As a first-year at Fairfield University, I entered campus in late August with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Like many new students, I found myself bombarded with a boatload of information surrounding academics, particularly the necessity for an arrangement of textbooks and novels for specific courses.
When it comes to my knowledge of textbooks prior to college, I had seen countless videos floating around social media platforms promoting websites with free access to digital textbooks to avoid the hefty costs of their physical formats. Other friends from an assortment of colleges across the country informed me of their experience with the process and their struggle with renting them out, purchasing them or downloading digital copies. I think it’s safe to say that I had no idea what to expect when it came time to purchase my own books.
When Fairfield introduced RedStack as an all-in, flat-fee option for textbooks this semester, I was intrigued by their system. Obviously, I thought it was a great alternative to having to scavenge bookstores for my books.
With the pickup located in the gift shop, RedStack is definitely convenient for students who opt to pick up their textbooks. Initially, when I was placing my order around mid-August I had considered shipping my textbook to my home, but with the easy access I would have to the pickup location once on campus I decided otherwise. Along with many others, I was pleased to discover I could work my class schedule around their opening hours which turned out to be a bit of a hassle.
The inconvenience of the process was the extensive amount of time I had to wait in line for a singular textbook. Unlike many other students, I only had one textbook to pick up from RedStack which I assumed would make the entire process more efficient and less time-consuming. However, approaching the bookstore and seeing the various bags of novels and textbooks students were hauling back to their dorms made me doubt my decision to pick mine up.
I am a very patient individual and don’t mind standing in line for periods of time, but I will admit that waiting almost 30 minutes in line just to stand at a counter for another 10 minutes began to agitate me. At this point, countless people behind and in front of me were progressively leaving the line which now extended beyond the walls of the bookstore. Many of them claimed they would come back early the following morning which likely resulted in them facing students with a similar idea in mind.
Another con of RedStack was their alleged claim to have the ability to provide students with course materials by the first day. Numerous students in one of my classes struggled with the process of retrieving their textbook before the first few classes, resulting in the professor having to photocopy the chapter readings and post them online. During a conversation with one of my friends regarding the issue, she mentioned “I was frustrated with RedStack because I felt like I was falling behind on my classes after only the first week of class.” In this case, I wouldn’t view RedStack as a reliable source to gain access to course materials on time, yet this fault is understandable with a predictable increase in demand from students placing last-minute orders nearing the start of the academic year.
Despite the conflicting pick-up process, my experience with RedStack was satisfactory and provided me with the materials I needed in a timely manner. Again, while I only had one textbook to pick up, my experience may have been less complicated than others. Regardless, I think opting to get my textbook from RedStack was a wise choice. Overall, I’m grateful my school provides me with a simple opportunity to gain access to all of my textbooks efficiently.