If you were to walk around the University of Arizona campus this fall, it would be difficult to ignore the university’s colors being worn by students, faculty and visitors alike. The supplier for a great deal of the apparel you would see is the University of Arizona BookStores, and considering they offer 25 percent off of a variety of items, there’s very little reason for customers to go elsewhere.
The reason for all of the Wildcat gear is the bookstore’s series of “Bear Down” sales, which will take place the day before each home football game. Seeing everyone decked out in Arizona apparel is obviously a very welcome sight for Melissa Hall, Marketing and Communications Manager, and the rest of the University of Arizona BookStores staff.
“There’s something wonderful about seeing people in the Bear Down red t-shirts,” she says. “I’m impressed with what a strong community we have here in Tucson. The feedback has been very positive.”
The Bear Down sales, which has gone through several iterations with different brands and concepts, is in its third year with its current name. The first Bear Down sale took place August 28th, and the turnout was predictably positive. “We saw a significant increase in both sales and in terms of traffic,” Hall says.
The sales will then run six more times this fall, all on Fridays with the exception of Thanksgiving weekend, where the football team’s Friday game will cause the sale to run on Wednesday. And although one would think that there would be a strong correlation between sales numbers and the quality of football opponent, Hall says that’s not the case.
“What is more significant was the correlation between the academic and holiday calendar. For example, if it’s family weekend, you’ll see a big uptick in sales,” she says. Regardless, the Bear Down sale is rarely a disappointment for either customers or employees.
Overall, Hall and the bookstore staff as a whole is very enthusiastic about the present and future success of their Bear Down sales. And with the sales being such a hit so far, there’s very little reason to expect anything but further success going forward.
