The textbook lines at the Coop were a little shorter this semester.

During the spring rush, the Coop contended with Internet book vendors and local bookstores offering discounted prices by hiring even more employees than usual for its rush season.

"No one had to wait in line for more than three or four minutes at a time," said David Sullivan, the Coop's general manager.

The bookselling business in Harvard Square has always been competitive. Smaller neighborhood stores like Grolier Poetry Bookshop, the Harvard Book Store, Schoenhof's Foreign Books and WordsWorth have coexisted with the mammoth Coop by hiring personable and knowledgeable clerks and by carving out a niche in the Square's unique market.

But with the advent of virtual bookstores offering discounted wares and extensive catalogues, a major competitor to bookstores is now coming from outside the Square.

Now both the Coop and its brick-and-mortar competitors have been forced to regroup and to adapt their business strategies to the changing climate.

Many are adding on-line sales to compete with Web-based vendors, while emphasizing what sets them apart from these vendors--physical space, carefully chosen selections and knowledgeable staff.

Crossed Wires

The Coop says it is now trying for a small-store feel in response to customer complaints of staff miscommunication.

Professors (Not Clear Data) charge that the store has failed to inform them promptly of titles on their syllabi that have become unavailable.

"After my course had started, they kept me telling me about books that were out of print, instead of giving me a chance to rearrange my syllabus," says Professor of Sociology Aage B. Sorenson. "I think this type of arrogance is typical of monopolies."

The Coop's sheer size and volume has sometimes led to a lack of personalized customer service, some customers say.

"They didn't order the books for History 10b on time, then when they did, they came late," says Eric J. Lohr, a teaching fellow for the class. "Then someone returned them all."

But Sullivan says that the Coop's three-year-old affiliation with Barnes & Noble has helped it narrow the customer service gap between itself and smaller stores.

"Traditionally you would search for employees and not be able to find people in the college business or the book business," he says.