Life is full of choices. This is the time of year when we make the choice to buy or not to buy textbooks. If you choose the former, textbooks are available from several sources, but usually we buy books at nearby bookstores. The prices vary a few dollars at each store, but when comparing bookstores in terms of atmosphere, convenience and selection, the LSU Bookstore is usually the winner.
But by the spring semester that may change. In October 2003, Co-Op is opening a new bookstore I think could be confused for “The Super Wal-Mart of bookstores.”
Chris Prescott, Co-Op Bookstore manager, says the new building, located in the Southgate Village plaza, has twice as much space as the current building, allowing it to expand its merchandise and book selection. It also contains a “multi purpose room” that will be available for use by community and student organizations for seminars, meetings, classes or art shows.
In selecting the new location the owners of the Co-Op bookstore paid attention to the Campus Master Plan. The Master Plan, a strategic plan for the future development of LSU, has outlined the area of the new store location as the site for much of the new construction at LSU. This makes it possible that in a few years the location of the new Co-Op bookstore may be as convenient for some as the LSU Bookstore is presently.
Even before the master plan is implemented, the new Co-Op Bookstore is an area that is developing quickly. In the last few years several businesses have moved to the area, which is not far from Tigerland and several apartment complexes.
So how do you choose which store to buy from? I used to price my books at every store and then go and buy them at the least expensive location. Then as a general practice, I would not go to the LSU Bookstore because I had always heard its prices were the most expensive. I later found out that this is not necessarily true.
The following semester I decided it was more convenient to put enough money on Tiger Cash every semester and just buy my books at the LSU Bookstore regardless of the cost.
But paying attention would have saved me a lot of money because the LSU Bookstore has a Price Matching Plus program. The program works like this. If you find a book at another store in town for less than the cost at the LSU Bookstore, (they will not honor online prices) the LSU Bookstore will match the price and sell it to you for one dollar less. Joe Bender, LSU Bookstore manager, said the program was advertised for two and a half years and fewer than 20 students took advantage of the program. (The LSU Bookstore still will honor the matching plus program to any student.)
I am not surprised more students did not take advantage of the Price Matching Plus Program. I consider myself a slacker so in practice that kind of deal is not tempting. Unless the price difference was really significant I prefer to buy books wherever I am. In the beginning of the semester, I am too concerned with getting behind on my reading to run all over trying to save a few dollars, but the gesture is nice.
If your needs exceed getting the lowest price, the LSU Bookstore may not be able to meet all of your needs.
“We don’t compete [with Co-OP] in art supplies. But I believe we are the only bookstore in town that carries every required textbook,’ Bender said.
The LSU Bookstore may be the only place where all of the books for a particular class have been ordered, but this does not necessarily mean that your book will be in stock or that there will be enough of them. At times, this can be more frustrating than the store not carrying the book.
Co-Op may not have every book you need, but it will probably have all of your art supplies. Though the Union’s on-campus location is convenient, the new Co-Op location will have plenty of parking, making it more accessible for students with vehicles. Co-Op will probably be less congested than the LSU Bookstore during the start of the semester because the Union is among the most crowded locations on campus. But if you have classes throughout the day and need a place to shop at night, the LSU Bookstore has the most convenient hours. It stays open until 9 p.m. for the first week each semester, making it easier to shop for books.
Another factor I find important when deciding where to shop is that the LSU Bookstore contributes back to the University. This is not solely an act of goodwill but it is the price it pays for the privilege for being on campus. The bookstore contributes 11 cents from each dollar spent there back to the University. So in a sense, when you buy from the LSU Bookstore you contribute to the University.
If giving back to an institution that gives to you is important then I would encourage you to shop at the LSU Bookstore. If not, then I say go wherever the prices are cheapest and the supplies you need are present.
As a student who has frequently grumbled about what the LSU Bookstore does not have or how exorbitant its price is for an item but has done nothing about it, I think we should take the time each semester to find the lowest prices and make the LSU Bookstore honor its program. All we have to do is go to the other bookstores first and the Union last. Maybe we could even all run around to the bookstores together, like big, blood-thirsty scavengers. Then maybe they would feel the pressure to make it convenient and cheap for us to buy our “required” reading.
If any of the stores were really committed to having the lowest prices for students they would do it on their own. We would not have to go to every store; we would know that whatever store we go to we are getting the best deal.
The reason why we do not have the stores going out of their way to provide the best prices is that there are more than enough students and more than enough money to go around. So perhaps we should pick one store, demand that it carries everything we need and only shop there.
The effect the new Co-Op Bookstore will have on our lives remains to be seen, but starting in October you will have another bigger, and what seems to be a better, store to choose from.