Navigating the Mercer University Bookstore: A Comprehensive Guide
The Mercer University Bookstore, located in Mercer Village, serves as a central hub for students' academic and personal needs. It stocks textbooks, apparel, gifts and accessories, and supplies and electronics for Mercer students. Beyond purchasing, the bookstore offers textbook rental services.
Textbook Rentals at Mercer University Bookstore
The Mercer University Bookstore simplifies the textbook rental process for students, offering an accessible and convenient alternative to purchasing textbooks.
Rental Process Overview
Textbook Rental is simple! Most forms of payment currently accepted at the bookstore can also be used for rentals. The rental period begins the day you pay for the Textbook Rental and continues until the the last day of Finals, as shown on your Order Confirmation. All rented textbooks must be returned to the bookstore, in good condition, by the Rental Return Due Date.
Shopping for rentals is straightforward, both in-store and online. Simple! Plus if you're shopping in the bookstore, look for signs in the book aisle. Online, it's really easy - if we're renting a textbook, the "Rental" option will display in your book list alongside "New" and/or "Used" (if available). If you're shopping online, its even easier. Many books display a RENTAL option, along with NEW and USED options.
Payment and Financial Aid
Yes, you can use your financial aid to pay for your Textbook Rental. While various payment methods are accepted, the bookstore requires a credit card to be kept on file. We do require a credit card be kept on file, even if you pay with a different method.
Read also: Future Leaders Program
Returning Rented Textbooks
Returning rented textbooks is designed to be hassle-free. Yes! Just use the return shipping label available online. You can print it as often as you like, but you can only use it once. So if you're returning multiple books, please put them in one box and use one shipping label.
Drop/Add Policy
The drop/add policy for rented books is the same as for purchased books. Return the book to the bookstore within the allowed period along with drop/add documentation. Yes! The same return policy applies to rented textbooks as to purchased textbooks. Assuming, of course that you have your receipt, and return the textbook in good condition, along with any components such as CDs, etc. that were included with the textbook when you rented it.
Textbook Condition and Acceptable Use
The bookstore has specific guidelines regarding the condition of returned rental books. Yes, the bookstore can refuse to accept your rental book if it is not returned in good condition. Good condition will be judged by the bookstore alone, and generally means book spine intact, no excessive damage to cover or contents, all original pages intact, all original components present, and no excessive highlighting, writing or other markings. Normal-use highlighting and writing is permitted. Yes! Normal use of highlighting and writing is permitted.
Consequences of Not Returning or Damaging Rented Books
Failure to return rented textbooks or returning them in unacceptable condition incurs penalties. The card on file will be charged a replacement and non-return processing fee. The replacement cost and non-return processing fee will be charged to the credit card on file. The book will be yours to keep. The Replacement Cost is 75% of the New book price at the time of purchase. The non-return processing fee is 7.5% of the New book price at the time of purchase. You will be charged the replacement cost plus the non-return processing fee for any book not returned to the bookstore, regardless of the reason.
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers (BNC) Rental Agreement
This rental agreement is a contract between you and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC (BNC) and applies to your rental of textbooks and/or course related materials from us. You agree this agreement is legally binding as between you and BNC. You must have a valid securing tender on file with us at all times. Credit/debit cards provided as a securing tender must be a personal credit/debit card. Rented materials remain the property of BNC or its authorized supplier. Your acceptance of rented materials and paying rental fees entitles you to use the property of BNC or authorized supplier for a limited amount of time and only for personal, non-commercial, and non-transferable use. Rented materials can be refunded and then purchased during the first two weeks of classes only. Rented materials must be returned to the bookstore from which they were originally rented by the rental return date designated by us at the time of rental and in salable condition. Salable condition will be determined by us in our sole discretion, but generally means book spine intact, without excessive damage or any water damage to the cover or contents, all original pages intact, all original components present, and no excessive highlighting, writing or other markings. You are responsible for loss or theft of all rented materials. Rented materials not returned by the rental return date or returned on or before that date not in salable condition will be subject to non-return processing fees equal to 75% of the new book price (at the time of rental) plus a 7.5% non-return processing fee. Non-return processing fees will be automatically charged to the securing tender on file for this agreement. In the event that the securing tender on file is no longer valid or if the purchasing limit on the securing tender has been exceeded, we will contact you for, and you agree to promptly pay in full, the non-return processing fees with an alternative payment method accepted at the bookstore. If you have not returned the rented materials by the rental return date and we are unable to charge your securing tender, it is your responsibility to pay the non-return processing fees immediately.
Read also: Roles of the Mercer Board
Additional Information
Order Pick-Up Policy
In the event you do not pick up your item(s) within this 30 day period, the item(s) will be considered abandoned and will be re-shelved for sale at the store.
Refund Policy
If your refund request for all other merchandise is within 90 days of purchase, the refund will be made to your original form of payment. All sales are final and non-refundable on opened course materials and printed access codes.
Compliance
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers comply with local weights and measures requirements.
Data Privacy Policy
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. and our subsidiaries, including Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC; and MBS Textbook Exchange, LLC (collectively, “BNED”, “we”, “us”, “our”), collect, use and disclose your personal information, which applies: (i) Online where this Policy is posted; (ii) in person in our stores and at our events; (iii) through our customer service channels; and (iv) in other Online and offline interactions with you. or to other countries by our Vendors (as defined below).
Information Collection
Information You Provide
While registration with us is optional, please keep in mind that you will not be able to use certain features of our Services unless you register for an account. You must maintain the confidentiality of your access information and are responsible for controlling access to your account. If you ever use a public computer to visit your account, we strongly encourage you to log out at the conclusion of your session.
Read also: Funding Your Education at Mercer
Information Collected Automatically
Information From External Sources
We may also collect personal information about you from external sources, including your friends, our Vendors, customers, applicable educational institution(s), and other third parties that provide information to us, including advertising networks, publicly available information and our affiliates that generally have shared management or ownership with us.
Information Usage
BNED affiliates
Vendors and Institutions
Government and law enforcement authorities
Security and safety
Where permitted by applicable law, we may disclose your personal information for the purpose of protecting the rights, property, life, health, security, and safety of BNED, our Services, our users, or any other party.
Business transactions
BNED engages in business-to-business interactions, so our personnel interact with the personnel of our customers and Vendors.
External Services
Vendors and external services may use their own tracking technologies to independently collect information about you and may solicit personal information from you (“Tracking Technologies”). For example, BNED maintains its own branded pages on various social networks.
Social Features
Certain functionalities on our Services may allow you to interact with external services, such as social networks (“Social Features”). If you use Social Features, and potentially other external services, information you post or provide access to may be publicly displayed on our Services (see “User Generated Content” section, below) or by the external services that you use. Similarly, if you post information on an external service that references our Services, e.g., by using a hashtag associated with BNED or our affiliates in a Social Feature, your information may be used on or in connection with our Services or otherwise by BNED. Also, both BNED and its customers and Vendors may have access to certain information about you, and your use of our Services and any external services.
Advertising
We may engage and work with Vendors, customers, and other parties to serve ads on our Services or on external services. Some of these ads may be tailored to your interest based on your browsing, across time, of our Services and elsewhere on the Internet, which may include use of data from cross-device usage, sometimes referred to as “interest-based advertising” or “Online behavioral advertising” (“Interest-based Advertising”), which may include sending you an ad on external services after you have left our Services i.e., “retargeting”.
Analytics
We may use Vendor tools, such as Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics, to help us analyze our performance, and to deliver Services and advertising to you. Additionally, some of the technologies used on our Services, e.g., session replay tools, allow us and our Vendors to monitor and analyze how visitors use our Services to better understand user behavior and improve our Services.
External Links
Please note that any links to external services are provided for your convenience only.
User Control and Choices
Your Communication and Marketing Preferences
Review, Update, or Change your Information
Browser Settings
Because there is no consensus on how to interpret “Do Not Track” signals, our Services do not currently respond to browser Do Not Track” signals.
Self-Regulatory Advertising Organizations
Certain Vendors that perform advertising-related services on our behalf participate in voluntary programs that provide tools to opt-out of interest-based advertising, such as the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (“DAA”) Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. We support this program, and we expect those ad networks we directly engage to serve you interest-based advertising will do so as well, although we cannot guarantee their compliance. Some of these companies are also members of the Network Advertising Initiative (“NAI”).
Mobile Device Settings
You can use mobile device settings to limit mobile Tracking Technologies and associated activities. For instance, you can adjust or reset the advertising identifiers on your mobile device in the device settings. In some cases, you can also use mobile device settings to allow or restrict the sharing of location information. If you do not share your location information, some features of our Services may not be available for use, but we may still estimate your general location based on the IP address you use to access our Services.
Vendor-Specific Tools
If you disable or remove these Tracking Technologies, some functionality on our Services may not be available nor function properly. Please be aware that, even if you are able to opt out of certain kinds of Interest-based Advertising, you may continue to receive other types of ads. In addition, we may serve ads on external services that are targeted to reach people on those services that are also identified on one of more of our databases (“Matched List Ads”). This is done by using Tracking Technologies, or by matching common factors between our databases and the databases of the third-party services. We are not responsible for these external services, including without limitation their data security.
Google's Invisible reCAPTCHA
BNED may implement Google’s Invisible reCAPTCHA technology on our Services in order to reduce spam and prevent abuse of our Services.
User Generated Content
Our Services may permit you to post or submit User Generated Content (“UGC”) including, without limitation, written content, user profiles, audio or visual recordings, computer graphics, pictures, data, or other content, including personal information. If you choose to submit UGC to any public area of our Services, your UGC will be considered “public” and will be accessible by anyone, including BNED. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, unless otherwise explicitly agreed by us, personal information included in UGC is not subject to our usage or sharing limitations, or other obligations, and may be used and shared by BNED and other parties. We encourage you to exercise caution when making decisions about what you disclose in such public areas.
Children's Privacy
Children under the age of 16 are not eligible to use our Services and must not submit any personal information to us. Our Services are not intended for children under the age of 16 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16.
Sweepstakes, Contests, and Promotions
We may offer sweepstakes, contests, and promotions (each, a “Promotion”), including any Promotion jointly or solely sponsored or offered by other parties, which may require submitting your personal information to such other parties. If you voluntarily choose to enter a Promotion, your personal information may be disclosed to BNED, Promotion co-sponsors or administrators, Vendors, and other parties, including for administrative purposes and as required by law, e.g., on a winners list. By entering, you are agreeing to the official rules that govern that Promotion, which may include consent to additional or differing privacy practices from those contained in this Policy.
Data Security
We take steps to help protect your personal information. We maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to help protect personal information collected or received through our Services. Additionally, we limit access to personal information to employees and authorized parties who need to access that information to operate, develop, or improve our Services.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
This California Consumer Privacy Act Policy and Notice at Collection (the “Notice”) describes how we collect and use personal information, and the rights that the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (the “CCPA”), provides to California residents. This Notice does not apply to personal information collected from employees, contractors or job applicants. This Notice supplements other parts of our Policy and provides additional information for California residents.
We collect the categories of personal information about California residents that are indicated in the chart below. Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your personal information (which includes the categories of personal information set forth in the charts and sections herein) for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, as required to satisfy any legal obligations, or as necessary to resolve disputes. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider applicable legal requirements, the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your personal information, the purposes we process your personal informat.
Resources for First-Year Students at Mercer University
Explore the variety of resources and information available to help guide you through your first year at Mercer! The Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides tutoring, supplemental instruction, and other programs to boost students' academic success. The Registrar's Office publishes the yearly University calendar of important dates, as well as the University catalog that outlines the academic responsibilities and policies for the six undergraduate colleges/schools to ensure degree completion. Additionally, the Registrar's Office publishes the semesterly course offerings, assists with enrollment and registration, and evaluates transfer, dual-enrollment, AP, IP, and CLEP transcripts to determine Mercer equivalencies. The Office for Student Success assists students throughout their educational progression toward graduation by connecting them with the appropriate offices, departments, and resources. Campus Life engages students, faculty, and staff with co-curricular activities. Dining Services offers a variety of meal plan and menu options in dining centers and through other food venues, such as Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Einstein Bros. CORE Management manages the Mercer student health insurance. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers counseling to all enrolled Mercer students at no fee. The Student Health Center (SHC) provides health services for all Mercer students, regardless of insurance coverage.
tags: #mercer #university #bookstore #information
