Despite the harsh economic times around the country, the bookstore on campus is thriving and sales are up.

“Sales are up in every department, ” bookstore manager Paul Flovich said.

The bookstore gives between 8 and 9 percent to the ASCC and this year, Flovich estimates that it will give the ASCC about $450,000.

The focus of the bookstore is to buy as many books from students as possible.

Flovich also works with instructors around campus to keep the same book in classrooms for multiple semesters so students can by the used books from the bookstore.

“Used books are 25 percent cheaper than new books,” Flovich said. “Also, the bookstore makes a better profit margin on used books.”

Buybacks were up last semester and Flovich said that the bookstore will continue to buy as many books as possible back from students.

After the spring semester, the bookstore will buy enough books back to supply the summer as well as the fall semester.

But there are still concerns with the possibility of summer sessions being cut.

“I am keeping a close eye on the possibility of the a summer session being cut and we will have to adapt to it if that comes up,” he said.

Students on campus have different reasons why they shop at the bookstore.

One student that bought books there this semester was photogaphy major Jose de Jesus Gomez.

He said the reason why he shopped at the bookstore was because the places he usually goes such as Amazon and eBay were sold out of the books he needed.

Another student had a different reason for buying books there.

“It is more convenient than going online or anywhere else,” Cari Del Rio said.

The communications major said that she has cut back on buying books.

“I only bought the books that were necessary,” she said. “The classes where the instructors said that books were only a reinforcement to the lecture, I did not buy.”