Kayla Dupre, freshman from Krotz Springs, purchased a used book, “Balls” by Nanci Kincaid, from the University Bookstore for her English 255 class for $17.25. The cover price for the book is $12.95.Dupre’s teacher, Michele Theriot, languages and literature assistant professor, said she discovered the pricing after she purchased the book from the bookstore.
“I was really peculiar about this, because there was a sticker on the book,” Theriot said. “Under the sticker, I saw the cover price.”
Theriot said that she knew that she paid more than $12.95 for the book, so, she asked her class if they experienced the same thing.
“I was curious to see if students in my class were charged the same price,” Theriot said. Theriot said that her students had the same thing happen to them when they purchased the book from the bookstore.
The bookstore has a system for determining the price of new and used books.
“New book prices are set by the publisher,” Angelle Caillouet, bookstore manager, said. “We work on a 25 percent margin of profit.”
This means that the bookstore charges students 25 percent more than the price the publisher charges the bookstore to purchase the book. For example, if the publisher charges the bookstore $75 for a book, the bookstore would charge students $100 for the book.
The bookstore has no say on the amount that the publisher charges, Caillouet said.
“When publishers pre-price the books, if they want to take an increase in the price, they charge us the higher price,” Caillouet said.
“Used books always sell for 75 percent of new book price,” she said. “That’s stipulated in our contract with the University.”
Dupre would like to know why the price is on the back of the book if that is not the price that the bookstore will sell the book.
“I don’t think that is right,” Dupre said. “This is a Barnes and Nobles Bookstore, then why is it more expensive?”
“If we had seen when that happened, we would have certainly called it to their (publisher) attention,” Caillouet said. “I would think that was an isolated incident.
