Assorted books students may need.
By Mikael Simpson
CCC Journalism Program
At the start of each semester, the bookstore is bombarded with an influx of students looking to purchase books.
With customer numbers skyrocketing, the bookstore extends its hours and increases its staff during the first two weeks of each semester.
But do students feel this is enough to accommodate to their needs?
David Chojnacki, director of Business Services, employs 13 regulars on the bookstore staff, four of whom are students.
During the first two weeks of each semester, in order to ease lines for the influx of students buying books, Chojnacki makes staff changes in addition to extending hours.
“During the back to school rush period, up to 30 employees may be added on a temporary basis to support the operation… Buying books can be a stressful experience,” he said, acknowledging the hassle students go through when buying books. “The bookstore does have extended hours until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.”
A number of students hold full-time jobs in addition to being enrolled in courses at Camden County College.
Due to their day jobs, these students are must take night classes. One of them is 21-year-old Chyna Davison.
“The later hours at the beginning of the semester don’t really help,” Davison said. Most night classes let out when the bookstore closes or is already closed. Most of the students enrolled in night classes are there because they are obligated to jobs during the day.
“I rush from work in Philadelphia and just barely make it to class on time,” Davison said. “I almost never get out of class early enough to make it to the bookstore to pick up books or other study materials.”
However, there are also students who attend school during the day and have no problem getting to the bookstore before, between or after classes.
These students feel like nothing needs to be changed about the way the bookstore operates.
Lauren Weber, 19, thinks the bookstore has perfect hours. “I haven’t had any problems with getting books right away or when I needed them,” she said. “I didn’t even know they stayed open later.”
Finally, there is a third group of students that is widely unthought-of of when purchasing books comes to mind – the online purchasers. They sacrifice the convenience of having their books in their hands immediately in exchange for waiting for them to ship in order to spend less money.
“I use Amazon so I have no reason to go to the bookstore,” said Sean Galbraith, 24. “It doesn’t affect me.”