Bookstore policy bites students in wallet
I think some big bucks must be being made
on textbooks these days, judging by the way booksellers are at one anotherís
throats and by the size of the check I recently wrote in the University
Bookstore.
Rich Doherty
Yep, the old 49er mascot took his pick
to my wallet in a big way, leaving me just enough money to buy myself a
bowl of cold gruel.
But my point is that if I donít plan and
carry out a large bank heist around Christmastime, I might not take classes
in the spring.
"Relax," youíre saying. "Sell your books
at the end of the semester and get your money back."
Yeah, right!
I know how that goes. You stand in
a long line to have a buyer carefully check the titles of your texts against
a computer printout.
The buyer then punches a series of numbers
on a calculator. Then he announces the Bookstore is willing to offer you
a bag of belly-button lint for a stack you bought a few months ago.
Why are your beloved books suddenly worth
dog pooh-pooh?
New editions have come out, thatís why.
I remember reading the introduction to
a calculus book (it was by far the most exciting part) and it listed the
highlights of the new and improved ninth edition.
The introduction said the chapters had
been "rearranged in a way to aid the studentís understanding" and "bold
new colors had been added to make the illustrations clearer."
No, really.
You may wonder what the book buyers want
with your outdated books, since they are worth next to nothing.
Here is what the buyers do with your books:
They take a pair of scissors and box of crayons, rearrange the chapters
to aid the studentís understanding, add bold new colors to make the illustrations
clearer, and -- boom -- the 10th edition is now on sale.
Rich Doherty is a journalism major. |
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