Amazon.com Inc. announced the launch of a new print textbook rental program last week. With such a significant retailer entering the rental game, it is more important than ever for college stores to offer the option to students.
Amazon.com Inc. announced the launch of a new print textbook rental program last week. With such a significant retailer entering the rental game, it is more important than ever for college stores to offer the option to students.
When it comes to choosing the most affordable course materials, students are often confused. For years, Rusty Weldon, assistant director at Auburn University Bookstore, had tried to verbally communicate his expertise on the topic to students and their families. Dedicated to saving his customers the most money, however, he decided it was time to show them instead.
Rental programs offer significant upfront savings to students; however, not all are aware of the benefits. To help students better understand the advantages of his store’s program, Jeff Wieck, textbook program coordinator. of University Bookstore at Eastern Washington University, decided to show rather than tell them about the cost-saving option.
Based on a financial analysis, NACS recently found Three Rivers College Bookstore to be three times more profitable as a percentage than the average community college bookstore; Bob Jansen, Executive Director of Retail Operations, attributes a big part of that achievement to the store’s rental program.
Our goal is to be a resource to your store at any time or location that you may need. That’s why we ensure that our products and services are available to you in a variety of formats. Did you know, for instance, that if you are a TA2online or GM2online user with new HTML access, most of your back office applications can be accessed and run from your iPad?
Although a rental program had long been in place at Three Rivers College Bookstore, Bob Jansen, director, decided that it could use a little updating. With the goal of becoming the most profitable college store in the nation as a percentage of sales with one of the lowest textbook costs, he wanted to expand the store’s program. Recognizing the difficulties of doing so on an outdated system, however, Jansen first went in search of a serialized rental program that could be more effectively managed.
With upfront savings on their minds, students across the country are demanding textbook rental. But, many college stores are hesitant to offer the option because of the extra labor and financial risk involved. Wichita State University Bookstore, who has offered rental for the past three semesters, was definitely no exception.
Growing up in a generation raised on computers, students expect information at the speed of now. But with tight budgets and a never ending to-do list, it can be hard to staff enough employees to provide instant answers for each customer. New technologies, such as QR Codes, however, offer an easy solution.
Portland Community College Bookstore strives to support the college mission by providing exceptional service, reasonably priced items and an overall desire to help students in any way they can. However, with 4 metropolitan campuses, their mission is no easy task. That’s why, for the past 19 years, they have worked alongside MBS to stay on the cutting edge and expand their store with the latest technology.
At MBS, our most intrinsic value is to simplify all things textbook-related for our partners. That’s why we continually strive to provide you with superior products and services to simplify your store’s essentials. But, our innovative solutions aren’t born overnight. Over the next two weeks, we will give you an in-depth look into our company’s journey with one of the most popular textbook options today, in our four-part Rental Series. See firsthand how we took this trend to the next level, from conception all the way to the announcement of our latest MBS Rental enhancements!
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