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Campus bookstore buyback policy: does it really pay?
By Robyn Campbell
Barnes and Noble bought the book and gift stores in December of 2000. According to Regional Manager for Barnes and
Noble in Texas Darren Croom, Barnes and Noble signed a contract to finish out the spring semester with the Follett
buyback system. Under the Follett system, the bookstore offered 50 percent of the original purchase price only if
professors requested the book for the next term, and the bookstore was not overstocked. If a book did not meet that
criteria, then the price was based ona national standard, which is often much lower thanthe 50 percent buyback price.
"It's a rip-off," said Boma Onumodo, UH-Clear Lake graduate student. "It's good business sense for the company, but
unfair for the students. They need to be more considerate of the students' financial means."
Under the new system, according to Croom, students should receive at least half of what the books cost at buyback.
If a new book retails at $100 at the time of buyback, the book should be worth $50. If a used book costs $75 at the
time of buyback, thenthe book should be worth $37.50.
The bookstore generates $3 million annually, according to Croom, but the store only sees a fraction of the amount.
Each UH campus associated with Barnes and Noble Downtown, Main, and Clear Lake receives 13 percent of the profits.
The bookstore's profit after overhead is roughly $200,000.
Barnes and Noble is also looking into alternative forms of purchasing books at the bookstore. A Web site is in the
works for students to purchase books online.
The focus for the bookstore, according to Croom, is improving customer service, which includes reducing the amount
of time it takes students to do business in the bookstore.
Croom stated that students must not wait in line for more than 10 minutes. Croom wants the students to get in and
out of the bookstore in a timely manner.
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