Dartmouth College students braved chilly temperatures and snow yesterday to buy their Winter term textbooks as they waited in a line that stretched out the door of Wheelock Books Monday afternoon.
The outdoor queue extended from the entrance of the store to the parking lot below it. At the entrance, a Hanover Fire Department fireman regulated the number of customers in the building.
Many students said this was the worst overflow they have yet encountered at the store.
"This is the first time I've waited outside the door," Scott Middleman '06 said as he arrived at the back of the line.
On a day that witnessed continuous snow accumulation and temperatures in the 20s, many students who arrived at the store said they were surprised to find they would have to wait their turn to enter.
Marcus Gregg '05 blamed the absence of alternative retailers for the excessive lines.
This is the only place where we can buy books since they shut down Dartmouth Bookstore," Gregg said.
The Dartmouth Bookstore ended textbook sales last spring, citing rising costs. The Bookstore blamed Dartmouth's decision to allow professors not to release lists of required textbooks to all interested parties.
Kerrin Egalka '04 usually prefers to bypass the lines and limited area retail options by shopping for texts online. But she said she was impressed by how quickly the lines moved once she was inside the store.
"It took like two minutes," Egalka said.
Most of the indoor waiting time was displaced onto Wheelock's exterior staircase as Fireman Bob Mousley of the Hanover Fire Department watched to make sure traffic did not exceed the store's maximum allowable occupancy. The store is legally required to admit no more than 34 customers at one time, in addition to the employees.
During peak business hours, Mousley managed a line that snaked down two flights of stairs and into Wheelock's parking lot. In addition to keeping track of the number of customers inside the store, Mousley monitored the students on the stairs and attempted to keep the narrow passage open.
Mousley was on station from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. He estimates the largest crowds accumulated between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. The line returned to the parking lot during the last half hour before closing time as customer traffic intensified.
Wheelock Books owner Whit Spaulding '89 and Wheelock employees refused to comment on yesterday's developments.
