Bookstore Holds Textbook Monopoly

While a recent court case requires a New York college to release faculty booklists to independent bookstores, Boston University Barnes ‘ Noble employees said they were prohibited from delivering such lists.

After being sued by an independent bookstore, the New York State Supreme Court ruled in November that the State University of New York at Albany’s Barnes ‘ Noble must now comply with requests from other bookstores for textbook lists.

Three Barnes ‘ Noble employees working at the customer service desk in the textbook department said they were prohibited from releasing faculty booklists to independent bookstores should requests be made. However, they said no other stores had requested lists.

Dava Silvia, a manager at Brookline Booksmith, was unaware of BU’s exclusivity agreement with Barnes ‘ Noble, but said he wasn’t concerned.

“College bookstores in Boston are basically the only bookstores that carry textbooks,” Silvia said. “If anything, BU students help our business because so many of them live nearby.”

Nicole Reiss, a manager at Brattle Bookshop, a specialty bookstore in downtown Boston, agreed that Barnes ‘ Noble’s ties with BU did not hurt his store.

“Students still come in looking for Shakespeare, or other such books,” he said. “We’ve never carried textbooks, though, so even if the agreement were abolished it really wouldn’t affect our business.”

Some BU students, though, said they were dissatisfied with Barnes ‘ Noble’s monopoly on textbooks.

College of Engineering freshman Stephani Wrabel bought all her books at Barnes ‘ Noble this semester, but said she knows she could have gotten them for less money.

“It would be great if you could access each professor’s booklist on the Student Link when you register for classes,” Wrabel said. “Some online companies and local bookstores offer better deals than ours.

“Even though most professors supply students with their booklists on the first day of class, most kids like to have all their books before then. The only way to do that right now is through the BU bookstore,” she said.

According to the College Store Industry Financial Report 2001, college bookstores returned an average of 14.5 percent of sales to their respective universities. With the average college bookstore bringing in $3 million in sales a year, $435,000 would go back to the university.

Christina Cona, a College of General Studies freshman, said a return that size would not be beneficial to BU students.

“That money won’t really help very many people considering tuition is almost $37,000 a year,” she said.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Alicia Mucklow agreed.

“Who even knows if that money is going toward off-setting tuition or frivolous expenses?” she asked. “I’d rather pay less money for my books at Barnes ‘ Noble initially than have that money go back to the university.”