Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

In 2008, the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association was looking for a fun and incentivized way get Badger graduates involved in scholarship fundraising. What they came up with was fairly simple, but the response they got was outstanding. The idea they settled on was a t-shirt that would be uniquely designed before each school year, and then retired as the next year’s shirt went on sale. They decided to call their creation the "Red Shirt,” in honor of the school’s primary color that is prominently featured on each iteration.

VCSU Bookstore makes an appearance in downtown Valley City each year as part of the local Chamber of Commerce's "Crazy Days Sale."

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.

Oklahoma State University Store is offering students a guaranteed buyback value on select titles this term. The pilot program has already seen an increase in sales for a number of titles.

While there’s usually an event planned for buyback at Riverland Community College’s three bookstore locations, that’s not always the case with the beginning of the semester. This year, Bookstore Buyer Carissa Drake decided to mix things up a bit.

WCU Bookstore produces a booklet to accompany student orientation. In addition to spreads depicting special orientation merchandise and promotions, the booklet includes the itenerary for WCU's official New Student Orientation as well as information on various bookstore programs.

When Nick Offerman came to the University Book Store at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last month to promote his new book, his fans were excited, to say the least. “We told everyone they could pick up their tickets at 7:30 the morning of the reading, but we had people waiting long before that,” Marketing Supervisor Erin Lambert said. “The first row was filled up with hardcore fans from about 9 a.m. onward, even though the reading didn’t start till 12.”

Instead of sending out the same emails to faculty that they use every year, Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., has chosen to go a different route. Last summer, they decided to create and distribute about 350 “Focus on Faculty” folders in an effort to educate their professors on the role they play in the success of the bookstore. And after last year’s folders went over well, Book Manager Hannah Wallace decided to distribute them again this fall.

For the University of Utah Campus Store, "Big Data" is a lot more than a buzzword. Store Assistant Director Vaughn Durfee knows how important that data is to effectively running the store. Taking advantage of MBS Systems Dashboard, Vaughn uses his store's Big Data including inventory, operations and sales figures to develop strategies for scheduling staff, manage inventory and much more.

This fall, the students at the University of Central Missouri will have an entirely new shopping experience. On August 10, the University Store’s second location will open in The Crossing, a $42 million mixed-use facility just one block away from the current store, just north of the football stadium.