Getting the bang for your books

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Summer Wildcat Tanith L. Balaban/Arizona Summer Wildcat Criminal justice junior Michelle Carrillo tags books in the basement of Rother's Bookstore Monday. Rother's is competing with the Associated Students Bookstore and Arizona Bookstore for students' dollars.

Established retailers aren't flinching as new suitors try to woo UA students' book business.

Rother's Bookstore, 501 N. Park Avenue, sprouted next to the TexacoStarmart last month, forming a triangle of major bookstores near campus. In the past, UA students would turn to the off-campus Arizona Bookstore and the Associated Students Bookstore to buy and sell their books, but options are expanding.

"The school is so enormous, it's hard to believe there were only two bookstores in the past," said Chris Rodgers, manager of Rother's.

Rodgers said the new store's textbook prices are comparable to the other bookstores near campus. But freshman looking to fulfill their biology credits still may wish to shop around.

All three stores carry "Life, The Science of Biology," with prices ranging about $10 difference from store to store. At Rother's, the book is sold for $89.35, and Arizona Bookstore charges $78.95. ASUA Bookstore holds middle ground at $81.75.

Gale Elliott, manager of Arizona Bookstore at 815 N. Park Avenue, said he is aware of the new competition.

"We do have to treat it very seriously - it is a threat to us," he said.

But Elliott said the store will stay with the same formula that kept it in business since 1953.

"Historically, we've been the least expensive. We plan to maintain that along with our knowledgeable and friendly staff. However, we will advertise a bit more than in the past," he said.

Cindy Hawk, assistant director, book division, at the Associated Students Bookstore, said Rother's may have some impact on business but she has not noticed it yet.

The ASUA Bookstore does not charge tax on textbooks, giving students a 2 percent savings, she said.

The store offers an order textbook early program. Students can order their books online, via fax or fill out an order form in person. Then the bookstore pulls the books and rings up the price, Hawk said.

"When the order is ready, students can come to the bookstore and pick up their textbooks without having to wait in long lines or spend time locating their textbooks," she said.

The ASUA Bookstore also offers a book exchange on its Web site. If students aren't able to sell their books back they may be able to trade them with other students online, Hawk said.

But competition online is also getting crowded.

Tim Levy, president of VarsityBooks.com, will begin selling discount college books over the Web this fall. Levy and co-founder Eric Kuhn want to make the online book buying experience as convenient as going to the bookstore, but without dealing with the hassles of lines or out-of-stock books.

"We can charge less than bookstores, too," Levy said.

The Web site for VarsityBooks.com will be up and running by Aug. 3, Levy said. The textbooks offered will be geared mostly toward Washington, D.C., -area universities. However, the Web page will have a search engine that UA students can use to possibly find textbooks for more general classes, Levy said.

The textbooks will be available 15 percent to 40 percent lower than the suggested retail price, but students will have to pay $4.95 for shipping no matter how many books are ordered, he said.

"I think students will buy books anywhere for the best price and least inconvenience," Levy said.