I tell you, as someone who teaches and takes a possibly-unhealthy number of college courses, I thank my lucky stars that Amazon.com and other online booksellers have managed to thrive. At Temple, the university bookstore frequently marks up texts to the point that the used copies are close to - and sometimes more than - the cover price. Thanks to online shopping, not only can I get my books cheaper, I can get them without having to wait in ridiculous lines. Part of me is truly surprised that the college stores still do as much business as they do.
It has been an interesting cultural shift, watching more and more of my students go the online route. I have to take into account the fact that during the first week of class, there are going to be a handful of students who haven’t done the reading because they’re waiting for the text.