Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

It’s undeniable: October has a lot going for it. From the obvious (Halloween!) to the important (Breast Cancer Awareness!), there are many opportunities to scare up some interaction with your students and community. This month, the Stevenson University Stores got into the spirit once again by holding their third annual Pink-a-Boo and Trick or Treat sales.

The ‘90s may have been, like, the coolest decade ever. (You don’t have to convince us; just check out this marketing plan.) And we aren't the only ones flashing back — the Elizabethtown College Store dedicated a whole day last week to celebrating the ‘90s, with special sales, games, prizes and plenty of social media interaction inspired by everything fresh from back in the day.

MBS welcomes Jerry Lynch to the family, in the role of Strategic Accounts Executive. Lynch brings a wealth of knowledge from more than three decades of experience in the textbook distribution industry, with a career that began almost 33 years ago as a sales representative for Follett. Lynch’s long tenure there included a position as National Sales Manager, and then for the last 14 years, as Vice President of Sales.

After a few months of being back at school, it’s time to give your students a break and have some fun! In honor of Booktober, we’ve brainstormed some activities inspired by their favorite fictional characters. From a literary costume competiton to a fictitious feast, these events are guaranteed to get students engaged and into your store, as well as prompt some serious social media interaction. And with the recent trend where absolutely every book ever is turned into a film, even the less-than-literary can still get into the spirit.

Would your employees be willing to “get pied” for a great cause? Last week, the staff of College Corner Coffee & Books in Alma, Mich. volunteered their faces for target practice for a pie-throwing event to raise money and awareness for Relay for Life of Gratiot County.

Want a fun way to welcome incoming freshmen? Why not give them the chance to win great prizes? The staff at the URI Bookstore opened their doors and made the newcomers feel right at home by holding a raffle during Freshman Orientation.

With prizes including an iPad Air, a gift card to the bookstore and free textbooks for the fall semester, both staff and students were excited and engaged. This was a smart way to introduce the incoming students to the store and also kicked off a school year that promises to be chock-full of customer interaction with other targeted promotions and contests scheduled throughout.

How will you celebrate the 4th of July this year? Whether you spend the day enjoying some BBQ, setting off fireworks or overloading on watermelon and Popsicles, we hope you have a safe and fun holiday. Before you head off for the long weekend, though, check out how your fellow college stores are showing their patriotic pride with sales or events inspired by the red, white and blue:

 Hawk’s Hub is off to a bright start with their new rental program. They kicked off their first semester of offering rentals by giving students neon smiley-face stickers, with the text “I rented books today!” The simplicity of the design was deliberate, according to Bookstore Manager Nyla Ruccia.

How do you make a visible difference in your community? How about by volunteering to do some manual labor? On May 28, the staff of the Kirkwood Bookstore and EagleTech spent a day in the sun working with Habitat for Humanity. This was the second year that the stores reached out to their staff and students, and got them involved in restoring flood-damaged homes.

Buyback can be a tense time for everyone, so why not switch gears and make it a little more fun? The Blue Colt Bookstore did just that when they decided to offer their students a chance to win one of eight retro-styled bicycles, just for coming in and selling back their textbooks.