I went into the bookstore this morning to take my semi-annual gouging. While browsing the new media books to find the required purchases I noticed a book titled The Animator’s Survival Kit. I own this book. I paid $42 + tax at the local Chapters Bookstore. The bookstore was selling the same title and edition for $80 new and $60 used (of course they didn’t have any used copies). What is even more bizarre is that they had price tags on the back of them for $42. So they mark-up their books right? It’s a free market, why not? Right? Well maybe so, but they have the nerve to display a giant poster explaining why books are so expensive and where percentages of the cost go…. 75% to publishers and the rest of the 25% broken up between the University, the Student Union, the Bookstore, ect. Well even if the bookstore ordered the books through Chapters and got the same selling price as was available the general public (and it’s unlikely they would not get a discount) the most they should possibly have raised the price to would be about $56. That’s $4 less than the price they would sell a used copy for. Sick.
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