The Bakersfield College Bookstore has started their new online service to better serve students with their textbook and school supply needs.

Brian Griffin, the store manager, clarified that their online service is not meant to take over the bookstore, however it is more like an outlet for students to avoid crowds and purchase their school items online.

Griffin explained that the bookstore has tried to promote online buying for the fact that the campus does not accommodate all of the students.

They have tried to promote online buying by offering promotions on online orders. The bookstore also has items suggested by professors available for students like goggles, printer ink, and Scantrons. A lot of the time there are discounts offered online that are not available at the bookstore.

Some BC students feel that buying the books at the bookstore is better.

“You don’t know what you’re getting,” said Kimberly Rain about online purchases. “They can be written in.”

“I’d rather buy at the bookstore because I don’t like to use my card online, and I was also in a rush and needed to get my homework finished,” said Justin Brimage.

Griffin explained that because the bookstore is a branch of Barnes & Noble, this means they also offer e-textbooks, which is a download of the physical textbook right onto your Mac, PC, or NOOK. However, some students have been told that some books are BC versions only and are not available for the NOOK.

“I haven’t checked, but I was told that some are not available, because they are made especially for BC,” said Brimage.

Even though online service is important, the bookstore will only be getting better.

“If anything, we are trying to expand the bookstore,” said Griffin.

The bookstore staff has actually been waiting to remodel the student bookstore to hopefully make it less claustrophobic and more open with more school spirit. They are hoping to set up the cash registers up against the wall, a lot like what the Barnes & Noble stores look like.

When asked if he thinks that there will always be a BC Bookstore Griffin said, “There will always be a need for a bookstore, because people want to have that physical book on hand.”