Bookstore Attempts to Combat Rising Book Costs

October 9, 2016February 25, 2020 The Guardsman

By Bethaney Lee

Follett Higher Education Group Inc., the corporation responsible for stocking the CCSF Bookstore, has made attempts to reduce student spending through their used and rental textbook programs.

An employee assists a student with a textbook purchase at the City College Ocean Campus bookstore on Sept. 12, 2014 (Photo by Nathaniel Y. Downes/Special to The Guardsman)

“While publishers primarily drive the cost of course materials, we help students save by offering the largest inventory of used books in the industry and a growing rental library,” Bookstore Manager Robert Gibson said. “Our rental program saves students up to 80 percent compared to purchasing new.”

While students have various methods of obtaining textbooks due to the tech-driven industry, Gibson said students can request used books with prices more comparable to those they would find online.

“Students can specifically request a used copy when ordering books on our website. The order is filled directly from the CCSF Bookstores’ stock at the six CCSF locations,” Gibson said. “If a customer’s preference in condition is not available at one of our locations, then their order is routed to the nearest location that can meet the customer’s request.”

Students can also rent textbooks to lessen costs. This fall semester, over 60 percent of titles offered at the bookstore were part of the rental program.

Still, used and rental textbooks aren’t the only options available to students on campus. City College instructors have aided students in cutting costs, too.

“Some instructors have converted textbooks into course readers,” cinema student Robert Rodriguez said. “It is a cheaper copied version of a textbook so that students can save money.”

Rodriguez spent $150 for the 2016 Fall semester using Amazon as his primary source for school books.

“I have to find cheaper deals because the cost of a brand new book can be outrageous,” he said.

“Even though the bookstore is not responsible for setting the prices of new books, we understand that students are seeking opportunities to cut costs,” Gibson said. “We work very hard to keep prices competitive in order to provide students hassle-free access to all the materials needed for success.”