The Skidmore Shop at Skidmore College recently joined MBS in a Premier Partnership. With an assortment of invaluable benefits and MBS’ strong inventory supply, it was an easy decision for the store. We recently sat down with Martha O’Leary, Director of Brand Communications and Marketing; Dawn Greenlaw, Associate Director for Bookstore; and Becky Mattison, Sr. Academic Materials Associate, to discuss why they chose to partner with MBS and how the partnership has benefited their store.
"We looked at the Premier Partnership and it was kind of a no brainer. We were already receiving a lot of benefits from being a good customer, but we wanted to lock-in those perks and get the additional benefits of a partnership with MBS," O'Leary said. "Dawn and Becky informed me that this shift streamlined our store processes and made their lives a lot easier. With the freight allowance, an extra month for returns, being able to return 100% of what we don't sell, etc. it all adds up."
“Just knowing my bin is guaranteed is super helpful. Once the books are in there, I don’t have to worry about them disappearing or going to someone else,” Mattison said.
“We have the two-week text express shipping period which is also a huge benefit. We are very happy we signed this contract. There are a lot of little things, but they are all important things that add up to an invaluable total as far as we are concerned,” Greenlaw said. “It’s not just the financial aspects either. It’s also the confidence we have in the arrangement and service — things you can’t put a dollar sign on.”
College stores that join MBS’ Premier Partnership receive benefits that will give them priority access to more books, reduce costs and put money back into their budget.
“If you are looking at dollars, the freight allowance is a clearcut financial benefit. I think we definitely saved money with that this term,” Mattison said.
"For me, it's very simple. MBS has the inventory that we need to draw from to fulfill the majority of our orders. There's less labor on the backend, there's less paperwork and as I said, it is just a no brainer to want to work with a supplier with the vast selection that they offer," O'Leary said.
Above all else, though, stores benefit from MBS’ vast support system that helps streamline processes.
"We were prepping for rush when Dawn and Becky mentioned that Paul [Breun, MBS Wholesale Sales Consultant] was going to come pull orders for us a few days that week. It seemed too good to be true, but Paul did in fact join us at our busiest time of year. It was immensely helpful to have the extra set of hands," O'Leary said.
“That was a big surprise when Paul sent me an email and offered to come up and help,” Greenlaw said. “He knew that we were shorthanded and offered to help without being asked. I think that was one of our biggest surprises.”
“Also, our customer service with Carolyn [Coley, Director of Textbook Management] has been fantastic. When you call her, she answers the phone. You don’t have to leave a message, and she is always willing to sit with you and walk you through a process.”
