As someone who has worked at a campus bookstore, thank you. The company I worked for owns thousands of college bookstores, and we’re not allowed to tell customers about cheaper alternatives. It was so uncomfortable to have people ask me as a cashier about where they can get their books cheaper/sell them back for a better price. I really wish I could tell them!
More often than not, customers would get mad at me personally about the price of textbooks and our rental/return/etc policies. So please, tell your friends about these websites! Spare a poor cashier from being yelled at because people aren’t aware of the other options.
Also, I would see posters all over campus of folks selling their books. Sometimes those books were really old editions, which is sometimes okay, but definitely check with your professor before you buy!
A lot of books come with online access codes that are sometimes needed as well--also check with your professor if you actually need the code. Usually the department tells the bookstore which books to buy as a whole--so, if most professors want the book with the code, the bookstore buys & sells the book with the code.
It’s also worth poking around and seeing if there are other sections with a different professor that uses a cheaper book if you don’t mind changing your schedule & there are still spots open.
Finally, for whatever reason our company didn’t allow us to give out ISBN numbers over the phone or let customers take a photo of their book. I promise the ISBN and all the info you need is going to be on your online student center and/or syllabus. If you have questions, email your professor.
It’s also worth noting that the same book can have different binding/cover art and still be the same edition, so don’t freak out if your book doesn’t look like everyone else’s.
If you do decided to buy a book from the campus store, please bring your actual schedule! It’s the easiest and best way to avoid any possible mistakes. Also, always always always keep your textbook receipts. The company I worked for, which again owns thousands of stores, cannot reprint receipts. So if you want to claim your textbooks for your taxes or if you may need to return it, keep your receipt! Take a photo of it even!
If you’re paying with a parent’s/friend’s/relative’s credit card, don’t tell me. Just swipe it. If you tell me I can’t let you pay with it unless that person is there with you and has ID.
Cashiers don’t set the prices of the books, nor do I decide what books are being used. Take it up with your professor/get mad at the publishers. I can deal with customers who are bummed/frustrated at how expensive books are. I cannot deal with customers who take it out on me.
Please read the rental contract when renting! Like they mentioned above, rental contracts can be super unforgiving and it is a legally binding contract (at least at our company).
tl,dr: Please don’t be an asshole to the folks at your local college bookstore, and spread the word about these legitimate alternatives!
Maybe I’ll write a post someday about the inside scoop of working at a college bookstore, but it’s too soon. I do dearly miss my coworkers though, as well as the genuinely nice customers we did have! I really enjoyed helping people whenever I could, as well as learning how to perfect my passive aggressive niceness with customers who sucked.
