Tell Me the Deal with the Deal
Graphic By: Jenn Peterson

I am getting tired of the hassles associated with textbooks. I, like many students at this fine institution, study language. That means a lot of books: books of literature, books of critical analysis, novels, course packs, you name it. All in all, your average English major spends about $400 a semester on books. This is what most majors pay, actually. Nevertheless, we don't seem to be getting all the deals they told us we would.

First of all, do we even need all these books they tell us we need? For my psychology class last semester, I was given the wrong book to buy, so I had to buy the two books I needed. That turned out to be about $120, both brand-new, never-been-used texts. Well, they were returned in the same condition because we never used them. When I tried to sell them back, I was told I would not get a refund. I wasn't given an explanation that made any sense.

Why? That simply makes no sense. I paid for the books, I had my receipt just like the guidelines for the buy-back policy say, and I still didn't get any money back. They told me they wouldn't be using "this edition" of the book next semester. I doubt they used the new edition this semester in that class either.

The same thing went for my Religion, Anthropology and Sociology texts. I got $43 from $400 of text books. They were all in great condition as if they had never been used.

So, I suppose the question I am asking is, what's the big deal with the Deal? I invite anyone with credible insight to let me and the rest of the campus in on the Real Deal.

Responses:
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Name: Whim Elder
Comments:
The "deal" is no deal. When I was still at Radford I found that Felix had a much better deal. The campus book store will only buy back books if they are going to be used for a class that next summer. I have found that Felix will buy back some books even if they aren't because chances are..they will be used again soon. But unfortunatly even there ..there are some times when they just will not buy back a book. But such is life...is it wrong...HELL YEAH, but think kiddoes...the local used book store in your home town might be happy to buy them from you.

Name: shaun
Year: senior cititzen
Major: english
Comments:
Never once, in all the time I've been in college, have I ever paid more than $400 for books. Truth be told, the further I got into my studies in English, the less I paid for books, most of them were just cheap ass paperbacks. Granted, I couldn't sell back hardly any of em, but it sure makes my book collection look big. :)

Name: DevilFanFacesWryJeer
Comments:
Nearly all of the books I have purchased have the 50% back sticker on them, and I never got 50% back. No matter what your experiences have been, the bookstore is advertising a service and is not providing the way it advertises. And why pick and choose which editions of books it keeps? New editions come out all the time. My religion book was quite old (yet still in good condition) yet psychology texts change year to year. Why get new editions of one book but not new editions of the other? And professors being informed?! I wish! Some of my tenured profs had no idea what books we were getting, told us to go out and buy them, then told us to go sell them when we were informed they were the wrong book. Sounds like the bookstore was quite a utopia when you were here.

Name: Chris
Year: graduate/alumni
Major: english
Comments:
To begin with, I need to state the fact that as an English major I have never paid $400 for my books! That just needed to be made clear for everyone. Secondly, if you receive the wrong books, you should have known to bring back the wrong one before buying the correct ones. If you buy a t-shirt that happens to be the wrong size, don't you bring it back before getting the correct one? As for the bookstore buying books back, in my opinion, it is not the bookstores fault when the publisher comes out with new editions. What can the bookstore do about that? It is not their fault when books change. And besides, I think the professor is informed when books are going to change, so, shouldn't you take this up with the professors of your classes instead of the bookstore? It is also my opinion that this is a service the bookstore offers the students. Does anyone realize they do not have to do this? At least you can get something back for your books instead of nothing. Have you ever thought of that? As far as DEAL is concerned...the bookstore guarantees 50% back on the books which have deal stickers. If you buy books with deal stickers on them, you get half your money back. Half is better than none, correct? As far as I know, most universities do not buy books back at all, or, if they do, they are lucky to get 10% back for their books. I feel this service is a great one, and we are lucky that our bookstore does it.

Name: Brian
Year: Alumni
Major: CRJU
Comments:
No one is ever going to win the battle against the bookstore, or your realitors for that matter. Students should try to buy books online now, it saves you money and there is an extensive buyback policey where you can communicate with students all over the country that "will not be using that edition" for the next semester. Down with Felix.

Comments:
if the bookstore won't buy back your books, try posting an ad for selling your books yourself -- you'll get more money and the student buying them will save some!

Name: rachel
Major: media
Comments:
i think books are entirely too expensive. they should be included in the tuition.

Name: dave
Year: senior
Major: goofin' off
Comments:
Yes, I myself have cursed the bloated plutocrats that profit from our bookstore purchases. What gives?

Name: Jenn
Comments:
I've been screwed by the deal also. After I took my Bio 101 class the bookstore wouldn't buy the text back because they said they won't use the same book again. I left the book at home and when I went to buy my bio 102 book, it was the same damn book I tried selling back before. Since my other book was 300 miles away at home I bought the book again thinking that maybe this time they would take it back after the first time I went home. Well, they wouldn't take the book back again so I was stuck with two copies of the same bio textbook. Never even read it so I wonder why I even bothered wasting a second $60 bucks. And I always spend around $200 on books but maybe get $75 back. What a great deal the deal is.