Bookstore plan continues
Privatization and location change possibilities for Tech store
By Dale Russell / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
The bookstore is currently located near the heart of campus and is owned by the Institute. It may be moved across 75/85 and sold to a private vendor.
Amidst plans to possibly relocate the Tech bookstore across 75/85, there is also the chance that Tech may decide to sell the bookstore to a private outside vendor, like Barnes and Noble or Follett.
While the company could pay for the new building, Tech would lose control of its bookstore, thus losing control over prices and decision-making that affects the Institute.
The plan to move the bookstore involves developing the midtown area and using the bookstore as a retail source. Also in the area would be a parking deck, continuing education, and distance education centers.
If a retailer bought out the bookstore, they would build the new building, buy the remaining inventory, and would abide to various regulations set up in the contract, such as hiring all current employees.
Concerns over the plan stem from customer service. The Tech bookstore currently operates on a 20 percent profit on textbooks while most other retailers use a 25-29 percent increase. There is concern that prices will rise, hurting the consumer.
"The customer service from this bookstore is excellent," said Gigi Weinrich, bookstore buyer for the campus store. "Customer service would go down the tubes [after privatization], I promise you that."
National retailers, such as those mentioned above, select vendors each store can use.
The bookstore currently buys merchandise from whomever they want, often from local salesmen.
The national retailer could cut merchandisers like them out, hurting the local economy, but national merchandisers make up the majority of the list.
Since the employees would be paid by the bookstore, they could be concerned with what is best for the company, not is what is best for Tech.
The new company, however, would be more likely to hire a large amount of student workers to help run the store, providing students with a way to make money without having to go too far from campus.
Both companies have complemented Tech on the condition of the bookstore.
Barnes and Noble currently operates bookstores at schools such as Florida State and the University of Pennsylvania.
On the other side of the issue is Duke, which recently turned down a deal for privatization. In 1994, the state of North Carolina bought back the state universities' bookstores from private vendors.
The move towards privatization originally began with companies leasing bookstores in poor shape that were becoming a burden to the school.
A variety of organizations are conducting surveys on the matter. The Georgia Tech Foundation, SGA, and the bookstore are all in the process of gaining input from those it will affect.
In an effort to obtain student input on the matter, the UHR committee on Campus Services plans on distributing surveys to students on both the idea of moving the bookstore and on privatization.
A batch of surveys will be distributed this weekend while alumni are in town. This survey will focus on gathering opinions.
A second survey will consist of data gathering from students to be distributed at various locations on campus to gather a variety of viewpoints.
"We want to get alumni opinion and get as much input on this," said Eric Hollins, committee chair.
"A lot of students are not aware of that the bookstore may be moving. With something like the bookstore, they need to be more aware of what's going on around campus," said Hollins.
"Once it's leased, it's gone forever," said Director of the Bookstore, Jerry Ritchie.
