LETTERS: Counting the independents

To the Editor: Last week an article in the DP made reference to "two independent bookstores," specifically the Pennsylvania Book Center and House of Our Own. The article I am referring to echoed an article last January which made the same error, indicating there are only two independent bookstores servicing the students and faculty at the University. Although we are not open throughout the semester, by opening only at the beginning of each semester, we are able to minimize our operating expenses and thereby can discount the textbooks we sell to the students. Since 95 percent of all textbooks are purchased during the first two weeks of each semester, I believe we are providing a valuable service to the larger community. Notwithstanding the fact that we are not opened throughout the semester it is inaccurate to state there are only two independent bookstores servicing the faculty and students at the University. Campus Text is unique in many ways. For example, when we sold out our inventory for many courses, we arranged for additional copies to be shipped to us, overnight at our expense, to insure that the students would have their texts sooner rather than later. For two textbooks, on Monday, we sent a Campus Text employee to North Jersey to secure additional copies of the texts directly from the publisher's warehouse. This is not the kind of service which is provided by a non-entity. I suppose the close to 3,000 students who purchased textbooks from Campus Text this semester and the numerous faculty members who request that we sell textbooks for their classes would agree with me that there are more than "two independents near the Penn campus." Michael Saewitz Campus Text President