Page 4
Are Bookstore
By CAROL RICE and
JEAN PARVIN
More than one Guilford
student has been heard to
mumble that "the bookstore
prices are unfair." Perhaps these
students do not know how
fortunate they really are. In
comparison with other area
colleges, the Guilford College
bookstore is fair and efficient.
Contrasted with similar
bookstores of previous years, the
Wills Bookstore operation is a
definite improvement.
Certainly conmon personal
items such as soap, stationery,
and non-prescription medicines,
as well as school supply items
including notebook folders and
paper can be purchased at
discount stores for slightly
reduced prices. .If students have
the time and transportation they
may be able to save some money
by shopping carefully for these
items. The bookstore does not
attempt to offer bargain prices
on these goods because they are
carried primarily as a
convenience to students.
The articles which can be
purchased only at the campus
bookstore should be the ones of
major concern. These would
particularly include textbooks
and items emblazoned with the
college name or seal.
"Fair Trade" Prices
In order to understand the
prices of textbooks, one must
first know the basic facts about
the profit margin of the retailer.
According to the manager of the
Duke University textbook store,
all retail handlers of books are
supposed to sell them at the
suggested retail price fixed by
the publisher. This is in
accordance with the understood
"fair trade" practices. Profit on
books is only about 20%, so it is
very difficult to cut prices at all
and still make enough money to
operate the business
successfully.
Guilford alumni can
remember too vividly the days
when Guilford College tried to
operate its bookstore without
the help of an outside agency.
Legend tells us that students
were often caught out in the
snow or freezing weather in long
lines queued up outside the
business offices in New Garden
Hall waiting to purchase their
textbooks.
Basically there are three
common methods of operating a
school bookstore. Usually they
are run by the college which
hires a manager and student help
to assist him. Area colleges
which use this system include
Greensboro College, Wake
Forest, Duke, and Bennett
College. An outside firm is
sometimes contracted to come
in and operate the bookstore.
Guilford is using this method
now.
Co-Op Failures
A third alternative is a
co-operative, set up by students.
In many cases where this has
been attempted the effort has
failed. It usually accomplishes its
primary purpose, that of
lowering price of articles for the
students.
However, the greatest
weakness in this system is that
very few students can spare
enough time to work in the
business and make it a success.
Eleven out of twelve
textbooks chosen at random
from the Guilford course
requirement lists were indexed
in the guide to books in print.
"Books in Print," such as the
ones included below, lists the
book's suggested retail price set
by the publisher. In each case
the price charged by the
Guilford bookstore was exactly
the same as the publisher's price.
Comparing prices of clothing
is much more difficult since such
criterion as quality, durability,
and style are hard to judge
impartially. Gym suits are
required of all girls in freshman
Phys. Ed. courses. Guilford girls
wear a two-piece outfit which
includes red shorts and a white
short-sleeved blouse with the
Guilford College seal on the
front pocket. The shorts cost
$5.25, the blouse $4.40. In
addition, a girl is expected to
have tennis shoes, sweat socks,
and a white sweat shirt.
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Are students getting their money's worth?
#GIVE HIM AN
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CHRISTMAS
rftarrq ffiunum
JEWELER J Bmcm ..a.
5605-A FRIENDLY AVE. QUAKER VILLAGE
GREENaiJORO, N. C. 27410
TELEPHONE 292-6733
The fashion stores
for the college students
The Guilfordian
Even at large schools where a
co-operative has been tried it has
failed because it is too much for
students to handle along with
their studies.
Guilford's bookstore claims it
has a 20% markup on textbooks.
The manager of Bennett
College's store sells most of his
books with a 20% profit, but
one book publisher, the
American Book Company, has
suggested retail prices which
include only a 10% markup.
Paperbacks have a larger
margin—usually 20% to 40%.
At Bennett College the girls
wear a one-piece suit
manufactured by E. R. Moore of
Chicago which retails for $6.50.
The Greensboro College
bookstore insists they sell white,
one-piece girls' gym suits for $3.
The girls there must also
purchase sweat pants and a
sweat shirt, each $3.
Prices Nearly Same
Prices for Guilford tee-shirts
and sweat-shirts are comparable
to other colleges, especially for
the same brand. Noticeably
lower-priced were the items at
Greensboro College. Their
bookstore claims that tee-shirts
range from $1.50 to $1.95, and
their college sweat shirt costs
range from $3 to $3.95, with
none priced over $4. College
tee-shirts for Guilford range
from $1.98 to $2.75. Sweat shirt
prices span froms3.2s to $5.
Not all the products available
for students in the Guilford
Bookstore are mentioned here.
Perhaps by shopping selectively
one can obtain lower prices for
some conmon items offered at
the bookstore. But its purpose is
not to offer the biggest bargains
in town to Guilford students.
WALLACE
(Continued from Page 3)
Democrats, are shakily
attempting to plot an effective
course. For the Democrats, this
means healing the wounds
caused by Johnson's war policies
and Mayor Daley's activities at
the 1968 Democratic National
Convention.
However, while Democrats
v !Bftd Republicans struggle to find
their • productive identity, the
American Independent Party
united under the leadership of
George Wallace continues its .
efforts to effect a change in
American government.
Ibrnarft
CLOTHING FOR THE COLLEGE
GENTLEMEN & CO-EDS
GAMES THIS WEEK
Dec. 7 Wilmington HOME
Yi ® ec * Pfeiffer Away vs\|l M
Dec. 12 Catawba HOME
Friendly Shopping Center
299-7995 Greensboro, N.C.
iV MON.-FRI. XTTT (U
Jla. nites Shopped
Quaker Village
HJSsKL V a Shopping Center
MM "DIRNDLE" ill
SKIRTS 9JSL ij
FA' Wool— and ||
// B SPECIALLY PRICED W
M I FROM U P gmt Q::
STRETCH JEANS W%
Wrangler—Six colors to choose
from. Sizes sto 15. ._ __ He W $
DTD M A $5.98 H I
PERMA- CUIDTC ttf m !
PRESS dnlMd Mj o
Bermuda or button-down style. Jw
Oxford cloth.
$5 j
Friday, December 6, 1968
Instead, it strives to provide
necessary items at reasonable
prices in addition to its main
business line—textbooks. And
those are offered at prices which
are hard to beat.
Book Sugg. Retail Price
(And Actual Guil. Price)
Del Solar Hispanico S.BO
(Span. 104)
Approaches to Ethics 8.95
(Phil. 211)
Elements of Physics 12.95
(Physics 331)
The Twenty Years
Crisis 1.60
(Poli. Sci.)
Hinduism (Zaehner) 1.65
(Reli. 202)
Sommets Litteraires
Francais Not listed
(French 211)
Latin America: Development oi
its Civilization 9.95
(His. 25)
Integrated Algebra and
Trig. 9.50
(Math 111)
Manual for Writing Term
Papers 1.25
(Kate Turabian)
Norton Anthology of
English 5.95
(Lit. Vol. I) (paperback)
(Eng. 233)
Gen. College Chemistry 9.95
(Chem. Ill)
Money & Banking: Analysis
& Policy 8.95
(Econ. 32)