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Bookstore administration explains policies
By James E. Fitzroy
Questions raised at a recent
Student Government Association
meeting concerning complaints
from students about the campus
bookstore operation never reached
Bookstore Committee Chairman
Dr. Joseph Dreiss, Assistant Pro
fessor of Psychology, Dreiss said
in a telephone interview.
The complaints were reported
to be in regard to lack of
availability of certain texts and
confusion about various policies
in effect at the bookstore.
During the Dreiss interview he
indicated that a more thorough
understanding by students of the
whys and whats of the
bookstore's existence might be ac
complished by speaking with the
persons responsible for its
operation.
Robert Hamill of the Business
Office oversees the management
by William Kistler of the store.
The many daily tasks are Kistler's
responsibility. With the help of a
small staff he maintains the
varied inventory, checks the cash
flow, balances the books in more
than one sense, and, he adds not
quite resigned to the fact, "takes
the heat."
This heat he said stems from
the general misunderstanding of
basic policies that he must en
force, such as the simple return
privilege which both he and
Hamill consider a 'liberal one.'
"We gladly accept for full re
fund or credit any textbook pur
chased here,"said Kistler. "Our
only requirements are that they be
returned in decent condition for
resale and the original sales slip
has to be presented. This is the
same procedure followed by any
retail store. Requiring a sales slip
protects students more than it in
conveniences them."
In response to a question regar
ding general merchandise supplies,
Kistler responded that, "it's simp
ly a matter of asking the clerk. If
we are out of something,we'll
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order it, let us know."
"In our present location we
have limited storage space,"
Hamill said, " and it's a real jug
gling act to anticipate how much
of what to keep on hand." Ac
cording to Kistler a request will
result in an immediate order
though exact arrival time of the
merchandise can't be predicted.
"We deal with a number of
distributors who have their own
ways of doing business," he said.
Hamill pointed out a gesture
made by Kistler to illustrate
Kistler's determination to keep his
customers. satisfied.
It happened when the contract
covering the soda machines
distributed throughout the campus
was transferred to a different
company. The new company
replaced the Coke in the machines
with Pepsi.
"I began to get complaints
about it," Kistler explained, "but
the only way for me to deal with
it was to stock Coke myself in the
store."
Paper, pens, refills, sweatshirts,
and soda. What about the ques
tion of adequate supplies of re
quired textbooks, you may be
wondering.
"the biggest problem there,"
said Kistler, "is getting the titles
and editions needed for the
course from the professors. Most
of the time, we have no hitches.
Again, I'm dealing with book
suppliers from all over the coun
try, so the sooner I get the lists
the sooner I can get started sear
ching."
"Some courses aren't assigned
an instructor until the last
minute," Hamill added, "so there
are sometimes unavoidable delays.
Even in these cases, Bill hustles to
get the books as quickly as possi
ble. He runs a pretty good opera
tion, a good-sized and complex
operation, and he does it effi
ciently."
The January, 1983 issue of
Captiol Times ran a story com
paring our bookstore with those
of several other colleges. Our
Capitol Times Friday, March 16, 1984
store did not come out well in the
comparison. The glaring
discrepancies at the time were a
lack of a "buy back" policy at
Capitol Campus and no system of
selling these texts as used books
at discount prices.
Hamill explained, "We had
tried that in the past and it just
didn't go. But during the spring,
'B3 term we surveyed the faculty
and students for suggestions. Not
surprisingly it was suggested that
we try the used book and buy-
back policy again."
Kisti.z said, "I was able to
get a good supply of used texts
and we hit it good in the fall and
spring semesters. We were able to
supply quite a few. One course,
as a matter &F' fact, wasupplied
100 percent with good, ised tex t
books."
The buy-back policy is
generous, but strict. Books must
be brought back to the store no
later than one day following the
end of the final exam period.
This semester that makes the
deadline Friday, May 12.
If the book is in reasonably
good condition, and it is to be us
ed in the following semester,
Kistler said it is will be worth 50
percent of what you paid for it.
The system is generous in the
sense that the store will buy back
books not in immediate demand,
but these will be purchased at a
lower rate determined by one of
several used book catalogues
Kistler refers to for a particular
text's current value. This privilege
extends to books that students
may have brought with them
from colleges attended prior to
Capitol. The bookstores in the
University system are referred to
as auxilliary enterprises, according
to Hamill. This translates into an
operation that is affiliated with
the system yet, by Kistler, is
EASY MONEY!
Who? Participants needed for
perception study. If you're married
or involved for over a year.
What? Short conversations and
questionnaires.
Where? Olmsted Building.
When?, Sunday, March 18 or 25.
(Times to be scheduled.)
$lO.OO per person (approx. 1 hr.)
Contact:
Dr. John Teske
Office: 948-6037
Home:s33-4292
Page 1
thoroughly independent in its
management.
Each of the system's bookstores
must be self-supporting and pro
duce a modest profit. This profit
is channeled to a centrally pooled
reserve fund at University Park.
This fund is used exclusively for
the system's bookstores. Capitol
Campus' new bookstore building
will be funded from that reserve.
Being self-supporting, according
to Hamill, means paying the rent,
heat, electric and salaries. An ex
ample of expenses incurred this
year that must be absorbe , before
producing, the required profit,
said Kistler, "is a $6,000 to
$7,000 postage bill. When we
receive books, we pay shipping
and handling. When we return
things we also pay the shipping.
The new bookstore will be
located north of the new
technology building, between it
and the Multi-Purpose Building.
It will provide 6500 square feet
of space compared to the 3500
square feet available now. The
bids are all in for the construction
and Hamill expects the final
recommendation to be made to
day or tomorrow.
"Construction could begin as
early as April 1." he said, "and
if we're lucky the building will be
finished by mid-July. We need
the extra room, and being
separated, our utilities will be
metered separately, too--to our
advantage, I hope. The new area
will give Bill the opportunity to
get better organized and the room
to perhaps try a new idea or two.
"I don't think that some of the
faculty," Hamill added after
Kistler left, "really appreciate all
of the work Bill puts in on their
behalf. He puts in a lot of extra
time to keep things running."