What executive in their right mind would sell a profitable business. Business school always taught me to sell the $ losers and keep the $ makers. Looks like the Peter Principle at its finest.

Losing those work-study positions is just what we need in today's tough economy. Because you know who needs to scale down? Students.

depending on how it's structured, it can be a good arrangement for the university. also would be one less thing for the university leadership to think about. PLUS a BN can bring specialized IT, knowledge, etc. to running a bookstore. and yeah there's tradeoffs. seems like the university could push for certain key things in the contract, and still manage to "get out of the book business." wondering what is driving this all.

Nice job Stranger. Right on. Check NY Times 8/14/95 - Follett and Barnes & Noble sued by publisher for theft and sale $12 Million of stolen books. Just the kind of business partner SU needs.

Want to see what you will be getting with B&N? Compare SU's Bookstore and Seattle Central Bookstore. WOW!

B&N leased WSU Bookstore a couple of years ago. How well did that work out? One of the top university bookstores in the nation is no more.

@ 4 - I think your first sentence should read the Stranger, not the Spectator.

@ 5 - right, because being sued 14 years ago clearly means a business is unethical. Clearly.

@4: It's pretty obvious you didn't read my story. The "insist" that you hang so much on is right there in the middle of the second paragraph of this story.

But thanks for your meaningless input.

"One anonymous bookseller, by e-mail, theorized that the only money SU would save from leasing the bookstore would be through a leaser's probable reduction of employee benefits. "

As someone all too familiar with this business, I can tell you that, yes, the reduction of employee benefits would be a big plus but also the entire bookstore ops would be moved to an external company- any charges brought on by a brick & mortar location purchasing & reselling inventory would be made by B&N money, not SU. In fact, SU would make a commission on 99% of whatever is sold there. They'd be turning a profit while not putting much money (building maintenance only, perhaps) into the operation.

"Of course the employees are upset, but the switch could potentially be bad news for customers, too: Corporate leasers generally charge more for school-branded merchandise and are less likely to carry a wide selection of used textbooks, which currently makes up 40 percent of the inventory at SU Bookstore."

School-branded merch could cost more because SU would want their licensing cut in addition to whatever 3rd party manufactures it- the one that would charge B&N for it. Sorry, but if license plate frames with Seattle U on it are important to you, you will pay for them. There's not a big market for them, this is how it works.

Not sure how the used inventory would disappear...SU is probably conducting student buyback which is the best source for used books. They're most likely also heading toward MBS or Follett Wholesale to source used- the very same companies a biggie like B&N or Follett would use. This point doesn't hold much water.

I see that no comment is made on the effect on the students at large within the SU community.

If as #10 suggests the re-branding and buying of books from other sources will raise prices to increase the profit of the bookstore, who is going to hurt the most...the students. As a private institution, tuition alone is not cheap by any standards.

The university needs to remember the mission that it is trying to project, especially with its Jesuit tradition, and apply that to this decision. SU is often seen as an institution that values success by doing the most good rather than making the most money and "empowering leaders for a just and humane world." Outsourcing seems to ignore this commitment.

Mark, I think I should clarify-

What I mean by the sourcing of used books was that it's likely that SU's store is already using the same used book sourcing methods that a big private company like Barnes & Noble College or Follett would use.

What would be different, is that B&N would get better margins from MBS (a company intimately related with them) than MBS would charge SU independently.

Mark, I think I should clarify-

What I meant by the sourcing of used books was that it's likely that SU's store is already using the same used book sourcing methods that a big private company like Barnes & Noble College or Follett would use.

What would be different, is that B&N would get better margins from MBS (a company intimately related with them) than MBS would charge SU independently.