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Digital shopping for textbooks ; Students' research in bookstore helps save money [Florida Times Union]
[August 25, 2014]

Digital shopping for textbooks ; Students' research in bookstore helps save money [Florida Times Union]


(Florida Times Union Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) BRUNSWICK | Shopping malls and stores are cutting prices to meet those offered by Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Add at least one college bookstore to the list.

College of Coastal Georgia's campus bookstore is not just matching prices offered on line, it's going an extra 10 percent, its staff said.

Sophomore Mitchell Hodzen was in the bookstore Tuesday using his cell phone camera to take photos of books he needs to do some online research.

Hodzen said he saved hundreds on books last year - more than $100 on one book - but it's sort of complicated.

"It has to be exactly the same book,'' he said, not an older edition.

And the college matches new book for new book, not new for used, he said.

Although students can save hundreds, they still have to pay hundreds.




Because textbooks don't have the sales appeal of a best-selling work of fiction, they cost a lot and publishers ask authors for periodic updates, which makes ones that are just a few years old obsolete.


Hodzen checked out with a stack of books, but there's one the computer science major will order online.

"An individual seller has a programming book I need for $45. Here it's $177.50,'' and it's also expensive from the big, online booksellers, he said.

Not every college book store is offering the match, including South Georgia State College in Douglas and Waycross.

The Coastal Georgia bookstore already has been busy this week even though resident students don't arrive on campus until Saturday. The hours of move-in day at student housing are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.Terry Dickson: (912) 264-0405 (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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