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Book Store Prices Stretches Affordability

Within the past five years textbook and bookstore merchandise pricing has steadily, and noticeably, increased due to the rises in economic pricing. However, the University has been in the process of implementing alternative, cheaper methods for providing students with reasonable pricing when it comes to textbook and other schooling supplies.

According to the Vice President for Finance William Craig, the average textbook costs have risen between five and seven percent in the past couple of years, which naturally have had an effect on the prices charged at the university bookstore.

The reason for the textbook raises, according to Craig, stems from the vendors and their pricing. Since the bookstore orders from various vendors depending on the products being offered, and as a result of the demand these vendors can change over time.

“Every effort is made to provide student with lower cost options,” Craig said. “Whenever possible the bookstore obtains used books for class offerings, [and] several years ago a rental option began to be offered.”

The additional measures to make textbooks the bookstore’s main priority stems from the fact that textbooks make up over 75 percent of the sales at the university store, and apparel, clothing and other merchandise making up about 15 percent, Craig said.

He added that when students are looking up textbooks for their respective courses online, there is a comparison tool available that compares the bookstore prices to other available online options. By using this tool Craig said students have the option and knowledge, knowing what other vendors are charging and are free to decide where they are going to order their textbooks from.

However, some student’s argue that not all textbooks are affordable through other vendors, and they have no choice but to order through the school store unaware if the price is necessarily fair. Lauren Casten, a sophomore political science major, has found that for some of her classes the required text was only available through the bookstore. “So far in the two years I’ve been here I have only needed to get two books that were only offered through the bookstore, but the prices for those exclusive books are steep to me. One book was a math workbook that was over $20 and I thought that was pretty ridiculous,” said Casten.

In addition to textbooks sold in the bookstore, a new and expanded assortment of apparel and Monmouth University athletic logo clothing is now available. The merchandise featuring the new Monmouth logo is available both in-house and at the online store which can be accessed from the Athletics homepage.

book_store2Eddy Occhipinti, Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing, said when designing and determining the price of the new apparel, Athletics relied on the help of outside design vendors run through the bookstore or Monmouth’s licensing agency. “Many people had a role in deciding that it was time for a new identity for the Monmouth University Athletics Department. Coaches, administrators and student-athletes, all under the direction of Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil, collaborated on the process in the creation of our new logos and marks. We needed to create a more modern and fierce-looking Hawk, one that showed more action,” said Occhipinti.

Junior Tim Kase, a business and marketing major, likes the new merchandise in the store and thinks that the pricing is fairly reasonable considering the incorporation of the new Athletics logo. “I’ve been hearing some people complain about the logo but I don’t really mind it. I think it looks pretty sleek. Plus from a marketing standpoint I think the new branding for Athletics makes sense since we’re now in the Big South and trying to amp up our athletic prominence,” Kase said.

Despite some of the criticism surrounding the new Athletics logo, Occhipinti has found the general reaction to the logos as positive and supportive. “The overall reception to the new logos and marks has been overwhelming positive,” said Occhipinti, “We understand that it may take some time for people to get used to, but so far we have seen people, both on and off campus, really take to them.”

According to Casten, while the prices in the bookstore have obviously gone up and will continue to fluctuate each year, she believes the respective price tags are expected. “Some of the Athletic clothing and workout gear can get a little expensive but it’s nothing really outrageous. I think the quality is pretty good and the prices reflect that for the majority of the things sold there,” she said.

Furthermore, any profit made from the bookstore goes to paying for the merchandise sold and the remaining proceeds go right into funding for the University.

“Since the University operates its own store, any surplus that is generated by the operation of the bookstore goes to the University and reduces the need for higher tuition and fee costs to students,” said Craig.

“I never really thought about where it [the money] was going when I bought anything there [at the bookstore], but if it’s really going back into the school for things like lowering certain costs for students, I guess I don’t really care if I pay $30 for that textbook or whatever. It seems to all balance out in the end somewhere,” said Kase.

PHOTOS COURTESY of Kiera Lanni