren’t “beating their reps up” enough according to Osweiler.
The customization of textbooks is another way teachers can save students money.
Teachers in conjunction with publishers pull out chapters and sections from textbooks, which are then bound with cheaper materials and the Pierce logo is branded on them.
“[Customizing books] will reduce the price of the book by 50 percent,” said Osweiler.
As of now only one percent of books on the shelves are custom made. Business, math, chemistry and other departments have utilized this money saving tool.
In order for teachers to talk get books customized it’s as easy as a phone call, e-mail or even a trip to the book fair that the bookstore will be hosting.
The bookstore makes a 27 percent profit off of each book sold and its employees salaries are paid for by the state no matter how much money the bookstore makes or loses.