The Shippensburg University bookstore, managed by Follett Corp., announced that a new price match program has begun to helps students save money on course materials.
The program is designed to keep the cost of textbooks and other course materials at a lower rate so students can use their funds for other materials they may need, according to a Follett press release.
If a student finds a lower advertised price and the bookstore has the item in stock, they can bring proof on their phone, or by printed copy, to the bookstore. The bookstore will sell them the item for full price and then the student will receive a gift card in return for the difference of the lower advertised price. Students can use the gift card right away in the bookstore for any other items they may need or want.
The bookstore will accept offers from its three main competitors, Amazon.com, Chegg.com and BN.com and only prices that are provided by the company and not seen in a private marketplace. They will also honor the price match offer for students up to seven days after the original purchase. This is so that students have the opportunity to save if they are unaware the program exists. The bookstore will be advertising this program in the store, on social media and through various campus-wide emails.
“We are always looking for ways to reduce the price of textbooks for our students," said Kevin McCarty, the bookstore manager.
Follett Higher Education Group, the operator of the SU bookstore, tested this program in 10 pilot stores in the fall of 2014. The positive response to the program influenced the decision to bring this program to SU and other universities across the U.S., according to the press release.
“We’re already offering the largest selection of used books in the industry and a huge rental library," McCarty said. "The price match program is the next step in our affordability commitment to Shippensburg University students.”
Follett services more than half of the students in the U.S. and works with 70,000 schools as a provider of educational materials.
Students can find out more information on the price match program by visiting the university’s bookstore website, shippensburgshop.com.
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