After a multitude of logistical problems in Tufts' Barnes & Noble-run bookstore, the company has replaced the administrative staff with the task of improving stores.
The new managers arrive among a flurry of student and faculty frustration with the bookstore. Some students say they cannot find their course texts, and some professors allege that the bookstore ordered the wrong books, the wrong number of books, or did not order books at all for their classes. They all point to high textbook prices and low "buy-back" rates as additional sources of discontent.
Provost Sol Gittleman said he hears many complaints from the faculty he oversees. "There is some significant unhappiness with the bookstore," Gittleman said.
More experienced management could improve service and the new bookstore manager Ron Gill said the online textbook reservation system will streamline the time-consuming process of ordering books. The new system allows students to preorder books online. "You don't have to wait in line," Gill said. "It works exceptionally well at various Barnes & Noble-run bookstores."
But professors do not submit their lists early enough for most students to reserve their books. Gill is working on a presentation for faculty that will address the benefits of the option.
Online reservation would also raise the returns that students can receive on buyback. If the bookstore staff knows far enough in advance which and how many books are needed for the next semester, it can offer higher rates for students selling back books. Reserving books is a faster solution to finding texts, said sophomore Yakhira Encarnacion. "If [professors] preordered enough, we wouldn't have to wait 'till God knows when," she said. "They should take advantage of it, only good things can come out of it."
Poor customer service is another aspect that will be addressed by the new management team.
History professor Daniel Mulholland was one of the professors who complained to Gittleman about the difficulty he experienced with the bookstore. Mulholland registered his books in early May, and the bookstore put in the order on July 13. He was told in early August that one of the books he requested was out of print and no used copies existed.
Though Mulholland found 15 used copies of the book through an online search, he decided to order a substitute from Barnes & Noble. The bookstore ordered a book by the same title as the one Mulholland requested, but the book was by "an entirely different author and entirely different publisher," he explained.
"[The class is] not going to be able to read the book," Mulholland said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
Gill said the bookstore has experienced problems this fall because the new management team is getting adjusted.
Mulholland complained to the provost about the lack of response from the bookstore. "I told him I'd never seen such incompetence in the bookstore before," Mulholland said. "The bookstore, in the past, has been pretty good. There have been times where they've been pretty responsive."
Students have expressed similar complaints. "Judging from my experiences with classes right now, teachers didn't order enough [books] or the bookstore ordered the wrong ones," said junior Diana DeLuca.
Manager Ron Gill said he will cooperate with faculty to work out kinks after "rush" period when most students purchase their books.
