Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers

How often do you review your store’s daily, weekly, monthly and yearly processes? Is there room to add efficiency and streamline the manual work your staff does? The continually updated MBS system provides college stores with tools and resources to help them save time and simplify vital store processes. To make sure your staff stays up to date on all of the system functionality available to your store, consider budgeting for one of MBS’ training packages.

Don’t forget to save the date for MBS Store Technology Solutions’ Fall Forums training events. System partners join us for our Virtual Forums event Monday, Oct 30, 2023, through Friday, November 3, 2023. Here, you can participate in daily webinars that will focus on the features and tools within the MBS system. Next, we will host an in-person follow-up training event at MBS on November 7 and 8 (Tuesday and Wednesday) to provide hands-on training and peer-to-peer networking for system partners.

Utilizing the complete MBS system, the University of Manitoba (UM) BookStore effectively manages every aspect of the college store and has achieved fantastic results. We recently spoke with Craig Bauer, Course Materials Manager, University of Manitoba BookStore, about how they use the MBS system to help streamline store management from general merchandise to course material distribution.

Your store’s collegiate retail system is part of nearly everything you do in the store. It has the power to improve store processes or offer store associates the tools they need to provide truly outstanding customer service. When the time comes to replace your collegiate retail system, what are the most important metrics to look at to ensure you get the best system for your store.

Your collegiate retail system is the single most important tool in the college store. It impacts nearly every aspect of your business. Therefore, when looking for a new collegiate retail system, make sure you are getting a system that can meet your store’s immediate needs now and in the future.

Over the years, the collegiate retail industry has significantly evolved, bringing new technology to help better serve students. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Charlie Rutt, the Director of University Store at the University of Central Missouri, to discuss how his store’s long partnership with MBS Store Technology Solutions has evolved over the years and the tools that are currently benefiting his store most.

For many of us, times are unpredictable. As college stores look toward the start of a new term, strengthening online sales, student convenience and in-store safety precautions are three areas that will have the biggest impact no matter what happens this fall. We recently spoke with Lincoln Land Community College’s Director of Campus Services Andrew Blaylock to discuss the college store’s web orders and how they are preparing for fall.

The University of Maryland Baltimore County Bookstore has curated a collection of creative events that entice student participation throughout the year. With fun games, giveaways, community-generating sidewalk sales and an incredible convenience shop with a diverse selection, every student can find something in the UMBC Bookstore that inspires them to come back. In February, we sat down with UMBC Bookstore Director Erin McGonigle to discuss how she inspires campus store foot traffic with bookstore events and marketing.

For Wichita State University, the Shocker Store is more than a collegiate retail hub. It’s a place that fans, alumni and students associate with a sense of belonging. Director Andi Stipp fosters this reputation with a college store loyalty program called Shocker Rewards. We sat down with Ms. Stipp to talk about marketing a campus bookstore with loyalty rewards and why delighted customers are the best measure of a program’s success.

For Vincennes University Bookstores' Director Karen Faulkner, collegiate retail is about putting students first. She and Marketing Director Aimee Cummings regularly host bookstore events that draw hundreds of students, drive word of mouth and nurture the bookstore’s reputation as a lively campus hub. We sat down with Ms. Faulkner and Ms. Cummings to ask about what makes events successful, how they affect campus bookstore marketing and why fun events can never really fail.