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Campus Review
August 15, 2014
Page 12
10 Money-Saving Tips on
Buying Textbooks from a College Store
R. Todd Smith, Clayton State University
director of Campus Store Services, is the
East Region Trustee for the National
Association of College Stores (NACS)
Board of Trustees.
As part of the leadership of NACS Smith,
who also directs Clayton State
University’s The Loch Shop, has the
inside word on tips for buying college
textbooks from a college store or, in this
case, from The Loch Shop.
According to NACS, with the cost of a
year’s worth of required college student
course materials averaging $638 (that’s
according to the most recent data gathered in
OnCampus Research’s Student Watch sur-
vey of more than 12,000 college students),
said students constantly seek ways to save
money when it comes to textbooks. But they
may risk not getting the materials they need
to succeed in time for the start of classes by
purchasing online or forgoing books for the
semester altogether. Indeed, this second
“option” is probably the epitome of “penny-
wise, pound-foolish.”
The college store is a reliable source for
textbooks, providing the most value for a
student’s textbook-buying dollar. In addi-
tion to offering less expensive used books
and rental of print and e-books, many col-
lege stores offer such money-saving offers
as price-matching via price comparison
software they offer in the store, free ship-
ping, guaranteed buyback, and sales on
textbooks the day before classes begin. In
addition, many stores are investing in
price comparison software in order to
compete with online companies.
As a service to students everywhere,
Smith and NACS offer the following tips
on how students can save on their text-
book purchases, while retaining the ease
and convenience of purchasing from the
campus store.
1) Become a fan of your campus store’s
Facebook page and follow them on
Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Stores
often give advance notice of money-sav-
ing specials to followers or fans.
2) Be cautious when purchasing course
materials online from outside/unknown
sources. Items might not arrive on time, be
the incorrect edition of what your professor
has assigned, or not include required access
codes. Don’t forget to consider shipping
expenses in the total cost of the textbook, and
check refund policies. Your local campus
store guarantees the correct title and edition
chosen by your instructor.
3) Rent print or electronic textbooks.
Almost all of NACS’ more than 3,000 col-
lege store members offer such options,
giving cost-conscious students access to
course materials for about one-third to
half the price of buying a new text.
4) Check for customized options – they
could be less expensive. If multiple books
are listed on a syllabus, the store will know if
there are customized options that the profes-
sor, store, and publisher have created that are
less-expensive and contain only the content
the professor requires.
5) Buy used textbooks. Shop the store
early or buy directly from your college
store’s web site to
take advantage of
used-book sales.
6) Know your
store’s refund poli-
cy, especially dead-
lines. This way, you
won’t be disap-
pointed if you drop
a class.
7) Keep receipts. Most stores require them
for returns. Also, textbook receipts are
helpful during tax season when filing for
the American Opportunity Tax Credit. For
details on how to apply for the credit, go
to www.textbookaid.org.
8) Don’t write in or unwrap books until
you’re certain you’ll be keeping them.
Most sellers won’t offer full credit for
books that have been marked or bundles
that have been opened.
9) If you don’t see what you need, ask.
Many college stores participate in
exchange programs and can have the text-
book you need sent to the store.
10) If you have questions, ask. Your col-
lege store professional is the course mate-
rial expert on campus, dedicated to help-
ing you obtain all of the educational tools
you need for academic success in the for-
mat you desire.
Headquartered in Oberlin, Oh., NACS is
the professional trade association repre-
senting the $10 billion collegiate retailing
industry.
annual reports, and the preparation of the
fifth-year report to the SACSCOC.
Not surprisingly, given her direction of
PACE, Dr. Miller also values service.
She’s been a judge at local and regional
science fairs in Coweta, Griffin, Henry,
Fayette and Clayton counties, and she vol-
unteers in the Coweta County Schools. As
a Blue Devil, she was a brother (yes, a
brother) in the co-ed service fraternity
Alpha Phi Omega.
“This is an excellent opportunity for our
students to take what is for many of them
a natural inclination to get involved in
their community, and use that to deepen
their learning and their connections with
each other, our campus, and our surround-
ing communities. It’s very exciting!”
PACE, cont’d. from p. 4
R. Todd Smith