Make Sure to Register for the Annual Meeting
Make Sure to Register for the Annual Meeting
It all starts with your Mission, Purpose and Objective
The main consideration is what atmosphere are you looking to provide? What % of campus contribution do you expect from overall gross sales revenue (not Net)? Some schools expect a higher % than others because they are trying to support areas such as athletics, clubs, scholarships and construction. While others would rather pass the savings onto students and break even. NACS, ICBA and the National Retail Federation can shed more light on what you can expect in contribution % depending on the level of service you hope to provide.
-Do you want your store to be a hub of activity and promote your college brand and be the showstopper at the end of your on-campus recruiting events? Do you want to set your hours of operation to better support Student Services and SGA Events on campus. Do you want your Campus Stores to help manage other services like Parking Passes, Computer Sales/Service, Vending, Food Services, and Food Trucks as part of a Campus Enterprise operation. Many colleges like Fayetteville Tech, NCSU, Western Carolina, Pitt CC and Guilford Tech manage all or pieces of those services using store staff.
-Do you want to fall somewhere in the middle and still provide a contribution to fund x,y,z programs?
-Lastly do you want to receive a higher contribution, but your store is known for long lines, upset students/faculty, course materials that no one knows how to access and other quality control issues?
Your College and University Mission and Objective are paramount in deciding what type of store environment you offer your students and community.
FT ad PT staffing should run roughly between 6-14% of gross sales each year. Closer to 6% can mean long lines, complaints, lost sales and poor branding. Closer to 14% might be appropriate to support large events like Orientation, Big Games, and Parents or Graduation weekends. Staffing agencies can be useful initially but careful selection of staff t This is always adjustable and is a year-end financial consideration, not a weekly figure, but payroll hours should be budgeted and scheduled to m
Course materials fulfillment for your students can be done by your store staff. With all the software and providers in the market now, it is becoming easier to manage each year. There are many providers that can assist and support your staff OR you can elect to HYBRID your course materials department and allow an outside provider to do the fulfillment. In the Hybrid Model, your staff can still manage course materials questions from students and faculty and act like a concierge.
As more books have moved to digital model provided inside the LMS, this has made it a much easier lift for colleges to run their own store. There is little tono upfront csts with digital materials provided inside the LMS and you are only billed after the OPT-OUT date. General merchandise, apparel, school supplies, food and drink are categories that do not have quite a high of an entry cost and usually invoices can be paid from actual sales within the upcoming term. CSANC vendor partners can as
CSANC has vendor association members Booklog, Resero and MBS who can all provide turnkey information on point of sale, credit cards compliance, and inventory management. Important consideration includes compatibility with your SIS (Ellucian, Banner or others) and website offering and ease of use. If you elect to hybrid the store, you might have lower POS costs as general merchandise sales are sometimes easier to manage within a point of sale/website. PCI compliance is key in all POS decisions a
If you are at a NC Public Agency such as a University or Community College the NC eProcurement site is always your first step. Reach out to sister colleges on our CSANC Member list to ask for their providers information.
YES, In many cases you can offer to purchase the fixtures that are in the store from the lease provider. Depending on their age and condition, it may be your best choice. The price may be negotiable, and you may not need all of them. Be sure you obtain all the accessories for used fixtures or know where to buy them from in your current matching color before making that purchase.
Safety is always paramount with fixtures and there are many fixture installation companies in or near NC that can complete professional installations for your institution. They can also be contracted to come by and review your current fixture/store design setup and safety and make recommendations for improvements.
CSANC does not recommend any specific vendors but does highlight current member vendors for consideration. All decisions made by your Institution should follow NC Purchasing Guidelines or be based on your findings within the industry. CSANC hosts a Fall Tradeshow each year, which many vendors do attend. We encourage you to come and meet with their staff to learn more about how they can assist your institution.
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