Purdue University went all out for its new
Amazon@Purdue bricks-and-mortar location in the Krach Leadership Center on the
West Lafayette, IN, campus. The university president was there to cut a
ceremonial ribbon and student employees in Amazon gear gave away gift cards and
apparel to students in attendance.
But not everyone was impressed.
Tom Frey, owner of the University Book Store, which is
technically off-campus but only by a few feet, has given lawyers a list of
57,000 titles Amazon is selling below his costs, according to a report by the
public broadcasting station on campus. The University Book Store has been a licensed retailer of Purdue
items and has sold textbooks to Purdue students for 75 years.
Bobby Haddix, the Purdue student body president, also
questioned giving space in a building designed for students to an outside
corporate entity. Amazon even flew Haddix out to Seattle so he could learn more
about the company after he made two presentations against the idea to school
trustees.
“This is a brand-new building. It was supposed to be
specifically dedicated for students,” Haddix told the radio station. “And the
decision was made over the summer while there weren’t a lot of students here to
share their input to give this conference room away.”