PEA Bookstore Contract to Expire, Committee Weighs New Options

The Academy’s contract with Barnes and Noble—the company that operates the Exeter Bookstore—is up for renewal next fall, and the campus Bookstore Committee is considering looking into different options for the coming years. 

Lundy Smith, chair of the English department and member of the committee, commented on what influenced the school’s decision to contemplate a different contractor.

“It’s best business practices—whenever you do something, you want to make sure you look at all of the options and don’t blindly say, ‘We’re going to do this because this is what we’ve always done,’” he said.

"It’s best business practices—whenever you do something, you want to make sure you look at all of the options and don’t blindly say, ‘We’re going to do this because this is what we’ve always done."

While the committee has already begun discussing the topic, they are not leaning towards any decision currently. According to Director of Studies and committee member Laura Marshall, the group is in an “investigation phase” and is talking to Barnes and Noble, different vendors and other schools in hopes of learning more about the advantages and disadvantages of renewing the contract. Barnes and Noble has been contracted as PEA’s bookstore since 2004.

One of the benefits of remaining with Barnes and Noble is the price of books for students. Barnes and Noble’s relationship with a large number of publishers, as well as their ability to buy in bulk, helps them acquire books at lower prices. If the committee decides to keep the contract, they will have to work on improving the communication between both parties, which Marshall said, “hasn’t been the best.”

Bookstore manager Marilyn Miller said that if the committee does decide to renew the contract, she believes the store could potentially become more like some of Barnes and Noble’s other successful partners, such as the Harvard Coop or Yale Bookstore.

In case the contract is not renewed, the committee has also begun drafting different ideas on how to run the shop. One option would be to reach out to alternate vendors. According to Smith, Water Street Bookstore has expressed an interest in managing the store. The committee is also looking into other possible vendors in hopes of finding the best path for Exeter.

“If we don’t renew with Barnes and Noble, it’s not like we’re saying, ‘Done with Barnes and Noble, let’s go find something else,”’ Smith said.

“There may be something out there that would really serve us better, and we wouldn’t want to miss on that opportunity.”

Another path the committee has considered transforming the current bookstore into a gear and supply outpost and buying books on an online site. While it could potentially lower prices, beneficial for all, it could also add an extra inconvenience, especially when students need a book quickly.

“Some students were concerned about not having a physical bookstore because sometimes in the middle of the term your teacher may announce that you need another book for the next day, or you could switch your classes on the last minute,” Student Council (StuCo) President Benj Cohen said. “You would have trouble getting that book because it takes time to ship.”

According to Cohen, an online bookstore would also make the buy-back system more “cumbersome.” Instead of simply walking into the bookstore with a stack of books, students would need to pack the books in a box and bring it to P.O. for shipping if they wished to trade in their old books for money.

However, Chief Financial Officer and committee member Dave Hanson suggested a possible solution for the inconvenience: a “hybrid model” coupling the online book options along with the physical bookstore. This approach would benefit both prices and selection of books.

The committee also expressed interest in incorporating more eBooks into the new system. According to Marshall, while the eBook market is limited and books are around the same price, the addition would provide both teachers and students more purchasing options.

“People like printed books,” Marshall said. “We are only looking at a model that can provide the most of both words, eBooks and print editions, and ideally it would be a student’s choice whether to get an eBook or not.”

Hanson agreed with Marshall, explaining that the decision on eBooks would be heavily influenced by the “desires and goals” of faculty members in an effort to provide teachers with the materials they prefer.

“As was noted in the Student Council meeting, different subjects may lend themselves better to different types of materials, and faculty members must have the flexibility to make decisions for their classes that are best suited to their particular subjects and students’ needs,” he said.

Not only is the committee placing heavy interest in faculty desires, they are also encouraging students to voice their opinions. One of the most important ways that student voices can be heard is through StuCo. Cesar Zamudio, a member of StuCo, shared his thoughts on the council’s involvement. 

“StuCo's role in determining who will run the bookstore is to offer advice to the bookstore itself and to the committee of faculty who will make the decision whether to renew the contract or not,” Zamudio said.

“Student experiences and opinions on how the bookstore is currently running are very valuable to the bookstore committee in deciding whether or not to renew the contract.”

Financial aid flexibility is another important criteria by which this decision will be made. According to Exeter’s website, this year, 46.3 percent of Exeter students are receiving need-based financial aid.

“We have to make sure that whatever option we move forward with can handle the financial aid in a convenient way. We can’t expect students to front the money and later be reimbursed,” Marshall said.

Whether the committee decides to renew the contract or pursue a different option, the school’s recent interest in the bookstore is an improvement from past years. Miller was excited to see that the school is now taking more interest in the bookstore.

Looking towards the future, Smith reassured the Exeter community that they should have full trust in the committee’s capability to make this important decision.

“Don’t panic; we’re being only thoughtful, and we’re hopefully going to come up with what is best for Exeter and not what’s best for some other company,” he said.

“The committee is very smart and made up of people who represent different aspects of our school community. I think, by the time we’re done, we are going to have in place what we want.”

Contributions from Alice Little