Textbook premiums too high to pay
Students comment on bookstore woes and suggest alternatives
Tucked into College West , the University of Regina campus bookstore is more than just a place to grab textbooks and supplies—it’s a hub of student life. I’s a one-stop solution for student needs, from merchandise to last-minute sticky notes for exam preparation. It’s a space where academic needs meet campus culture.
The Carillon spoke with students to get a sense of how they feel about their own experiences with the campus bookstore, The CarillonJulcit Wuyep, a student pursuing a combined major in economics and business administration in the Faculty of Arts, last visited the bookstore in 2024. “I went for an economics and probably an international studies textbook.”
Wuyep continued, “They really don’t have enough staff. So, I go through every stall to find what I’m looking for, which is hard and takes time.”
Wuyep suggests that there isn’t enough support available to immediately address student needs and concerns.
After finding the books she needed, Wuyep said that the line in front of the cashier was slow and “ also the books are expensive.” She shared that, while inflation is high, textbooks are often necessary for students. They have to prioritize them over other things. “The price is definitely not justified because I mean, I’m an international student too.”
There certainly seems to be distress amongst students when it comes to affording the materials needed for getting an education these days: books, tuition, transit and more.
Emma Kingdon, a human resources major at the Hill School of Business.Kingdon mentioned that “the textbooks are definitely expensive, but that’s just the going rate of textbooks. And I think that a lot of the school supplies and merchandising things [are] marked up a fair bit, and that’s maybe not great when your focused market is students. People are already drowning in student debt.”
With concerns surrounding cost, students do look for alternative options. . “We can’t really find a lot of them on Amazon, so we only have the bookstore,” said Wuyep. “[But] you can get any book from Facebook Marketplace. Make sure you ask your friends before you go to the bookstore because the price is so expensive.”
Beyond overpriced textbooks, the bookstore also offers products like hoodies and various study supplies. “I’ve gotten a couple hoodies over the years, and [the bookstore] saved me one day this semester studying for midterms. When I needed more sticky notes, I was able to go get some,” said Kingdon. “They were well stocked in school supplies …. I wish I could buy [another] hoodie, but it’s not in the budget right now.”
When asked what could be improved, Kingdon suggested pop-up stands around campus “to kind of advertise more of the merch that they have. I know I unsubscribed from their marketing emails like two years ago.”
I think they need to do a survey to ask peopleif textbooks [are worth the price] because some people could get the textbook in PDF format. Not a lot of people need like, actual textbooks,” Kingdon went on. “Not only textbooks but also the other stuff that they sell, like the University of Regina hoodies and sweatpants. It needs to be more affordable because we’re supposed to wear them to showcase and represent the school, but then how can we do that?”
The bookstore reflects student life: it’s where first-year students pick up their very first textbooks and where graduates pick up their keepsakes to remember their time at university. But concerns with high prices seem to be across the board.
