souls at wholesale
It pains me to see someone sell back their calculus book for $40. I won’t even mention the dollar amount a brand new edition costs, but the intangible value, for most engineering/science students, within a book of that comprehensive nature is not worth parting with. I think a tear left my eye upon seeing a fellow VT student perfectly willingly say goodbye to his copy. The average engineering student uses that book for four separate courses, so something like 12 credits of material. Alas, sometimes the tumult of the early-year or end-of-year bookstore experience interferes with common sense.
So, I was waiting in the return line at the bookstore. The return line that stretched outside. Yeah, that return line. Ironically enough, I wasn’t returning a book, but rather arguing my case that I wasn’t given all of my books. In brief, the actual edition that I was supposed to receive should have included a supplement packet with very important tables etc., but these editions had not yet been delivered to the bookstore that I ordered from. Blah blah. My turn at the counter threw off one of the hard-at-laborers.
“You’re not returning it?! ::alarm:: ::shock:: ::frustration::” Luckily, one of the managers noticed my particular book and immediately informed me that the extra portion was on order and due for delivery soon. Then I left. But I couldn’t help ponder the emotional quandary I hurled that clerk into. I felt sorry and ashamed. But not really.
It made me remember the states of tedious motion I would become delirious in during my days as a groundskeeper. Riding a “walk-behind” mower for hours would become intoxicatingly tiresome. Then a large pick-up truck would honk its horn as it passes. Totally alarmed, I look around quickly and spot the vehicle. In the meantime, my perfect pace and cleanliness of mowing is thrown off and I mow over a tree stump. Actually, “into” a tree stump.
August 25th, 2005 at 11:14 am
when i sold my calculus book back i got like $60 bucks plus a huge weight lifted off my soul.
August 25th, 2005 at 3:29 pm
Damn you’re a good writer.
Seriously, you’re very good. I wish I was as good as you are, and I’ve been published. You know when to stop, always have a point and an analogy or metaphor to drive it home.
August 26th, 2005 at 6:53 pm
Abigail - Sold it? I would have bought it off of you had I known you were selling it. You know, you never know when you need another calculus book. Like one for the living room and one for the kitchen. Should probably grab one for the guest room.
Bruce - Thank you very much. Very, very much.
August 27th, 2005 at 7:50 pm
yeah for the guest room
just in case your guests have trouble falling asleep.
weirdo.
August 28th, 2005 at 1:39 am
When I was in college (92-96), this used to enrage me to the point that my friends would beg me to shut up about the textbook pricing conspiracy.
What’s even more ridiculous than the sale/buyback pricing discrepancy is the obsolescence of versions, which often rendered your $140 book worthless the following year.
Hasn’t anyone established a secondary network of buying/selling on the internet to circumvent the bookstores? It always seemed like a simple lack of information - Abigail didn’t know people like you existed, and vice versa. We had some great ideas about creating a secondary market when we were in school, but there was this bong that kept distracting us.
BTW - I agree wholeheartedly with Brucey - I stumbled upon your site a couple weeks back (from where I couldn’t say), and have been checking back frequently. If you tire of the engineering thing, you could always write. Very entertaining, keep it up.
August 28th, 2005 at 9:57 am
Tom - Yeah, Half.com is the textbook slave trade online. Even still, many people have their parents buy their books and the “easiest” thing is just to get them from a university bookstore. Using Half.com, you somewhat have to know what books to get, which sometimes doesn’t solidify until after a few lectures. And thanks about the writing thing; maybe people are starting to read my mind…