The bookstore is too expensive, and I am not talking about the prices of the books. When I recently tried to go shopping in our newly renovated Barnes and Noble bookstore, I looked at a price tag and was appalled to see the ridiculously high prices on several pieces of merchandise throughout the store. Shirts were going for as much as $15 to $20, and hats were roughly the same price. If a student wanted to purchase a pair of sweat pants, they might have to save an extra week’s cash to raise enough for the $25 price tag. Come on people! We are in college. For the price of one Sam Houston State University T-shirt, we could have enough money to pay for food for an entire week. Do you know how many packages of Ramen Noodles we can buy with $15? That is enough Ramen to feed a small village for a week, let alone one college student. I love Sam Houston, and I love supporting this school in every way, but let’s face it Bearkats, we do not have as much school spirit as other schools. I am not suggesting that we do not have any, but if you have ever stayed one weekend here, you would understand why SHSU is considered a “suitcase college.” I walk around campus and see more Aggie and Longhorn shirts than I do Bearkats. Is this phenomenon directly related to merchandise price? That is for you to decide, but it couldn’t hurt if the shirts were less expensive or other clothing items were cheaper. One solution to this problem would be to give students a discount with their student ID, have some free giveaways or even sales throughout the year and not just during football season. The bookstore is nice and new. However, are they trying to make us pay for the new building through merchandise sales? I can go to some of the leading clothing outlets in various malls and purchase several more stylish clothing items at cheaper price than I can buy a Sam Houston Bearkat shirt at the Barnes and Noble bookstore. Obviously, not everyone at our university is cheap because some of us have more money than the others, but I will be honest with you, I am cheap and do not enjoy spending hard- earned money. Fortunately, there are others like me, so I believe I am not the only one who feels the way I do. It’s okay; I have accepted the fact that I am cheap, or “economical” as I like to put it, but several stores have not grown accustomed to the fact that people don’t like wasting money on certain things. Lowering prices would expand the business of the bookstore and would improve the overall scheme of things. If Barnes and Noble dropped their prices, many more students would buy several items, improving the bookstore’s income and developing a stronger school spirit. Take charge Bearkats, and eat up those high prices.