Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

As football season intensifies with the approaching playoffs, your store is preparing for an influx of students as they start a new semester.

We all know there are many advantages to shopping at the bookstore but, with tough competition from other textbook sellers, you need to explain why you’re the best option to students. This month’s marketing plan gives you a game plan that is sure to have students rushing the store.

Between rogue buyers and online retailers, students now have plenty of options when it comes to where to sell their books. That’s why it’s so important that college stores continually evolve their buyback strategy.

Cooking competitions are all the rage on television and University of Dayton Bookstore has brought the trend to campus with their annual Iron Chef Dayton: Ramen Noodle Cook-Off!

It has been prophesized for decades that the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar, which occurs on December 21, 2012, will bring about the end of the world as we know it. Popular culture encourages the belief that this may be the time when zombies or aliens try to overtake civilization. Even though experts have refuted all of these apocalyptic claims, this once-in-a-lifetime experience serves as a very marketable event for your store’s winter buyback!

Since University Store at Towson University began their rental program two years ago, Stacy Elofir, director, has been strategizing ways that the store could offer their entire inventory for rent. Dedicated to offering students the best value, Elofir was determined to make the idea both financially and logistically feasible for the store.

As the country prepares for Election Day, your store is gearing up for buyback. Students’ opinions are valuable not only for democracy, but also for your store’s continued success, so let them vote on how to make buyback even better this semester!

By giving students the opportunity to elect some specifics, you can gain their loyalty as well as feedback that will help improve attendance at your buy!

Because National Student Day is celebrated in October, Tri-County Technical College Campus Store chooses a charity to support each year during this time. In the past, the store has collected pet food for a local animal shelter as well as diapers and wipes for a nearby non-profit organization. While trying to decide what they should do this year, Kelli Harrison, assistant manager, came across MBS’ Monthly Marketing plans.

UC-Davis Stores is taking an entirely new approach to textbook rush this semester. In an effort to make incoming students’ first experience a positive one, the store is going the extra mile to offer customized service through a new personal shopper program.

There’s no doubt that students are savvy shoppers. In fact, comparing textbook prices has become an increasingly standard practice and the most proactive college stores have responded with more competitive pricing. Taking that commitment to transparency even further, Forty-Niner Shops, Inc., is now offering price matching during rush this fall.

Approximately 1 in 8 women will battle breast cancer during their lifetimes. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and through “pink” efforts, much attention is garnered for the awareness, prevention and cure of this deadly disease.