Foreword Online

Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers



Summer 2024 Rental Submissions Are Open

Posted by Liz Schulte on 2/9/24 6:45 AM

Summer rental list submissions are open now! Maximize the savings your store offers students and provide more options in 2024.

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Create Consistent Communication About Rental Returns

Posted by Liz Schulte on 12/11/23 6:15 AM

As you know, over the course of the term, many students have probably forgotten which books they bought and which books they rented from the college store. Sending students consistent and frequent communication about rental returns can help your store get more books back.

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How Rentals Saved Ridgewater College Bookstore

Posted by Liz Schulte on 10/16/23 6:30 AM

Offering rental textbooks has been one of the best decisions for Ridgewater College Bookstore. Giving students more low-cost options encourages more student shoppers. Recently, we spoke with Judy Meyering, Bookstore Manager, Ridgewater College, about the store’s rental program and how it has helped the store evolve.

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Tips for Promoting End-of-Term Rental Returns

Posted by Liz Schulte on 5/8/23 9:00 AM

If rental returns haven’t already started on your campus, they are fast approaching. Make sure your store is getting the word out to students with rental textbooks that they need to return them and how make those returns. Here are some tips to help you keep students informed during the busy end of term.

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Bring Students Back to the Campus Store

Posted by Liz Schulte on 4/5/22 6:00 AM

Students are back on campus; it’s time to bring them back into the store. By providing students with the options and cost-savings they want most, your store can regain market share and forge strong relationships with current students. Offering a strong rental program encourages students to visit the campus store rather than relying on online competition.

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Increase Rental Returns and Buyback Transactions with inSite Alerts

Posted by Liz Schulte on 3/14/22 8:15 AM

Effective communication with students is pivotal to college store success. If students don’t know the campus store is having a sale, then they won’t attend. The same principle applies to end-of-term buyback and rental returns. However, communication with students isn’t as easy as just sending a single email. How can stores keep their message from disappearing into the crowd of voices vying for students’ attention?

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Squash Confusing Rental Problems with This Checklist

Posted by T.A. Nathan on 9/18/19 8:00 AM

Textbook rentals are a key part of the modern campus store, but they can get confusing. From mismatched terms to titles not scanning, rental issues can slow down sales and throw a wrench in your productivity. As an MBS POS customer we want to make sure your workflow is quick and efficient. We designed a checklist to guide you through the most common rental issues, saving you time and headaches.

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The Return on Rental

Posted by Liz Schulte on 8/20/18 5:30 AM

A growing number of students are choosing not to purchase their course materials because of the cost associated with them. The practice causes the problems one would expect: more student stress as their grades take a hit, teacher frustration at students not being prepared and a lot of finger-pointing from everyone. The students blame the bookstore and the school. The bookstore could have had better prices on inventory if the faculty had their adoptions in on time. The faculty, in turn, are unaware of how their role can impact the cost to the student. Few people outside of the college store understand the whole process beginning to end — but everyone has an opinion. People want more cost-savings options. After new, used and digital course materials, what’s left? Rental.

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UCM University Store Wins New Student Hearts With Orientation

Posted by Lori Reese on 7/17/17 5:30 AM

If there’s one thing UCM University Store Director Charlie Rutt knows it’s that families new to the course materials world need guidance. Many students start school without awareness of the cost of textbooks. Rutt said that, unless families are warned, they will feel deceived when they discover how much they have to spend at the college store. It’s like being invited to a free dinner only to find out you have to pay when the check comes.

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May the 4th Be With KSU Bookstore

Posted by Dean Asher on 6/5/17 5:30 AM

Since "A New Hope" premiered in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has been one of the most successful and beloved media franchises in the world. In fact, the unofficial holiday "Star Wars Day" is celebrated by fans on May 4 — a pun off of the phrase "May the Force be with you."

It gave University Stores at Kennesaw State University something to celebrate as well. The store took the concept and ran with it for the week of May 2-6, offering a sale for 25% off Star Wars merchandise, and using a Star Wars theme to spruce up its display windows and advertise its rental returns.

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