Academic Superstore

Full review
College students have many unique needs when a new term or semester begins. Books are an obvious need, but they are only part of the expense. Students now need to buy computers, software, calculators, and other things and some like to purchase additional software and electronic devices for personal reasons. One store that helps students purchase what they need for a new school year is the Academic Superstore; www.academicsuperstore.com; an online merchant for students and teachers.

What Does This Site Have to Offer?:

The Academic Superstore sells products such as:

Software
Computer Hardware
Electronics
Teacher- Related Products
Child Education Products
Music and Audio
Audio/Visual Equipment
Bags and Backpacks
Books
Videos and DVD

The above items can be searched through their individual categories or by selecting the section for Students, Teachers, or Schools. Items relevant to these three categories are included in each.

Payment Methods/Ordering:

Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Paypal are all accepted at the Academic Superstore for payment. Orders can be placed through the web site or by calling the Academic Superstore’s sales hotline.

Final Thoughts:

Academic shopping is quite different from what I remember as an undergraduate student back in the 1980’s. Our purchases at that time consisted of books, paper, pens, pencils, markers, and little else. About the only high tech purchase anyone made at the time was a calculator and classroom textbooks ranked as the most expensive item on a student’s checklist.

Times have changed, and student needs have followed suit. Now, there are many different high tech devices that are considered a must for academic pursuits and some professors have even reached the point that they no longer accept non- electronic versions of homework, research papers, and other assignments. Technology is reality, and both students and teachers need a place to shop that offers plenty of the high tech essentials for academic and professional success.

The Academic Superstore is one such store- an online merchant that offers software, computers, printers, calculators, and much more. What I like best about the Academic Superstore is its vast selection. Calculators, for example, offer more than 120 selections. Shop for a scanner and you will find nearly 140 to choose from. Put simply, you don’t usually find selections this vast in an education- related product web site. On top of that, product information is also very good, with plenty of features listed and other information. Product info on non- electronic devices isn’t quite as thorough, but this is expected since there is usually not as much information to disclose for these types of products.

Helping teachers and students succeed at academics is the main goal of the Academic Superstore, but there are also some non- academic items for sale in this site as well. GPS devices, digital cameras, and audio equipment are examples of some of the non- academic. The product selection in these areas of the Academic Superstore isn’t nearly as extensive, probably because these items are not really the main focus of the site. The essentials for academic success are available in abundance, while other items are de- emphasized.

Other than bags, backpacks, and books, most of the merchandise available in the Academic Superstore is high- tech in nature. Like I said before, high tech is the name of the game in 21st century education and this is why so much of the Academic Superstore concentrates on high tech merchandise. Like with the non- academic items, the non- technical items are limited in number, but there are a few exceptions. One exception is backpacks and bags for laptops and other essentials. The Academic Superstore is fully aware of the essential nature of backpacks and bags to store electronics devices, so the site offers a huge selection in these areas. There are several hundred selections for various types of bags and backpacks, and students should have no trouble finding what they need. Again, I must emphasize the vast selection in this area. I can think of several backpack- exclusive webs sites that do not offer a selection as large as the Academic Superstore.

The Academic Superstore is pretty easy to navigate. The left side of the home screen lists all of the different categories of merchandise sold, making it easy to zero- in on the desired items. There are also three main categories for Students, Teachers, and Schools, and these are very useful for browsing the site. And depending on the product, there are usually multiple ways to filter the data and narrow down the selections to a shorter list that reflects individual wants and needs.

The Academic Superstore offers three different shipping options: 2nd Day Air, Ground (3 to 5 day), and Super Saver (5 to 7 days). The super saver option is offered free of charge. I recommend using the Super Saver option because it is very economical. The 2nd Day Air should be avoided, especially on small orders. The reason is because the 2nd Day option will add at least $15 to your order. On an order of $30, for example, this shipping charge will add about 50 percent to your cost. On larger orders, the percentage that 2nd Day Shipping adds to your order declines to a reasonable level. But it is still best to avoid shipping charges if you can by using the Super Saver shipping method. Super Saver promises a delivery time frame of between five and seven working days, but don’t be surprised if it the delivery is toward the end of this range. I have found it usually takes about seven to ten working days due to backorders. But for no shipping charges, I am willing to wait.

Overall, the Academic Superstore is a very good web service for those who need to buy items for school and want to shop for everything in one place. You won’t find paper, pens, and pencils at the Academic Superstore, so you will have to walk down to your college bookstore for these and other purchases. But you will have no problem finding printers, calculators, backpacks, and other things needed for academic success. The prices are good (especially for students- they often offer special discounts for those who are attending college) and the shipping is free if you use Super Saver shipping, making the Academic Superstore one of the better online stores of its kind on the world wide web.