Students Say Textbook Prices Are Too High

Robert N. Stonehill '97 said he is constantly amazed at how much textbooks can cost.

To prove his point, he picked up a book required for his math class. The length: 192 pages. The style: paper-back. The price: $70.

According to Evan P. Mooney, textbook department manager of the Coop, the price for textbooks has continued its steady rise this year due not so much to inflation but to new policies on the part of publishers that pass increased costs on to the consumer.

"Publishers have become much more punitive to book stores in passing along costs," Mooney said.

The major difference that has caused book prices at the Coop to soar, Mooney said, is that many publishers now charge book stores a fixed percentage of the cost of books they return. These restocking fees, he said, can add up based on the number of books the Coop returns every semester.

"A lot of publishers are charging as much as 5 percent, which doesn't seem like a lot, but when you have a stack of a thousand books, it can add up quickly," he said.

Other schools' bookstores, however, do not seem to have the same problem the Coop does. According to Boston College Bookstore Textbook Manager Carol S. Gertz, the BC bookstore rarely has to pay publishers such fees.

"We generally don't get charged a restocking fee," she said. "At one point, a major publisher started doing that, but they set it up so certain accounts get charged based on their payment history, return rates, and so on to provide incentive for stores to return less books."

The Coop has a much higher return rate than many bookstores, about 30 percent, Mooney said. According to Gertz, the BC bookstore's return rate is about two-thirds of that amount.

The reason, Mooney said, is that students at Harvard have a much greater tendency to buy books and return them because of shopping period. It is therefore much more difficult to predict, even after a class has begun, how many people will eventually enroll.

"It makes things much more challenging. Some Core classes will have an enrollment of 60, then the enrollment balloons to 200 and then back to 60 again," Mooney said.

The result, however, is that prices at the Coop are often higher than at other bookstores. For example, the books required for Moral Reasoning 22: "Justice" and Historical Study B-61: "The Warren Court and the Pursuit of Justice, 1953-1969" can all be found for less money at WordsWorth Books and all for equal or lesser amounts at the Harvard Bookstore.

Students interviewed while shopping in the Coop often said they don't believe they get the best value there but rely on the official book store for the convenience having all of their books grouped together by class.

"It sometimes feels like I'm paying more than I need to," said David C. Atherton '00. "If I heard of some where else to go, I would. I did hear that for novels you should always go other places than the Coop."

The Coop is taking measures to combat the rising prices, Mooney said, like encouraging the sale of more used books than in the past. The Coop offers students 50 percent off the cover price of their books if they will be used again in a class in an upcoming semester.

"It does a couple of positive things," Mooney said. "It gives more money back to students and provides more used copies for future students."

The difficulty, Mooney said, is in predicting what classes will be taught in the future so that the right used books can be bought.

"Whenever we can, we try aggressively to get book orders early from faculty members," he said. "That's what makes it successful, to know ahead of time what books will be needed."

Students interviewed said they often take matters into their own hands.

"We're doing a lot more book-sharing than we used to," said Melissa E. Swift '98. "And after a few years you build up a store of books, so it's not as bad."

Still, many students seem to agree with the feelings Extension School student Brian Smith said he has about buying textbooks:

"It sucks.

The Coop has a much higher return rate than many bookstores, about 30 percent, Mooney said. According to Gertz, the BC bookstore's return rate is about two-thirds of that amount.

The reason, Mooney said, is that students at Harvard have a much greater tendency to buy books and return them because of shopping period. It is therefore much more difficult to predict, even after a class has begun, how many people will eventually enroll.

"It makes things much more challenging. Some Core classes will have an enrollment of 60, then the enrollment balloons to 200 and then back to 60 again," Mooney said.

The result, however, is that prices at the Coop are often higher than at other bookstores. For example, the books required for Moral Reasoning 22: "Justice" and Historical Study B-61: "The Warren Court and the Pursuit of Justice, 1953-1969" can all be found for less money at WordsWorth Books and all for equal or lesser amounts at the Harvard Bookstore.

Students interviewed while shopping in the Coop often said they don't believe they get the best value there but rely on the official book store for the convenience having all of their books grouped together by class.

"It sometimes feels like I'm paying more than I need to," said David C. Atherton '00. "If I heard of some where else to go, I would. I did hear that for novels you should always go other places than the Coop."

The Coop is taking measures to combat the rising prices, Mooney said, like encouraging the sale of more used books than in the past. The Coop offers students 50 percent off the cover price of their books if they will be used again in a class in an upcoming semester.

"It does a couple of positive things," Mooney said. "It gives more money back to students and provides more used copies for future students."

The difficulty, Mooney said, is in predicting what classes will be taught in the future so that the right used books can be bought.

"Whenever we can, we try aggressively to get book orders early from faculty members," he said. "That's what makes it successful, to know ahead of time what books will be needed."

Students interviewed said they often take matters into their own hands.

"We're doing a lot more book-sharing than we used to," said Melissa E. Swift '98. "And after a few years you build up a store of books, so it's not as bad."

Still, many students seem to agree with the feelings Extension School student Brian Smith said he has about buying textbooks:

"It sucks.