Don't have any books yet, and classes are already on the second day? Don't despair - Ann Arbor's conglomerate of bookstores can help soothe those back-to-school jitters.
If you're like the jaded seniors who hold off textbook purchases until the final moment or you find that you jump right into English 350 on the last day of drop-add, you needn't worry - bookstore managers say the prices and supply are pretty much standard.
"There's no real price difference," admitted Dave Richard, general manager of Ulrich's Bookstore. "People do perceive us as being cheaper, but that's mostly because we make an effort to have as many used books on hand on possible."
But you will find some differences among the stores themselves. On its quaint bricked-in corner, Ulrich's houses a separate electronics store, for students finished with their book, notebook and Michigan coffee mug selections. Just past dorm room posters and birthday cards, Michigan Book and Supply puts on a brighter face with its year-old Clinique make-up counter, encouraging students to make that good first impression.
The Michigan Union Bookstore, just a few steps away from the main campus eatery, sells study munchies, displays class rings and a huge array of textbooks. And at Shaman Drum Bookshop, there's less fuss and bother. No bumper stickers, no yellow and blue crates - just wall-to-wall books in the store's upstairs textbook annex.
Alison Swan, Shaman Drum's publicist, said the store serves a dual role with its trade book store and its textbook sales.
"The way that students get to know us first is because of our textbook department, since we carry books for about 600 university courses. In addition, we specialize in academic and scholarly books for the writers and professors in town."
Unlike the variety in selection at other stores, where books range in topic from Engineering to Genetics, from Anthropology to Zoology, books at Shaman Drum are all humanities based, mostly literature and history, Swan said. Consequently, students line up and down the block to wait for their turn to search the shelves.
For those who want a bigger bargain, alternate sources like the Student Book Exchange can help. Students can sell their old books to other students for inexpensive rates, keeping a part of the profits. Others sell their old books to the bookstores to recoup some of the expense of new texts, which for some can run as high as $400 in books that are not available used.
Walking out of the Union yesterday with a full bag of paperbacks, LSA student Jaye Czarnecki said she felt a bit defeated in her endeavors at savings. "I sold the store two out of about a dozen. If they have a sales quota, they just say no to you."
"The rush is definitely on," said Richard, noting that the late opening of the residence halls this year - five days later than last year - has pushed the main sale period to yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Jonathon Seddelmeyer, an Engineering senior, said he lucked out and spent only 20 minutes shopping. Well-seasoned in the book hunt, Seddelmeyer said he knows there aren't really any discounts.
"I just went to Michigan Book and Supply because it's closest to my apartment this year. Last year I went to Ulrich's," he said.
"I didn't buy my books yet this year," said LSA senior Johanna Knoch. "It takes me about a week usually, because I have to go to a whole bunch of different stores to find the books I need. They're never all in one place."
"Plus, all the freshmen take up the lines," she added with a laugh.
4 Michigan Book and Supply: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Monday; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. tomorrow; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. next Tuesday and Wednesday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. next Thursday; regular hours next Friday.
4 Michigan Union Bookstore: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. today; regular hours tomorrow.
4 Ulrich's Bookstore: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. today; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. tomorrow; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; regular hours Monday.
4 Shaman Drum: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; regular hours Monday.
ROB GILMORE/Daily
Renee Gonzales, a second-year graduate student in social work, examines the textbook selection at Shaman Drum.