Palomar College Bookstore - San Marcos, California

Alexandra

This place is such a rip off. The entire school is. A single text book to rent cost me $149. Ridiculous. I don't even get to keep it or write in it. It should be free, or at least affordable.

Jesse Bribiesca

I’ve been a student at Palomar for more than a handful of years now. The bookstore has always been helpful and caring in every way, up until today for me. I placed an order online through the bookstore for a textbook that they didn’t have in stock and was back ordered, they stated I needed to wait for a confirmation email to come pick up my book when it arrives. My original card payment went through just fine and so I waited for the confirmation. I woke up to an email saying that my card payment was declined this morning and I had tried to get in contact with both my bank and the bookstore.

The bank said that there was no activity being declined from their end, so they advised that I contact the bookstore. And I tried calling them three times. Each time I tried calling, the phone with continuously ring, and nobody would answer. I grew incredibly frustrated because the class I had was on a two week access code. And I needed my textbook and the code in order for me to continue my work in the class. I decided to go pay a visit to the bookstore in person and I saw that they have a bunch of the textbook I needed in stock. When I was paying, I was explaining the story to the cashier, who was really sweet and helpful. The other cashier, who I’m assuming is in charge of the bookstore, barged into the conversation and stated her part, like as if she knew what the situation was. From what she stated she made it seem as if my card was the issue and it was declined due to not having the funds there anymore. But it’s interesting because the exact same card I had put for my payment online, was the one that I used to purchase the book at the store that very moment and the payment went through of course.

My advice to any students, don’t try calling the bookstore directly otherwise you will get a headache. And if necessary, check in on the bookstore in person, if you’re ever curious when your book actually has been restocked, because all three of my professors have stated that they’ve been inconsistent the past two semesters when it comes to the status of textbooks being in stock.

Joette Suzanne Hull

I bought all my books there when I went to college there

Gladys Ignacio

I went in looking for textbooks and 2 staff members made sure I left the store knowing exactly how to access them. They waited beside me while I checked my requirements online and walked me through options along with their pros and cons. I wasn't expecting such excellent customer service. Keep it up!

Connor Nolan

A little overpriced, but they have a good selection of school supplies, electronics, and art supplies. They also even sell makeup and snacks. It seems a little odd that all of the "school pride" items emblazoned with the Palomar name are so expensive. People would probably like to show pride in the school more if the lanyards, stickers, and notebooks with the Palomar logo were more affordable. I was going to get one of the cheap lanyards, but they cost five bucks and didn't seem like the quality was worth that price. The snacks are probably the most reasonably priced item in the book store, and the selection is even halfway decent. Overall, the bookstore isn't as expansive as those at larger universities, but it does pack quite a bit into the modest square footage available. Just be ready to pay a few extra dollars for supplies. I was ready to buy a binder today, but five dollars for a standard one inch binder of basic quality was a bit more than I was willing to pay. It most likely cost even more for a school branded binder.

Heather Trice

Palomar College Bookstore provided the flowers for my daughter's wedding, and we couldn't be more pleased. The bouquets for my daughter, the bridesmaids were spectacular. The table arrangements were creative and exactly what we hoped for. The flowers were fresh and lasted days after we brought some home. I highly recommend Palomar College Bookstore for any event. They are genuinely interested in what you want and have wonderful suggestions. They are great to work with.

Chris Collins

Has majority of the school supplies you need ahead of time or last minute. Staff is extremely helpful.

An Ly

First their machines are down which is understandable. I went in to find my stats notebook and asked two women where it was. They had no clue?! Then they directed me to the back where a girl led me to the tablets to make me find the book on my own as if I hadn’t tried that already. She then proceeded to help others and left me there. Frustrated, I went to the back again and the last guy just dismissed me without offering any help. I worked in retail and food so I know how customer service works. It is just irritating when no one at the store knows what they are doing.