The bookstore is changing to become a generous benefit of your member contributions to UUC. Why this change? It's a win-win situation: UUC saves money on credit card processing services. You receive curated books about UU, religion & spirituality, justice issues you care about, books for kids, and more. Donations make our "book ministry" possible: access to high-quality current writing for anyone, regardless of ability to pay cover price. If you can give, please give generously!

Some thoughts from lead bookstore volunteer Cindy Fuller:

The first two weeks of our change to a donation-based model have been successful. Some folks are probably scratching their heads about this switch. I answer a few questions below.

Q: When I pay for a book, do I need to include sales tax?

A: No. The church office will pay sales tax on books as they come in the door. This makes life easier for the buyer and the bookstore volunteer.

Q: If you’re no longer using the credit card reader, how will I pay with my debit/credit card?

A: If you routinely pay your offering via text message, you’ll use the same method for the bookstore. If not, you can scan the QR code in the bookstore to get set up in the church’s Realm database. It takes a few minutes and a bit of patience if you’re not used to it. Once that’s finished, you’re in the system and all future purchases can be done this way.

Q: Can I still pay with cash or check?

A: Absolutely!

Q: I put a few extra bucks in the collection plate this morning. Can I get a book?

A: Yes. We run on the honor system.

Q: Why did I get a receipt for my “purchase”?

A: We need to track what goes out the door for inventory and ordering purchases. Note that we did not put a dollar number or your name on the receipt.

Q: Will you go back to accepting used books for resale?

A: Unfortunately, no. That got too unwieldy when we tried it previously. We’d get items that we could never sell here. The Seattle Public Library and King County Library System will gladly accept used books provided they’re not textbooks or obsolete computer manuals.