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Textbooks are a necessary evil in every college student's life.
They're heavy, they're boring and, worst of all, they're expensive. It's not uncommon for students to shell out a few hundred dollars for one quarter's worth of textbooks, though few students know where that money goes.
According to Babette Babich, assistant manager and textbook buyer for EvCC's bookstore, the school bookstore adds a 25 percent margin to the textbooks it carries. This means that, if a book costs $100 from the publisher, the bookstore will sell it for $125 and the extra $25 will be what goes to the bookstore.
However, that $25 doesn't necessarily equate to profit. The bookstore has to pay its employees, rent, utilities and other expenses, meaning that the actual profit is significantly less. According to the National Association of College Stores, school bookstores receive an average of 4.4 cents from every dollar as profit, before taxes.
The school does take measures to cut down the cost of textbooks for students through its buying practices.
Before purchasing from used book companies or directly from the publisher, Babich estimates the number of books she expects to be returned for book buyback week. If she anticipates thirty books to come in during book buyback week, the first thirty students to sell their books back will receive half of the new retail price, regardless of what students paid for the book.
"After that, they [the book buyback companies] are buying for their warehouse, and that's basically how they're covering their expenses...so anything above whatever I have reserved they are buying for their warehouse," Babich said. Those students may receive less money than those who turned in their books early.
Books turned in to EvCC are processed quickly, making book buyback week also the best time to buy used books as there is less chance of them running out.
Once her estimated book buyback quota has been filled, Babich turns to used book companies. These companies offer used books at cheaper prices, making them more affordable to students.
If Babich can not find enough used copies of books for the registered students, she then turns to the publishers, who charge more.
"I equate it to putting down crab pots," Babich said. She offers several opportunities for cheap textbooks, but doesn't know what she'll find.
The bookstore is also exploring other options for students, including a textbook rental service for a few titles to come into effect for winter quarter. This service will charge a percentage of the books total cost to rent the book for a quarter.
In addition, the bookstore also offers elec tronic versions of some textbooks, though some instructors prefer that students use the traditional version rather than electronic.
"There's a lot of really cool stuff coming up," said Babich. "Now is definitely when things are changing, big time."
Outside of the bookstore, there are other options available for less expensive textbooks as well.
EvCC student Amanda Vadjinia prefers to borrow or buy books from former students to save money, or shop online. "Generally, [the bookstore] is a bit more pricey and it takes longer to get my books than Amazon or borrowing," she said.
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