The deadline to purchase a yearbook is fast approaching and many students have decided to buy it despite the high cost.
One such student is Ty Takahashi, a sophomore.
“Yearbooks are a great way to remind you of the school year, and you’d have a picture to look back onto of you and your friends at the time. I haven’t ordered a yearbook yet but plan on it,” Takahashi said.
This mindset is most prevalent in seniors. Denton Silfvast, a senior, also thinks this way.
“I bought a yearbook every year at Carlmont just because I guess high school is something that I want to remember,” Silfvast said. “You can go back and it will be great to reread about those people and get that sense of ‘I remember this person’ or remembering good times with people. I think that the real value in a yearbook is the memories that are in it.”
In addition to being a senior, Silfvast is also the organization’s editor for the yearbook.
“As a yearbook member, [I say] ‘buy a yearbook’, but as a student, I can understand why some people wouldn’t buy a yearbook. They’re not cheap,” Silfvast said.
This is one of the primary reasons this year that they will not be ordering extra yearbooks to sell after the deadline.
“We ended up with a fair number of leftovers last year, so it is not worth it because we’re spending money to get those books made, and if we’re not selling them we’re losing money,” Silfvast said.
According to Silfvast, most people who want yearbooks have already ordered them online.
“The vast majority of students who buy yearbooks preorder them. We’re really not too worried about people not getting books, because pretty much anyone has access online,” Silfvast said.
Throughout the year on Canvas, as well as most recently during the announcements at the end of third period, yearbook has been advertising.
“We want to get orders in as soon as possible so we have a better idea of the number of yearbooks that we have to order and of what we’re working with throughout the year,” Silfvast said.
Avoiding money loss is also the reason for the high cost of buying a yearbook.
“They are really expensive to make, and obviously we have to make our money back and make some more money to fund the yearbook program, so we have to charge more than what it cost to buy them,” Silfvast said.
This is the same for the yearbook company itself. In order for them to make a profit, they have to sell the books for more than it costs to make it. The layers upon layers of charging more money to produce profitable results lead to the reason why the yearbook is so expensive.
“I think they are worth the price. However, if they were a little cheaper it would be awesome, especially for those who may not be able to afford one,” Takahashi said.
I think they are worth the price, however, if they were a little cheaper it would be awesome, especially for those who may not be able to afford one,
— Takahashi
Buying a yearbook is expensive and can be especially burdensome to someone who is experiencing financial issues.
“A lot of teachers talk about, ‘If you can’t afford this then I’ll help you out.’ I must assume that there are a lot of kids who can’t afford yearbooks because of its high price,” said Alex Nickerson, a sophomore.
Whether or not one can afford a yearbook, many students agree that it is something to look back on.
“I definitely think senior year and freshman year would be a good year to buy a book because you want to remember your first year of high school and even more your last year of high school,” Silfvast said.
The deadline to buy a yearbook for the 2018-19 school year is Jan. 31.
Suresh Male • Sep 18, 2019 at 6:30 pm
In 2017 we paid between 45 – 50 dollars for year book. In two years price is increased to $75.00. Same vendor “Jostens”.
I feel this is definitely cashing in on opportunity. Schools should explore more reasonable pricing options to make these affordable for most students.
Thanks,
Suresh