Selling my books back always pissed me off. After I graduated from NIU my first job was at Follett as a developer on their website, eFollett.com. Most NIU students aren't aware of Follett becase the NIU bookstores are independent. Follett is the nations largest retailers of college books and they run the bookstores at over a thousand univesities. Anyways, what I found out is that the bookstores make verry little profit selling new books. In fact, the overwhelming majority of their revenue comes from resales and general merchandise.

You can call it a ripoff, but it's not like the bookstore owners are making billions off poor college students. What I learned from Follett is that the majority of their revenue comes from used books, but after you pay the employees, buy the new books and deal with the old stock, there's not much left over. In fact, for having a lock on just about all the major university bookstores, Follett is a pretty mediocre business. At least, I wasn't impressed. So yes, it really seems like exploitation from the student perspective, but at least these days there are a lot more options. Too bad for Follett.

Yea, i suppose, i still avoid them. most things in dekalb specially NIU just try to get money out of poor college students, so i try to watch who i'll give money to. plus i'm stingy.

Phil, while I understand your anger at not getting money for books, I am extremely disappointed and outraged at your use of words to describe it. Rape is the complete wrong word for this occasion. In case you do not realize, I will let you know, Rape is when someone takes control and forces you to do something that is so awful you become a victim. It also makes that victim powerless in society until they can solve all the problems that rape occurred. I don't care what excuse or what you say, rape is a violation of a human being. Nothing you compare it to, especially a bookstore and its schemes can compare...and don't try to tell me otherwise because I experienced it first hand as do 1 out of 4 women between the ages of 18-24

In defense of Phil, Emily, he obviously wasn't using it in the context that you were using it, and he knew he wasn't either. There was no need to patronize or display any subtle victim elitism on this ocassion. I am very sincerely sorry for your horrible experience but let's be adults here and have the strength to laugh at things.

Emily, your description pretty much describes how I feel about some of the fees and things we have to pay as students/DeKalb citizens. So yes, in a different context, me getting 'raped' by NIU/DeKalb/the bookstore is 'taking control and forces me to do something that is so awful I am a victim'. I apologize if my use of the word offends you, but I’m purely looking at it from a different point of view. I’m sorry if you can't realize that, but just remember everyone has their own opinion. We’re not talking the front page of the New York Times here; we’re talking a simple website by a NIU student. It’s fun, I like when people have their opinion, I feed on that. I’m glad you shared you opinion and I’m sure you aren’t the only one with that opinion. However, I cannot please everyone and something I say may offend someone, so sorry ahead of time, but we need to pick our battles wisely, and share our opinions, not attack someone.

lmflynn.com lol that's hilarious

I am just sorry that you and Pete are so ignorant....It is because of people like you in our society that help perpetuate this problem...I am just sorry that you tow find this acceptable and that you aren't eve open to changing your mind or your wording. I feel bad for the women in your life because you may be hurting a loved one by using words or actions that show your closed-minded ignorance. Good Luck, closed minds only lead to many closed doors.

Perpetuate what problem? Using words in a different tense? Emily, it seems you’re the only one who such a huge problem with this. Others of us realize I’m not out to get anyone, I’m not trying to talk bad about anyone, and me using this strong word, it only to try and show how strong I feel about this. So I gather from what you’re saying, we’ve closed the doors to you, because you’re the only one who seems to have such a big problem with this. It seems my last comment explained that I’m not close minded, and I said sorry for your experiences, but I thought you could gather I’m not using the word in the same tense. Saying that, it seems you are the one who is closed minded in this. I already apologized and stated it was a matter of opinion. I really can't explain myself much more, and I see that you’ve resorted to name calling.

God, I remember the rape of college textbook stores. Back then, I didn't know about half.com, although today I use it frequently (though not for textbooks, since I'm not in school). There were several books I just kept, not because I really thought I'd look at them again, but because they were worth so little in resale that I thought on the incredibly slim CHANCE I'd ever crack them open again, I might as well keep them. And naturally, I never did crack them open again, and eventually just got rid of them.

Yea I imagine I'll toss my books after so long, but I figure if I ever did need them, they'd be there.