As technology advances, things begin to fade out or become irrelevant. The UWM Bookstore, located in the student union, could soon become one of those things. The bookstore has been experiencing declining sales over the years as online booksellers such as Amazon and Chegg, have been able to get students the books they need for much cheaper than traditional university bookstores.
Erik Hemming, Director of the UWM Bookstore, confirmed that they had been experiencing financial struggles, but would not confirm or deny that they are going bankrupt.
“Students overall are being smarter in how they are purchasing their textbooks. Technology is advancing so people are more aware of their options,” said Sean Holmdohl, a bookstore employee of three years.
Other factors for declining sales that employees mentioned were UWM’s declining enrollment rates and teachers changing the format of classes to include more online resources and less traditional textbooks.
When asked if management of the bookstore was an issue Sean told us, “As far as I know, they try as hard as they can to get the best prices,” and assured us that the issue was a change in the market and not the fault of management.
Merchandise and supplies are another area of revenue that the bookstore relies on. Our sources told us that merchandise and supplies sales have remained steady over the last couple of years, even with the decline in book sales.
Since the university is required to provide a place for students to purchase their textbooks, the bookstore could not permanently close its doors. Most likely, the store would be sold and then managed by an outside company instead of the university itself.
An option the university could consider is including textbook costs into tuition as rentals, then giving the students the option to purchase the book at the end of the semester. A concern with this is adding to the already rising cost of tuition.