Bookstore no longer a maze

Remembering the confusing returns policy and wanting to be in and out as quickly as possible, I opted to only pick up my Spanish book for my 11 a.m. class. Walking in, I noted the long line at the registers but found the basement almost empty.

Many of us were a little perturbed last semester when we found ourselves in the dungeon of Labyrinth, waiting in line to have someone bring us our books from stacks behind a counter. Many Princeton students, used to browsing through books at the U-Store, were upset with the new procedure and voiced their concerns in person or through USG meetings with the Labyrinth owners, Dorothea von Moltke, her husband Cliff Simms and his brother Peter Simms.

In response to student input, von Moltke and the Simms brothers added new shelving to house some of the textbooks in a space where students could browse. Many humanities courses now have their books displayed, U-Store style, on shelves labeled by course number. Because of Labyrinth's development and zoning restrictions, however, it's not possible for the store to make all books available by browsing.

Once in line upstairs, I counted 17 students in front of me. The wait took about 20 minutes, which I thought was reasonable and comparable to the U-Store lines of the past. About a minute per student, some of whom had at least a dozen books. Last semester, the Labyrinth owners were very confused that Princeton students actually bought their books before the semester started. In their experience with stores at Yale and Columbia, students usually waited until after shopping period to buy books (obviously a different breed of student). This semester, having learned from last spring, von Moltke said she felt more prepared to handle the pre-class rush. In addition to Labyrinth's 15 full-time employees, they brought on 16 extra employees for the end of July through mid-September.

There are other changes taking place at Labyrinth in an effort to entice more students to buy textbooks at the store rather than from each other, or, heaven forbid, amazon.com. Von Moltke explained that the owners worked hard over the summer to address some of students' major concerns. Most complaints have been about the ability to browse textbooks, long lines and the confusing return policy.

Since it's not possible for Labyrinth to leave all textbooks out on the shelves, von Moltke said they have tried to identify the classes with the most books to give students a better idea of what a class might be like and make sure the books are out on the floor rather than behind counters. She also made it very clear that handing the book to a student from behind the counter was another invitation to browse, and also an important point of communication, where staff can let students know if certain books aren't in yet, or which books may be required versus suggested.

After hearing students wanted more used books, the staff at Labyrinth worked over the summer to get book lists from professors ahead of time to track down used copies (and have you ever tried getting an assignment back early from a professor?).

Last semester my biggest problem was the return policy. Even though, to be honest, I didn't know exactly what the policy was, it just didn't seem fair. My fears were allayed when I saw the bright yellow flyer next to the register detailing the policy, which was repeated by the staff member running the register. In case you're wondering, students can return books (with receipt and in original condition) for a refund until the end of add/drop on Sept. 25 and for store credit until the beginning of Fall Break on Oct. 24.

In addition to improving the textbook-buying process, the owners of Labyrinth also want to bring in more students during the semester and are working with student organizations to host events they hope will appeal to undergraduates. The store is hosting its first event on Oct. 9 with The Review, an undergraduate cultural periodical. The event will include a panel discussion on writing reviews with the writers and editors of The Review and Princeton faculty.

Overall, the task the Labyrinth staff and owners face kind of reminds me of writing a paper for a class. By the time it's read, it may seem mundane or lacking, but the person on the other end probably has no idea how much work went into it. I want to give Labyrinth an A for effort, and I think within the next few semesters we will all be so happy we're not climbing those three flights of stairs up to the U-Store shelves.