Although student textbooks are available at both BarnesandNoble.com and its sister company, Barnes ‘ Noble College Bookstores, the price for the books often varies – a discrepancy retailers attribute to different modes of sale.

Barnes ‘ Noble at BU General Manager Stephen Turco called textbook pricing an “emotional subject” among college students and said his company does everything it can to ease the process.

“We have operational costs [at the college bookstore],” he said. “Working closely with professors, we do everything we can to bring the books to the students. We try to get book lists even before the end of the semester [from professors] to try to get more used books.”

Turco said the cost of managing the BU store, located in Kenmore Square, versus other Barnes ‘ Noble stores accounts for pricing differences – which range up to almost $10.

“The online stores don’t have those operational costs we have,” he said.

An introductory biology book by Neil Campbell has a price difference of $9.92 between the online outlet and the college bookstore. Students searching for Presidency and the Political System, a political science textbook, find a price difference of $7.80, according to prices listed by both booksellers.

School of Management Marketing Department Chairman Patrick Kaufmann said costs of running an online store are usually less.

“That little space on a retail shelf costs more than a warehouse,” he said. “And depending on how quickly you fill the orders, you may not have to store the product at all.

“The other difference is that the consumer is getting more [through a retail outlet],” he continued. “They have the ability to compare books and possibly buy more … this is an extra benefit and the consumer should be willing to pay for it.”

For students that still would prefer the cheaper alternatives of online purchasing, ISBN numbers and book editions are often necessary when ordering online.

Students can order books through a pre-ordering option available on the bookstore’s website, a list that does not include the ISBN or edition numbers. Barnes ‘ Noble at BU is one of the only ways to get lists of course books without contacting the professor directly.

College of Arts and Sciences junior Harry Kim said he has never bought his books from Barnes ‘ Noble at BU and prefers the online alternatives.

“Buying online takes out the intermediary and the fees of the bookstore,” he said.

Kim said his professors send out their syllabi early, allowing their students to purchase books from any source.

School of Education freshman Lauren Kelly said she initially thought it was easier to use the BU bookstore as a resource, but plans to look at other options in the future.

“After I realized you can buy online, I thought it was stupid I bought in the bookstore,” she said. “I’ll probably buy online next semester.”