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Steven Milligan and Michael Grenier are fed up with the University Bookstore.
Since the fall of 2000, the roommates say they have felt ripped off by the Bookstore’s book buy-back system at the end of every semester. But this year, they have finally decided to do something about it.
“We all deserve an affordable education. We pay enough to go here, why let the University get the best of us when we can do something about it?” said Grenier and Milligan in the mission statement on their new Web site, “Undercutters.”
“Undercutters” allows students to purchase books from each other in an organized manner.
“The concept of ‘Undercutters’ is quite simple,” Milligan, a third-year new media major, said. “The system is basically doing what students have been doing all along. But instead of messages on FirstClass, the system lets students create an account, list the books that they wish to sell, along with a price, and then allows other students to search for these books by title, course, or author … ‘Undercutters’ does not sell the books, it simply connects students to students … [It] is simply an organizing system.”
The two students made the project a reality this semester when Milligan, enrolled in a computer programming course, was required to complete an open-ended assignment. Milligan saw the assignment as the perfect opportunity to use his know-how to make the Web site a reality, and he said getting a grade for the project was nothing more than an added bonus.
Currently, “Undercutters” boasts 70 users with over 100 books listed on the site. But while the system has been operable for only a few months, the creators said they hope for continued growth. Milligan said as more students list on to the system, the better the results will be.
“We are looking forward to seeing ‘Undercutters’ grow, hopefully much faster than it has been, with a new week of classes and the end of the semester approaching,” Milligan said.
While Milligan said he hopes to take the Bookstore out of the picture, Bookstore Director Bill Hockensmith defended the policies and refuted the “conscienceless” image portrayed on the “Undercutters” Web site.
“If there was a profit in textbooks, you’d see them at K-Mart,” Hockensmith said. He said book sales, while accounting for over 75 percent of overall sales, reaped a profit margin of 30 percent or less for the Bookstore.
Hockensmith, who said he helped develop the highest book buy-back rate in the nation while employed at Texas A & M, holds the same goals for UMaine. He said as long as the course instructor has their order completed and plans on using the same book next semester, the Bookstore will pay one half of the “new” price regardless of whether it was bought new.
On the first day of book buy-back alone, the Bookstore returned $6,600 to students, with 344 books returned, Hockensmith said.
“We’re being far more aggressive,” Hockensmith said. “We’re trying to buy back as much as possible. Our goal is to be number one in New England in two semesters, and our next goal is to take on the Northeast.”
Hockensmith also expressed concern for students using “Undercutters” to acquire next semester’s textbooks. According to him, students cannot be sure the book they are purchasing through the site will be the same edition used by the instructor and that the Bookstore’s policies not only assure them one-stop shopping convenience, but within the first two weeks of classes allow students the chance to return the book in the event that they drop the course. He also noted that the Bookstore would be carrying many more used textbooks next semester than in previous years, in hopes of helping students save money.
While Milligan and Grenier have faced no opposition from the Bookstore, they conduct a system backup every day, so in the event that they are removed from the UMaine server for any reason, they can easily relocate to a new host.
“If all goes well with ‘Undercutters’ this semester, it will be overhauled and improved with new features over Christmas break and will return next semester for the students to use again,” Milligan said.
Hockensmith said he wishes both students nothing but the best of luck with their Web site.
For more information on “Undercutters,” visit the Web site at http://river.asap.um.maine.edu/~milligans/BookStore/index.php.
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