Among the rites and rituals of the first week of class is a trip to the University Bookstore to buy textbooks for the coming term, usually resulting in a big hit to the wallet for many students.
Those frustrated with high prices have a number of alternative sources for textbooks to choose from, but will they save students any money? A good way to compare is to choose a book at random and do some shopping, so here’s a comparative look at one textbook.
“Psychology,” Fourth Edition, by Peter Gray, is a required text for Psychology 201. New editions of the book sell for $93.15 at the University Bookstore and include supplemental texts and a CD-ROM. Used copies of the textbook alone are priced at $69.85.
The Internet didn’t have much to offer in savings. Used copies of “Psychology” could be found for $73.00 on www.amazon.com, and $74.88 on www.half.com.
New copies of the book sell for $96.60 at Amazon.com and a whopping $102.75 on Barnes & Nobles’ Web site, which also operates as www.textbooks.com.
Smith Family Book Store, at 768 E. 13th Ave., had a used copy of the book for $58.95, nearly 15 percent cheaper than the University Bookstore. But there is a catch — at the time of this report, there was only one copy of the Fourth Edition on the shelf.
Smith Family did, however, have a large stack of Third Edition copies priced at $20 each. Online, Third Edition copies were selling for as little as $3.49 through Half.com.
Saving upward of $90 on an older version of a textbook may be tempting, but it may not be the wisest strategy.
Dr. Ulrich Mayr, who will be teaching Psychology 201 in the fall, says that students in his class will be better off buying the current edition.
“Substantial changes have been made (in the Fourth Edition) that affect the structure of chapters,” he said. “My syllabus will contain page numbers for the Fourth Edition, not for the Third Edition.
“Trying to keep abreast with the material is usually hard enough. (It’s) better not to waste time worrying about whether what you are reading is really relevant or whether you may be missing out on something critical.”
While some may feel pinched by high prices at the University Bookstore, in this case, it is still the cheapest and most convenient option.
Spokesman Allen Mather said the bookstore staff understands that textbooks are a considerable financial burden for most students.
“We’re trying to be part of the solution,” he said.
Mather said the bookstore is essentially a cooperative, and the store’s profits are returned to students and faculty in the form of lower book prices.
“The reason this store is here is because students and faculty wanted to supply their own books,” he said.
Nonetheless, students looking for used books may find it worth their while to take a stroll down
13th Avenue.
Smith Family Bookstore buys and sells a number of used textbooks. But manager Evon Smith said that, although some professors are ordering course materials through the store, Smith Family doesn’t generally deal in new textbooks.
Mother Kali’s, 720 E. 13th Ave., is also branching out into the used textbook business. The store specializes in feminist literature but has textbooks available in a variety of subjects.
“It’s not just women’s studies,” manager Tova Stabin said. “It’s a big part of our business now.”
Stabin said that the store’s prices and policies are based on those at the University Bookstore.
“We want to be as fair as possible with students,” she said, “without slitting our throats at the same time.”