Textbook sales drop with enrollment

By Jamie Hsiung

April 6, 2003 9:00 p.m.

Though it may seem unbelievable to students jostling for reading
material inside the packed UCLA Store, fewer students are actually
purchasing their textbooks in Ackerman Union.

The Associated Students of UCLA has suffered a drop in textbook
sales this year primarily as a result of lower enrollment, said
Keith Schoen, ASUCLA store retail director.

Enrollment has been lower this year than last year as more
students are taking more units, said Caroline West, director of the
Office of Analysis and Information Management.

“The good news is that students are going to graduate
faster,” West said.

But “good news” for the university isn’t
necessarily advantageous to ASUCLA, which depends on enrollment not
just for textbook sales but for store sales, food sales and the
overall well-being of the association.

On average, a UCLA student spends $250 per quarter on textbooks;
with 464 fewer undergraduate students this year, an extra $116,000
each quarter from potential sales is lost, Schoen said.

The sales loss is approximately 10 percent of total ASUCLA
textbook sales, which is budgeted at $2.5 million this year.

Though revenue from textbooks has sunk this year, ASUCLA is
still looking at the bright side; the decline isn’t primarily
due to outside retailers.

“Our concern isn’t as great to losing to competition
now. It makes sense to us now: fewer students equals fewer
sales,” Schoen said.

ASUCLA is still hoping that textbook sales will bounce back,
especially since enrollment is supposed to increase within the next
10 years, Schoen said.

“We haven’t seen it yet, though,” he
added.

But the enrollment swell ““ and a relief for textbook sales
““ does not look too promising.

Though the head count for the future remains uncertain,
“we’re anticipating that it won’t grow
much,” West said.

Enrollment will depend on a variety of factors, including the
amount of units students take and the growth of summer instruction,
West said.

Textbook prices, which can climb over $100 per book, have
induced students to look into online venues, or other sellers
besides ASUCLA for their purchases.

Third-year mechanical engineering student Jin Cai said he has
purchased his books from UCLA only once for his first quarter.

For the rest of the time, he prefers buying them from online
sources such as Half.com and Amazon.com, he said.

“I’ve had good experiences with it, the shipping is
convenient,” Cai said, adding that he usually orders his
books one week in advance before classes start.

Even with many UCLA students purchasing their books online, Tony
Shaln, owner of Textbooks Plus in Westwood, said his sales are
where they should be.

“The Internet has an effect on sales, but realistically,
it can’t compare,” Shaln said.

He pointed out that students may be hesitant to purchase their
books online because of shipping costs and the inconvenience of
returns.

To further subtract sales from ASUCLA, many students usually end
up buying textbooks from each other.

Fifth-year chemical engineering student Richard Lau, who has
sold several of his used books in the past, said it’s more
convenient for students to purchase their books from fellow
classmates.

Lau said he has been successful with putting up flyers on
campus.

“I can always get the books to them the next day and
it’s cheaper too,” Lau said. “Usually the UCLA
Store charges a lot more. I probably charge 75 percent less than
what they charge.”

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