Bookshop Replies

Re 'discontent over the bookshop' letters (Salient Mar. 7th), here is yet another reply

To deal first with the letter from A. Steele et al.

The History Department book lists were printed Exactly as per the lists given to us in September 1976 for ordering purposes. If you feel there are books on the list which are not required, please see your lecturer. This is nothing to do with the bookshop.

Without knowing which German title is referred to it is very difficult to make a reasonable reply However, I have noticed reason does not often prevail on this campus. There is one title at $9.25 Nett by -- Feix & Schlant: Junge Deut sche Prosa. Whitcoulls do not have stock of this.

Book prices will vary according to the age of the stock. This happens very year. If Whitcoulls have more books at lower prices it is probably because they have more old stock than we do. We have had some texts at two different prices this year. For example (Educ. 111) Le Francois: Of Children. The 1976 price was $11.30 and this year it is $13.10. Naturally, our old stock was sold first. Price rises are somewhat beyond our control. Perhaps the academic staff should investigate prices before prescribing expensive textbooks? The selling price of each book must contain an element of profit as the overheads for this company will be in excess of $60,000 this year.

J. Hounsell's books were not separated into 'German' and Non-German.' They were separated into books marked Nett and those subject to the 10% discount. As most prescribed German titles are an average of $2.50 I hardly feel we can be accused of ripping anyone off. German books from our major German supplier are not priced on our Schedule — if they were you wuld have something to complain about. The prices would be astronomical! The reason some books are marked Nett is that the Publisher, in order to keep the cost to the consumer down, has issued an International Student Edition (at about 2/3 the price of an ordinary edition) or, has given the retailer a very small profit margin. In the latter instance we could mark up and then give 10% but we feel that would be a real rip off. If J. Hounsell was so 'amazed and extremely annoyed' at the time why didn't he/she see me then instead of involving us in this protracted correspondence??

Sally White, Manager.