Bookstore

IMPORTANT: Web orders for Spring Term are to be picked up in the Post Office (NOT Room 211).

So what’s up with the new kiosk rental?

Glad you asked. We put it in so that you have a LOT more titles to choose from as potential rentals. Any shelf tag that has a green label means you can take the book to the kiosk, scan it, enter credit card info and boom! Instant rental! We’re still continuing to rent  the way we’ve been doing as well…those books are now indicated by gold labels on the shelf tags. We’ve put a lot of the kiosk rental prices up on our Verba compare site, but you must come in to the store to actually do the rental. (No online sales of rental books.)  Email me ( <plebar> ) if you have specific questions, or just stop in and come up to the text section to see how it works.

How do I find out what books I need for my classes?

Click HERE and then use the dropdowns to find your particular classes. If there is more than one section of your class (e.g. FS101) then you’ll need to know your section number as well.

Do you also have another web site where I can see comparative pricing from other online sellers?

YES! Click HERE to take a look. We hope you’ll end up buying from us, of course, but we offer this service in the spirit of convenience and open access to information for our customers.

Can I buy my books now?

YES!  And, in fact, it’s a good idea if you want to maximize your chances of getting used books – we fill the web orders in the order received.

What if I order a used book and you don’t have any?

When you get to checkout, you will have a choice as to whether you will allow substitutions. If you choose yes, then we will fill your order with a new book (and bill you at the new price). If you choose no, then we will simply cancel your order for that particular title.  This process works the same way if you order a new book and we only have used. All web orders are fully returnable, just like if you bought them in the store.

What if my course isn’t on the dropdown menu?

Some faculty members are still evaluating their syllabi – if your course isn’t listed at all then we have not yet received a book order.

What about the packets that have a price of $0.00?

These are course packets containing book excerpts and articles that your professor has chosen for this particular class. The material is copied and bound by our campus print shop, and then delivered to the bookstore. Until we get delivery we don’t know what the price will be, so if you see the zero price it just means that we haven’t yet received the shipment from the print shop. (And no, it does not mean that you get it for free if you place a web order for it now….nice try

Do you rent textbooks?

YES! Click HERE to see the list of rental titles available for Fall term. We are not set up to do rentals through the web site, though, and quantities are limited. Email scronin@allegheny.edu if you’d like to reserve a copy for pickup in the store when you get to campus.

What forms of payment do you accept?

For web orders, you can use Visa/MC/Discover or you can use your student ID to “charge” textbooks to your tuition bill (i.e. the cost will be added to the regular bill from the College). To use this charge feature on the web, look for the option that says ‘campus card’ during checkout – you don’t need to have a separate account on our web site, just put in your student ID#.   In store, you have all these options plus cash, check, gift card or “shop”. Shop is a declining balance debit account that must be funded before use. Please note that the “charge” method of payment may only be used for textbooks.

What if I buy the wrong book or drop the class?

One of the biggest advantages to buying from us is that we take care of our customers. You have until January 17 (three days after classes start) to return anything you bought for a full refund – no problems, no hassles, just make sure you keep your receipt. If you end up having to drop a course, we will take the books back for a full refund (new books must still be new; receipt required) through the end of the drop period in late February.

Can I sell my unwanted texts back to the bookstore at the end of the term?

YES! We pay cash for books at the end of every semester – for Spring 2013 the dates will be May 1 – 8.  We pay extra for books we know will be used again on our campus, AND we pay an extra 10% if you bought $300 or more worth of books from us in January.  Buying your books from us helps the College, and it helps keep our local Meadville economy strong as well, so this is one way we can say thanks to our loyal customers.

Do you sell ebooks?

Well, yes and no. Last year we had two classes where the professor asked us to sell a digital version of the textbook, so we did. For the most part, students and faculty seem to agree that – at least right now – printed material is still the best format for learning. We all know that’s going to change, but for the moment we don’t sense much demand for e-texts. I would also advise caution before purchasing any hardware specifically for text purposes – there’s a huge variety of formats out there, and many of them have not yet learned how to play well with others.