Two years ago our bookstore started a committee. For those years my colleague was on this committee but we rarely heard much. He’s on leave this year so his duties were temporarily divvied up and I got his spot on this committee. It turns out that there is a catered kick-off meeting each fall. I figured this is why we didn’t hear much about the committee. I mean, who’d give up free lunch?When I arrived at lunch last Thursday, I saw that it was set up as though we would be attending a presentation. It was very different from every other committee I’ve ever served on. There was no indication that we were bunkering down to “solve” the university’s problems. So I grabbed a plate of food and sat down waiting for an easy meeting.
Eventually it was determined that everyone was gathered and the presentation began. Fellow Miserians, this “committee” was nothing but an advertisement for the bookstore and the many, many products they purvey. I felt like young Raphie when he decodes his first secret message from Little Orphan Annie in The Christmas Story. For weeks the anticipation mounted and then the day came … the message: “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.” Days later I’m still a little bothered.
I took me about 5 minutes to see through the veil of questions. About halfway through we were shown a few videos. They were flashy videos with cool gadgets and graphics but honestly I’ve learned more from student VidSizzles posted here on CM. Clearly they were each 8 minute commercials meant to influence my buying habits and convince me that the bookstore was saving my students tons of money.
At the end of the meeting we were asked how the bookstore could get the word out about all the services that they provide. The faculty didn’t say much. I think that we all felt that we are already too inundated with adverts in our daily lives to subject our friends and colleagues to more marketing.
The students, however, became very talkative. Their enthusiasm was unbelievable. The bookstore should put up signs on campus and every student should see the videos because they’d then understand how the bookstore works and they’d want to buy at the bookstore and they’d definitely want to use all the services that the bookstore is offering!
Question: I’m torn here. Are our students really that stupid/susceptible to advertising/inexperienced to see through the hour long sales pitch we sat through? Should I make a few videos and start selling timeshares during my office hours? Do your bookstores have these live infomercials, too?
Yes, your students really are that stupid/susceptible to advertising/inexperienced, as you observe. Worse: they're -much- stupider. Ever been in a McDonald's lately? Ever seen the incomprehending look a student will give when you won't allow them to do an advertisement in your class? And how about that American political scene? It's worse than being offered Ovaltine from Frau Bluecher.
ReplyDeleteStudents are taking out personal loans to pay for degrees in programs that will not allow them to get a job to pay back the loan. Students think they are smarter than they are just because mommy, daddy, the nice school councilor and the college recruiter told them so. They listened to Miley Cyrus.
ReplyDeleteIf you are asking me if they are stupid enough to shop at the bookstore rather than around town or online, then I have a question for you.
Are you new here?
If this was shopped as a University committee to the students as well, they're excited to be being asked their input at all. Unlike you, they had absolutely no idea this isn't the way committees usually work, and may honestly want to have some more influence on campus.
ReplyDeleteAs an undergrad, did you see the bookstore as the unholy bastion of upmarked evil that we see it as today? I'm guessing no. I had absolutely no idea how godawful obnoxious those people were till I dealt with them as an instructor. I didn't know about the booksellers hocking books to my teachers till was one. I didn't know about the free bottles of wine, movies, and holiday cards from book reps. In short, I had no bloody idea how much complete BS went into book choices.
Of course, this doesn't change the fact that this should be an illuminating exercise for these undergrads and that it is not. Your bookstore is using them for exactly what it intended--those kids know how to market to people exactly like themselves and are willingly telling the evil bookstore empire how to do so in the guise of service. That ain't cool.
They're gullible, if not entirely stupid (especially if the things that they suggested for other students would actually work), and somebody should do something about it. Is that you? Probably not. Is there a student liberal/democratic/anti-advertising/anti-establishment group/newspaper/whatever on campus that needs a new campaign? :)
The campus bookstore is an academic 7-11. It's got what you need and it's close by. The consequence of this service is higher prices. While I don't blame students for seaking cheaper deals on textbooks, the bookstore is simply a revneue stream. If it dries up, the school will raise rates or cut costs somewhere else.
ReplyDelete@CMP: I have this feeling that the bookstore on your campus is not run by your College Foundation, or whatever the equivalent is. When the bookstore at my podunk CC was run by our foundation, prices were relatively reasonable, only a 5% markup, just enough to be self-contained. It was truly a non-profit.
ReplyDeleteBut then Big Bad Academic Bookseller offered the President a large infusion of cash to be the managing entity of the campus bookstore, an offer he couldn't refuse. The fly in the ointment is that the markup went up to 25%. You see, Big Bad Academic Bookseller is not a non-profit, and they're taking advantage of it.
The seven institutions of higher learning that I have been involved with at various points over the past 20 years have all gone from having campus-run, non-profit bookstores to having bookstores that are basically franchises of Big Bad Academic Bookseller, or whatever competition is out there. And of course, the students get screwed.
However, there is this case where it seems the students are screwing themselves.
And, CMP, don't make videos and sell timeshares during your office hours. Sell timeshares of your office hours. At least then, you may get some students to show up and ask questions.
Huh. My students pretty much refuse to buy the books for their classes. So maybe the bookstores have to pitch their other "services?"
ReplyDeleteWhen I was going to Crusty Rock Community College a troika of national book store chains wormed their way to the college board. Each claimed they could do it cheaper, and the elected heads picked the cheapest one. WRONG. Prices went up on everything and the chain (they have something to do with hay storage and dynamite) lost their contract 15 years later when the old bookstore was demolished and a new one built 1000 feet from the old one (now the site of a science building.)
ReplyDeleteThe moral is: teach your children to be good shoppers....if they have to get the cheapest textbooks from a greasy scum hole in the Blade Runner part of town, go there (but bring a weapon just in case.)
@Pat from Peoria, I think we teach at the same institution. Really. See you tomorrow.
ReplyDelete@CMP: Yes, they really are that stupider. Why is this even a committee?? Is it worth the free lunch to sit through commercials again?
Corporate campus bookstores are pure evil (second only to textbook publishers). The contract my school signed FORBIDS faculty from telling students that they can buy their books somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThere's no way they could enforce that. Anyway, in my first class I explain to my students that the school forbids me to tell them that they can buy their books from this website (overhead projector screenful of the site) for as little as 10% of the original price, and even cheaper if they order the instructor's edition, which can be found at the same site.
I didn't know about the free bottles of wine, movies, and holiday cards from book reps.
ReplyDeleteWhere're my wine and movie tickets? All I ever get are spam e-mails and perky phone messages.
@introvert.prof If you're not teaching in one of the programs where the book are 4-color and don't have hundreds of hinders in the seats for the Intro course, the reps won't spit on you if you were on fire.
ReplyDeleteI am so goddamm bitter about sales reps. But that's an entirely different blog.
I actually got an angy email from the bookstore manager because one of the students tattled that I said to get a book on Amazon if the bookstore can't get it. I wondered whyy the email was copied to one of the high ranking admins until someone said yo me, don't you know that they are lovers?
ReplyDelete