Foreword Online

Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers



Mystery May: Fall in Love with a Great Book

Posted by Liz Schulte on 5/1/17 5:30 AM

You don’t need to live at 221B Baker Street to love a good mystery. As the semester winds to a close, it is a busy time for everyone on campus. Keep this month’s event simple, engaging and easy to manage with one or all of these ideas for a terrific Mystery May event designed to bring people into your store without taking up a lot of time.

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Kirkwood Community College: Communicating Success With Expo

Posted by Liz Schulte on 2/13/17 5:30 AM

Part of working in higher education is spending a good portion of each day trying to solve problems. What if you could address the concerns of faculty, staff and students while building your school’s relationship with its publishing partners, vendors and wholesalers — in just one event? It sounds too good to be true, but that’s what Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recently did.

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Wartburg College Plays Games at Knight; Building a Community

Posted by Jason Smallheer on 1/23/17 5:30 AM

With the course materials industry ever-changing and recognizing a segment of her business was no longer profitable, Wartburg Store Manager and Textbook Services Director Janet Huebner saw an opportunity; replacing her trade books section with … board games.

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Luther College Book Shop Goes Nutty; Doubles Sales

Posted by Jason Smallheer on 1/16/17 5:30 AM

Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, boasts an enrollment of just under 2,400 and no official school mascot. Deanna Casterton, Director of Luther College Book Shop, sought to change the status quo by creating and naming a mascot for her store with the Nutty Election Day Celebration.

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Better Customer Service—use Twitter

Posted by Jason Smallheer on 12/13/16 5:30 AM

I’ve had my couch for three years, and it boasts tears in the leather, unstitched stitching and bald spots where the bonded leather detached from the fabric. I made a bad purchase decision. However, I did buy a five-year warranty package. Its purpose, to cover anything that is not wear-and-tear and pay for a repair or replacement. Problem solved? Not so fast.

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Centralia College Drives Facebook Engagement with Guessing Contest

Posted by Dean Asher on 1/24/16 11:00 PM

When bookstore employees stare at the miniature mountains of rental returns piling up in their store room at the end of each term, it's often a daunting feeling.

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Pick-a-pumpkin with the LSC Bookstore

Posted by Kate Seat on 10/5/15 12:00 AM

There’s still plenty of time till Halloween, but the Lake Superior College Bookstore is already getting a head start on the festivities. October 1 marked the first day of their “Pick-a-pumpkin” sale, where lucky customers can receive up to 25 percent off LSC apparel and merchandise.

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NDSU Opens the Doors for an After Hours Bash

Posted by Kate Seat on 9/14/15 12:00 AM

Last week, NDSU Bookstore welcomed students back to campus with their eighth annual After Hours Party. This tradition is a nice break for staff and students alike after the hectic textbook rush ends, combining an ice cream social with simple games and plenty of prizes. Both the free ice cream and the prizes seem to be equally big draws.

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The UD Bookstore Turns Buyback into a Main Event

Posted by Kate Seat on 5/11/15 12:00 AM

It’s no secret that the end of the semester is a stressful time for students. To help them make it through successfully, the University of Dayton Bookstore has had a long-standing tradition of offering free massages to their customers during buyback. This year, the staff at the UD Bookstore took this a step further, transforming their buyback and rental return into the "Main Event.”

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Wisconsin's University Book Store is Along for the Ride...Again

Posted by Joe Clarkin on 4/5/15 11:00 PM

At the University of Wisconsin, March Madness has bled into April. Most university bookstores can only dream of getting a single opportunity to support their school’s basketball team as they advance all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin, however, has not only gotten to do this once – they are doing it for the second year in a row.

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