According to a recent article in this newspaper, University administrators are currently in the process of negotiations with Labyrinth Books to open up a bookstore that will replace Micawber Books on Nassau Street. The University will simultaneously force the U-Store out of the book market. As these plans are finalized, there is much reason to be concerned that students have not been sufficiently consulted as to what they want and need in an academic bookstore.
While there are certainly times when it is inappropriate and inadvisable for the administration to base its decisions on the wants of students, when it comes to an aspect of education as important as books, student opinion should be solicited and considered in advance of any significant changes. In the past, administrators have frequently recognized this by initiating campus-wide web surveys, among other things, to study issues like dining and social options, care provided by University Health Services and calendar reform.
If undergraduates are consulted about what they want in a bookstore, they would be able to provide insight on a wide range of concerns. Of special importance to students is the pricing of textbooks. While it may be safe to assume that the University recognizes that students prefer the lowest prices possible for texts, students doubtlessly have opinions on specific methods of pricing and discounting that may not be so easily inferable.
Questions abound. Do students prefer the U-Store's policy of providing all of its members with a 5 percent discount on textbooks or Micawber's policy of discounting textbooks when possible but not providing across-the-board discounts to students? Would they prefer a policy of giving discounts only after a student has spent a certain amount of money at a given store, as is the practice at Labyrinth's two current locations in New York and New Haven?
Students may also have opinions on bookstore layout, especially when purchasing textbooks. Do they prefer selecting their own books off the shelves of the U-Store, or do they prefer waiting for clerks to gather texts from the basement of Micawber, the same facility where the University allegedly plans to install Labyrinth?
Furthermore, the exact reasoning behind the University's new bookstore plans remains unclear. It is impossible for students, alumni and their families — perhaps the primary consumers of both textbooks and Princeton memorabilia — to judge whether the new plans will actually prove beneficial. For instance, if students are forced to walk further to buy textbooks that cost just as much, is it really such a good idea for the University to move textbook sales?
There are a wide range of topics about book selling on which students could provide feedback if given the chance. The apparent neglect the administration has shown in soliciting student opinion on this issue should be corrected as soon as possible — before any final plans are drafted.
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