1. The bookshop has approximately 1000 requests every summer prior to the start of the new academic year from academics to provide core reading texts for students.
2. Students and staff get an automatic 10% discount on the RRP of almost all books in print and the bookshop can order any title currently in print.
3. Last year, 66% of the books sold were either the same price or cheaper than Amazon. The bookshop can price-check with Amazon to ensure students are aware of prices for new books as well as those sold by individual sellers on Amazon marketplace. The bookshop will endeavour to make sure students are aware of all options when it comes to recommended texts and resources.
4. The bookshop can order in from a selection of over three million titles for next day delivery – this is any book, from Harry Potter to Practical Haematology. If the bookshop doesn’t have the book in stock, most book orders to publishers take on average 3-5 working day to obtain.
5. The bookshop offers several book bundles and multi-buy offers for 1st year students so they can purchase their core required texts in a value pack.
6. The bookshop is developing a new website for soft-launch in 2016 which will enable better online purchasing of all items stocked.
7. The bookshop hopes to be able to utilise the university Smartcard system in the future to enable students to make payments via their university funds.
8. If a student withdraws from their course, then the bookshop will consider offering a refund on core texts purchased. The bookshop currently offer a credit note within 14 days if a student needs to return a book or item of clothing and in individual cases will consider refunds if the book is in sellable condition.
9. The bookshop is one of only 6 campus booksellers in the country that are owned by a university. There are approx. 140 other universities that have bookshops but these are corporate organisations such as Blackwell’s.
10. The bookshop began as a small store for recommended texts in the mid-1970s and has been part of the library since 1996, the library used to be on campus in LAUD hence the position of the current bookshop. The bookshop was extended in 2005 building out the back; and in 2009 as part of the Laud refurbishment the bookshop gained a stockroom and a shopfront style window onto the pond area.
*The bookshop is open 8.30am-6pm weekdays and 10-3pm Saturdays*