By Dana Jennings, Online Sports Editor
Saint Leo University students find long lines at the bookstore at the beginning and end of every semester, but what are all of the purchasers doing when they get to the register? If they are buying their books, they are possibly missing out on saving money.
If a student buys a book new and returns it to the bookstore, they will receive up to 50 percent of its value, whereas a book rental is 55 percent off of the value. This translates to a five percent savings to rent the book, which adds up when most books are around $100.
“We have saved the students $79,488 this semester,” said Saint Leo University Bookstore manager Maureen Tarpey.
The bookstore guarantees that a rental book will be taken back even if the edition goes out of date or a course no longer supports the textbook. This is in contrast to a book purchased new; in the case of a new edition that comes out, the older edition is rendered obsolete and the bookstore will not buy it back. A student may also elect to buy their rental book after their classes have started. However, this must be completed before the October 31 deadline.
The bookstore has done a lot of work to build an image that reflects Saint Leo University’s core values.
“We are here as part of the community. We want students to come in and be comfortable to talk to us if there is an issue. The bookstore is here for a reason; it is an investment in your education” said Tarpey.
Sophomore Deborah Cummings shares that image.
They have very friendly service, as everything you need is there, but I think the prices are high,” said Cummings.
Many students elect to purchase their books online to save money and find themselves without aid at the bookstore. If a student buys a book on amazon.com, the bookstore has no recourse to assist in the event of any problems.
“We can’t help much, except to sell them a book,” said Tarpey.
While the bookstore cannot help with those purchases, they can help if the purchases are made in the bookstore.
“We can talk about any issues, and many can be worked out with documentation,” said Tarpey.
