vendredi, janvier 14, 2005
the scam
I know everybody probably realizes this already, but I just want to point out that university bookstores, along with textbook publishers, are trying (and succeeding, sadly) to rip off students to a disgusting degree.
For my Cognitive Psychology class, the textbook, Cognition (6th edition), by Margaret Matlin, is selling for about $120.00 at our on-campus bookstore. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS. Granted, that is about what you'd pay on Amazon for a new copy of the book. But why buy new?
Oh, maybe because your professor tells you, with a thoughtful and serious expression, that you "really ought to buy the new edition...". They're all in on it, you see.
Another reason to buy from your university bookstore? Well, this semester they're distributing a wonderful pamphlet (published by the company in charge of university bookstores) explaining how it's unsafe and unwise to buy online, because you might not be able to return the book if there's a problem with it.
And RETURNS? Our on-campus bookstore has a fabulous return policy. Umm, right! I purchased some course materials today (not an overpriced textbook) and was reminded that "Monday is the last day for returns". Even for material purchased today.
And why...? Because the bookstore needs books back for students who may have picked up classes late, instead of ordering new books and being over-stocked. God forbid that they lose a few dollars in the deal.
It just makes no sense to me to tell students that they simply must spend an exorbitant amount of money on textbooks that they usually use for only ONE semester. You can spend over five hundred dollars that way. It's ludicrous. Last semester I ordered a book online and paid probably a third what I would have paid at the bookstore. I settled for an earlier edition, but didn't notice a problem with the content at all. And my book arrived in the mail very promptly, depite warnings on Amazon.com that "international deliveries can take up to eight weeks". I hope I have similar luck with the used Cognition text that I ordered this semester, for which, again, I paid one-third the price. In the meantime, there is a copy on reserve at the library that I've been reading. Whatever, man. | ¶ 1:54 p.m.
For my Cognitive Psychology class, the textbook, Cognition (6th edition), by Margaret Matlin, is selling for about $120.00 at our on-campus bookstore. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS. Granted, that is about what you'd pay on Amazon for a new copy of the book. But why buy new?
Oh, maybe because your professor tells you, with a thoughtful and serious expression, that you "really ought to buy the new edition...". They're all in on it, you see.
Another reason to buy from your university bookstore? Well, this semester they're distributing a wonderful pamphlet (published by the company in charge of university bookstores) explaining how it's unsafe and unwise to buy online, because you might not be able to return the book if there's a problem with it.
And RETURNS? Our on-campus bookstore has a fabulous return policy. Umm, right! I purchased some course materials today (not an overpriced textbook) and was reminded that "Monday is the last day for returns". Even for material purchased today.
And why...? Because the bookstore needs books back for students who may have picked up classes late, instead of ordering new books and being over-stocked. God forbid that they lose a few dollars in the deal.
It just makes no sense to me to tell students that they simply must spend an exorbitant amount of money on textbooks that they usually use for only ONE semester. You can spend over five hundred dollars that way. It's ludicrous. Last semester I ordered a book online and paid probably a third what I would have paid at the bookstore. I settled for an earlier edition, but didn't notice a problem with the content at all. And my book arrived in the mail very promptly, depite warnings on Amazon.com that "international deliveries can take up to eight weeks". I hope I have similar luck with the used Cognition text that I ordered this semester, for which, again, I paid one-third the price. In the meantime, there is a copy on reserve at the library that I've been reading. Whatever, man. | ¶ 1:54 p.m.
