Back to school shopping ... yay!

[I_Hate_SCs]

Ladies and Gentlemen, my store now has back to school stuff in the seasonal department! :help: :no: :rant:

The kids just got out of school, but extremely soon, us retail employees can look forward to the following:

- Customers throwing their back to school shopping list at you, expecting you to find every item on the list NOW! NOW! NOW! Don't mind the other SCs and running/screaming kids doing the same all around you.

- Extreme outbursts & temper tantrums by grown women when you suddenly get sold out of red markers, composition books or #2 pencils ... especially when school starts the next day. I mean really, how could you SERIOUSLY be out of composition books, I mean there can't be THAT many children who need them in this area, and its ONLY a RED MARKER ... how hard would it be to keep it in stock? :lol:

- As a cashier, having to ring up cartfulls of pink erasers or 3-packs of pens. No, I cannot hit '100' on the register and not scan each item individually just because you say you only have 100 erasers ... I know you would complain if you really had 99 erasers and I blindly charged you for 100 since you asked me to!

- Utter chaos when a local school doesn't give my store their back-to-school list until later in the season, of course after repeated calls since its important we have it. Complain to the school for their slowness, not us!

- Parents of high-school students / college students who get their school lists *after* the first day of school, only to come in and find the department baron and empty since the younger kids got their stuff. Yes, we understand some people don't get the lists until its too late and we *MUST* accomodate every one by telling parents who get the list early that they can't buy the items you need! Of course these are the idiots who fail to realize that as a high school or college student, you can easily get basic stuff like pens, paper, folders and a binder and probably be fully set for all of your classes.

- The idiots who cannot grasp the reason why we have back-to-school items in the seasonal department (the main BTS area) and *also* in its regular spot in the Home Office department.

There is surely more, but I can't think of them now. Please add on to this list with anything I have forgotten!

[thegiraffe]

In Florida, we have tax-free week for back to school clothes and select supplies. I *love* dealing with the people who want to know why A, B, and C ring up tax free, but then X, Y, and Z don't. The register is set to not tax the tax-free items, but tax the other ones. It's so frustrating when they think EVERYTHING is tax-free!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And now, from the overnight stock point of view...

-Having to open a box and painstakingly place 36 packs of pencils or erasers or 36 boxes of crayons on the shelf, being careful not to let them spill into the spaces for other items, because the geniuses at corporate decided to abandon one of the few good ideas they've had lately, which was to have the vendors place these items in PDQ boxes than can just be cut out of the bottom of the shipping case and placed on the shelf.

-Having to straighten everything before you fill, because the people working on the salesfloor that night were too busy screwing around to keep the school supplies department looking neat.

-Having to pick up empty boxes that once held notebooks or 2-pocket folders because the people on the salesfloor were too lazy to throw them away.

-A tidal wave of backpacks. Jesus H. Christ, what are kids carrying in their backpacks these days that they need a new one every year? Rocks? Explosives? My backpack lasted me all throughout high school and my first two years of college. Every year we get an obscene amount of backpacks in, which are impossible to fill and keep neat because they aren't really planogrammed, and then half of them don't sell and we have to mark them down and watch our margins go straight into the toilet.

-Leaving work 15 to 30 minutes late every truck night because filling school supplies bogged you down (they have to be filled in the regular department, located at the front of the store, and in the seasonal BTS set at the back of the store), so therefore you have to leave early Sunday morning so you don't get overtime.

[AmericanZero8503]

Okay I guess I'm the customer in this situation:

- College textbooks are rediculous. I think there should be a law against a teacher writing his own book for a class and making a new edition so he keeps making money. I think the government should step in and investigate the cost of college textbooks. The workers at the bookstore try to explain the costs, but they don't do a good job at it. Well what make's the fourth edition different from the third. On page 238 it's is changed to it is....rediculous.

-Picky professors about the supplies you get for their class. "I need you to get Top Flight 2 1/2 inch binders, anything else and you fail the class." "No don't get 3x5 index cards, get the 7x42 ones instead" Might be an exaggeration, but still.

-Professors who make you buy a book, but it's never opened all semester. Any attempt to sell it back is futile thanks to NEW EDITIONS. Or the professor who uses a workbook, has you tear one page out and now it's no longer able to be sold back.

I guess I'm the SC in this situation, but still the cost of college is too much for someone who is putting themselves through school. It's not like my mom and dad can hand me a check everytime I need money. I guess I've learned a thing called responsibility.

[darko31]

Okay I guess I'm the customer in this situation:

- College textbooks are rediculous. I think there should be a law against a teacher writing his own book for a class and making a new edition so he keeps making money. I think the government should step in and investigate the cost of college textbooks. The workers at the bookstore try to explain the costs, but they don't do a good job at it. Well what make's the fourth edition different from the third. On page 238 it's is changed to it is....rediculous.

-Picky professors about the supplies you get for their class. "I need you to get Top Flight 2 1/2 inch binders, anything else and you fail the class." "No don't get 3x5 index cards, get the 7x42 ones instead" Might be an exaggeration, but still.

-Professors who make you buy a book, but it's never opened all semester. Any attempt to sell it back is futile thanks to NEW EDITIONS. Or the professor who uses a workbook, has you tear one page out and now it's no longer able to be sold back.

I guess I'm the SC in this situation, but still the cost of college is too much for someone who is putting themselves through school. It's not like my mom and dad can hand me a check everytime I need money. I guess I've learned a thing called responsibility.


the Internet is your friend. $150 textbooks suddenly cost $30. I made a small mint buying books on the net and selling them to my fellow students.

[coop52]

AmericanZero's post is exactly why I get all my books either on Half.com or from friends. If it's the wrong edition, I just borrow from a friend whenever my book's different. My professors don't really care; most of them expect a bunch of people to have different editions from ordering online.

[Legal Eagle]

i don't know what course you do, but the reason that most new editions are brought out, is because of changes in the subject. it's the same reason you should read the monthly journals, because of changes.

[AmericanZero8503]

the Internet is your friend. $150 textbooks suddenly cost $30. I made a small mint buying books on the net and selling them to my fellow students.

It always seems that when I do buy from the internet a) the teacher already expects us to have the book b) they don't send the edition they listed it as c) I don't recieve it at all or d)UPS, USPS, or FedEx seem to screw up the delivery and I never recieve it.

Also for some reason the bookstore will slap a weird or made-up ISBN on the books making them next to impossible to find on the net...at least easily.

[Coconut]

-Professors who make you buy a book, but it's never opened all semester.

Grrr... I HATED that in school. I swear I must have spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on books that never even got cracked open. My last two semesters of college I stopped buying books outright because that was such a problem for me. If I ever really needed something, which was rare, I borrowed from a friend.

[South Texan]

Professors who make you buy a book, but it's never opened all semester.
I had a English professor who required us to buy twenty different obscure novels and plays and short story collections. Some of the expensive collections had to be purchased just for one story. More than half of the books ended up not being used in the class, but he "justified" their purchase at the close of the semester by stating he thought we "would enjoy reading them" since we had an "appreciation" for the subject now. Riiiiiiight.

Of course the bookstore would not buy them back. I used a few of the books as kindling for a frat bon fire at the close of the year. That gave me more enjoyment than reading them ever would.

SORRY!!!! I DID NOT SET OUT TO AID IN THE THREAD HI JACK!

[ebonyknight]

It always seems that when I do buy from the internet a) the teacher already expects us to have the book b) they don't send the edition they listed it as c) I don't recieve it at all or d)UPS, USPS, or FedEx seem to screw up the delivery and I never recieve it.

Also for some reason the bookstore will slap a weird or made-up ISBN on the books making them next to impossible to find on the net...at least easily.

My old school (George Mason Bookstore) had that beat. They told all the professors that they couldn't release the syllabus (what books are required) until the first day of class and would have them give an assignment from the book due the next day.

What makes it so bad is that everyone KNEW this was the reason and they weren't shy about it.:devil:

[DistantStar]

We're in the middle of it right now. The public schools here start August 9th. Yes, you read that right. August 9th. I would have been really pissed as a kid if I'd had to go back that early!

Not only do we have to deal with school supplies, but there's also uniforms! Yay! On top of the normal kid's clothes! Such fun...not.

[Comp_geek]

Wow August. I'm not done the courses I'm taking in the summer yet :lol: I'm going to get like 3 weeks off then normal school starts again. But I'm all set...though I could probably use some green pens...

[bakircioglu]

Oh Crap, back to School...I kinda forgot about that

Well, from a Sports Retailer Point of View

- Having to Move 4 Metre's of Trainers into other sections to make space for a Bag Wall for customers to then destroy and confuse the price tags.

- Selling out of Size 6 and 7 in all Black shoes. I'm sorry but surely you should have got here sooner? No, its not my fault Head Office didn't order enough stock of them. I don't know whats coming back in on the next delivery and the best I can do is give you the shops phone number and our delivery times/days.

- Merchandising all Black Shoes together. Sounds sensible but half of the lines Head Office order can't be worn to school anyway! And no, if you buy them and wear them, you can't return them. Standard, Goodwill Policy. They are still fit for the purpose (Being Worn), they aren't faulty and we don't have any Law stating "If sold Black Trainers which the school Deem unsuitable, you are entitled to a refund"

- People moaning about the prices of everything. This is my 4th back to School period for the company and they prices have either dropped or stayed the same. No, they haven't risen

[Broomjockey]

And now, from the overnight stock point of view...
-A tidal wave of backpacks. Jesus H. Christ, what are kids carrying in their backpacks these days that they need a new one every year? Rocks? Explosives? My backpack lasted me all throughout high school and my first two years of college. Every year we get an obscene amount of backpacks in, which are impossible to fill and keep neat because they aren't really planogrammed, and then half of them don't sell and we have to mark them down and watch our margins go straight into the toilet.


I had to get a new backpack every year grades 1-12, and a couple replacements mid-year besides. Most backpacks are made so cheap they can't carry the standard 40 lbs of crap students need to haul around and the shoulder straps break, or the bottom rips out, or the zipper fouls and won't work anymore. I went through 4 backpacks in grade 7 because my parents tried to make me use old ones we had in the house.
Now that I'm in college and don't need to carry everything with me everyday, I got myself I nice messenger bag that carries my laptop, notebook, writing supplies, and a textbook. The thing's lasted me for over a year already, beating all previous carrying devices.

[Tigress]

We're in the middle of it right now. The public schools here start August 9th. Yes, you read that right. August 9th. I would have been really pissed as a kid if I'd had to go back that early!

Not only do we have to deal with school supplies, but there's also uniforms! Yay! On top of the normal kid's clothes! Such fun...not.

We used to have that in NC, too. After I graduated, the start of the school year crept up earlier in August and the end crept up later in June. Finally, the state legislature noticed a couple of years ago that students in some districts were only getting 5 or 6 weeks of summer vacation. So they enacted a law that school couldn't start any earlier than the next to last week in August. And the school districts fought the law tooth and nail. It was rediculous.

[Tria]

Jesus H. Christ, what are kids carrying in their backpacks these days that they need a new one every year? Rocks? Explosives? My backpack lasted me all throughout high school and my first two years of college.


Appearantly you were never the school bully's personal bitch in school.... Tear the back pack off, toss it around play keep away.... Whoever said that high school is the best years of your life was probably a bully....

[Kelly Lynne]

More than half of the books ended up not being used in the class, but he "justified" their purchase at the close of the semester by stating he thought we "would enjoy reading them" since we had an "appreciation" for the subject now. Riiiiiiight.

D'oh! Because it would've been so hard for him to have you buy the books you actually used and give you a "suggested reading list" for the rest. Or making some books "optional" or "recommended" rather than required.
Geez....books you never even use should not be part of the required textbook list for a class.

Of course the bookstore would not buy them back. I used a few of the books as kindling for a frat bon fire at the close of the year. That gave me more enjoyment than reading them ever would.

::whimper:: Sorry, but the concept of burning books, even crappy ones, makes me shudder. Must be an English major thing.

[Kelly Lynne]

My old school (George Mason Bookstore) had that beat. They told all the professors that they couldn't release the syllabus (what books are required) until the first day of class and would have them give an assignment from the book due the next day.

What makes it so bad is that everyone KNEW this was the reason and they weren't shy about it.

Oh....that's evil. There's gotta be a way to beat it, though. (Anyone that sneaky really needs to be beaten at their own game.) Hmmmm....

Maybe get together with three or four people in your class, split the cost of one copy of each book from the bookstore, share them or pass them around for the first few weeks (long enough for everyone to get their own book from half.com, amazon.com, or paperbackswap.com), then return the book and split whatever you get back.

Going as a group to return the books and splitting up the money right in front of them might be fun too, except that it's probably not the person working there (likely a student) who has any control over the policy.

[South Texan]

D'oh! Because it would've been so hard for him to have you buy the books you actually used and give you a "suggested reading list" for the rest. Or making some books "optional" or "recommended" rather than required.
Geez....books you never even use should not be part of the required textbook list for a class.
No, it was because he had not thought out what he was going to teach.

Each of those books had been on the original syllabus, but he threw that thing out within the first month - but too late to return anything - as he obviously had had no idea how long it was going to take to cover the novels and plays he had selected. We received a revised syllabus three times during the semester.

[Depot Denizen]

I work at my university's computer store. We service and sell comps for all the faculty, staff, and students. We have a Back To School program there. Right now we're selling Dells, Apples, and the Gateway Tablet PC (Business school requires their students to buy the useless things). We end up getting about 1,000 BTS orders in. Our ship home/pick up date ended Monday, but we still get parents wanting to order for early pick up and ship home. -_- Often times we get calls from parents, and sometimes they outright accuse us of ripping them off (nevermind the fact that we sell them for cheaper than direct from the manufacturer). They don't want to pay $1500 for a decent laptop, they'd rather get an el cheapo deluxe at Best Buy or Staples for $700 or so. Usually when I tell them about the warranties that come with our computers they shut up. We fix hardware issues right in the store/service area, if it's a machine we sell.

[Ringman]

the Internet is your friend. $150 textbooks suddenly cost $30.

any links to these places?

[Dog Welder]

any links to these places?
http://www.phatcampus.com/
http://www.textbookx.com/
www.ebay.com
www.half.com
www.amazon.com
http://www.campusbooks.com/

And go look on the school bulletin boards, there are ususally postings of students selling their textbooks. I save about 40% that way.


Good Luck.

[AFpheonix]

I sold a lot of textbooks for non-major classes to other students for more than I'd get selling back to the bookstore, but for less than they'd pay for used book price.

Powell's books in Portland was also my friend for textbooks.

[Ringman]

thanks dog welder.

[theredbaron47]

My old school (George Mason Bookstore) had that beat. They told all the professors that they couldn't release the syllabus (what books are required) until the first day of class and would have them give an assignment from the book due the next day.

What makes it so bad is that everyone KNEW this was the reason and they weren't shy about it.

I don't understand why that is sneaky. Can you explain what the reason was?

[karma_gypsy]

About the college textbooks (a little OT), if you keep the books a little too long, then the things are impossible to get rid of. . . even online, because then they're way to outdated.

[TYFSOK]

And now, from the overnight stock point of view...
-A tidal wave of backpacks. Jesus H. Christ, what are kids carrying in their backpacks these days that they need a new one every year? Rocks? Explosives? My backpack lasted me all throughout high school and my first two years of college. Here in Japan, most elementary school students get a very specific backpack, called a randoseru. It's either red or black, made out of very thick leather, with padded straps and back, and it's sturdy enough to last the entire six years. And, after that, they're still in good enough shape to be given to another child, although many keep them as mementoes.

http://www.kanda-ya.com/img/001/3-3.gif

They start at around ¥11,000, and the really high quality ones can be over ¥20,000. (That's from $100 to over $200, USD.)