The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 27, 1999 Page: 18 of 20
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18
THE RICE THRESHER LIFESTYLES FRIDAY. AUGUST 27, 1999
Rice Counseling Center
Group Counseling Programs
Fall 1999
The following groups are being offered based on student
interest and scheduling tl\is Fall. Membership in groups is
limited so call soon for more information. We look
forward to hearing from you.
Eating/Body Image Concerns Group
Interpersonal Relationship Group
Graduate Student Group
Our services are confidential. Anv currently enrolled Rice
student who has paid the health tee is eligible to participate.
There are no direct costs for students using the Counseling
center! Check vour college for notices.
Please Call the RCC at
(7 1 3) 527-4867
or come BY 30 1 a lovett hall
K/'Ck °ff tfr* New scfr29(
wftfr ft free BBQ M...
Hillel!
Who : All Jewish students
What: Food, friends, and fun
When: Sunday, Aug. 29th
from 4-7 pm
Where: Hillel Student Center,
1700 Bissonnet (at Dunlavy)
(Cor inf°, cd>(( (713) 526-4918
a special musical experience...
RICE JAZZ
with Director of Jazz Studies, Larry Slezak
Rice Jazz Ensemble and Rice Jazz Lab offer
both big band and small ensemble perfor-
mance opportunities. Open auditions are
held at the beginning of the fall semester for
placement only. One academic credit hour
may be earned (MUSI 342). Jazz improv
lessor^ are also available (MUSI 345). For
more information, contact Larry Slezak at the
Rice Bands Department:
E-mail: tenorone@rice.edu orthemob@rice.edu
Call: 1-800-WHY-RICE (949-7423)
or in Houston (713) 527-6018
Web Site: http://www.ruf.nce.edu/~themob
WHERETO GET YOU* BOOKS
Campus Store vs. Online
« > > K I S'
BUYING your textbooks no longer is limited to going to the Rice Campus
Store, roaming cluttered aisles looking for your classes, standing in an intoler-
ably long line and then handing the cashier an unbelievable amount of
money. In the past years, the Internet free market revolution has produced
Web sites devoted to selling textbooks to college students.
The Thresher examines four of these websites to determine how their
prices compare to those of the Campus Store. To conduct the study, we
chose six textbooks in the store that represented a wide mix of introductory
classes at Rice (see box below). We then entered the ISBNs, the universal
serial number all books have, and when we were finished, we examined the
prices of our "shopping cart." Additionally, we examined the standard shipping
charges of these companies and what their return policies were. We also
calculated the prices of the Campus Store as a basis of comparison.
AMAZON.COM
The most well known of all online
bookstores, Amazon.com has the
most expensive total price and the
biology book has a one-to two-week
backorder.
SHIPPING: $3 plus $0.95 per book
RETURN POUCY: 30 days to re-
turn any book in its original condi-
tion.
PROS: Dependable reputation, long
return policy.
CONS: Expensive, did not have all
the books presently in stock.
BIGWORDS.COM
Bigwords.com has the best prices
of any place reviewed. Their Web
site indicated they also have a large
selection of used textbooks that they
offer at 10 to 25 percent cheaper
than their already good new prices.
However, opting for these used
books could slow shipping times
down considerably.
SHIPPING: Free for orders more
than $35.
RETURN POLICY: 14 days to return
any book in its original condition.
PROS: Least expensive, has many
cheap used book options, unbeat-
able shipping.
CONS: short return period, slow
shipping for used books, not as well
known.
BN.COM/TEXTBOOKS.COM
Textbook.com uses the same
Barnes & Noble inventory as
BN.com, the official Barnes & Noble
Web site. The only differences be-
tween the sites is a different layout
and BN.com seems to be much faster
on Owlnet. The chemistry book has
a one-to two-week shipping delay at
press time.
SHIPPING: $3 plus $0.95 per book.
RETURN POUCY: 30 days to re-
turn any book in any condition.
PROS: Dependable reputation, good
return policy.
CONS: Not all books presently in
stock.
CAMPUS STORE
The Campus Store in the RMC is
where most Rice students buy tfieir
textbooks. Availablility of books usu-
ally is not a problem, and when a
book has not arrived, professors are
understanding. Also, it's the best
place to find all the details about a
book — such as the author, ISBN or
edition.
SHIPPING: n/a, but tax is 8.25 per-
cent.
RETURN POLICY: Can return
books during the first two weeks of
classes.
PROS: A known retailer, large sup-
ply, some used books.
CONS: Long lines, more ex-
pensive, short return policy.
VARSITYBOOKS.COM
Well-advertised, textbook-only
Web seller has reasonable prices for
textbooks.The biology book was out
of stock so the order could not be
completed.
SHIPPING: Two-day UPS shipping
for $4.95 with guaranteed delivery
in one to three days.
RETURN POU€Y: 30 days to re-
turn any book in its original condi-
tion.
PROS: Fast, cheap delivery,
long return policy, good prices.
CONS: Not as well-known, less se-
lection.
Prices in dollars for textbooks from six different classes at 5 different retailers
BIOS 201 EC0N211 ENGL 260 ENGL 362 FREN 101 HIST 200
Amazon
BigWords
Barnes & Noble
VarsityBooks
Campus Store
99.05
86.48
64.92
n/a
93.00
61.10
39.98
57.75
51.94
57.33
56.45
49.28
52.75
47.98
53.00
10.40
12.09
10.40
9.75
13.00
69.60
45.57
65.75
59.16
65.50
45.45
39.70
42.75
38.63
42.75
BOLD denotes the best price for a book
Total price for each retailer
Amazon
BigWords
Barnes & Noble
VarsityBooks
Campus Store
$459.95 + $9.65 shipping = $469.60
$376.04 + $0 shipping = $376.04
$405.07 + $9.65 shipping = $414.72
$307.68 + $4.95 shipping = $312.63
$428.33 + $35.34 tax = $463.67
(Note: BIOS 201 book
not available)
Books used for comparisons
BIOS 201 Biology - Interactive Study Guide
ECON 211 Principles of Microeconomics
ENGL 260 The Harper Single Volume American Literature
ENGL 362 Light in August
FREN 101 Deux Mondes: A Communicative Approach
HIST 200 The Ancient World: A Social and Cultural History
WILL 205
introduction to journalism in a campus environment
3 p.m. Monday, Bio Lab 123.
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McAlister, Jett & Tam, Mariel. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 87, No. 1, Ed. 1 Friday, August 27, 1999, newspaper, August 27, 1999; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246652/m1/18/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.