Quote:
Originally Posted by lizziepizzie
I wonder if the "Campus Store" really thought this through. If the weather is bad in January, students are going to have to stand outside in snow, slush & whatever else the elements bring. It's going to be unpleasant and messy. And all that slush and salt will be brought into the bookstore as people enter. It's going to be a disaster.
I don't think it was well thought out.
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That has been considered and it is something that will have to be endured for one year. Phase two of the project is to create a new,
wheelchair accessible entrance through to the textbook area but construction cannot commence until next Spring. The additional entrance/exit affects the fire code and increases the number of people allowed in the store.
By making the Tank into the main warehouse we have been able to make the textbooks accessible to ALL students and eliminate paying for an off site warehouse and the transportation of goods between that warehouse and the Store. This was the only way to make the budget balance and continue to meet our over $1 million annual contribution to the University to support student programs and services.
A major consideration in the change was that the Tank was not wheelchair accessible. Having everything upstairs means all students have access to their books.
Having everything in one location also cuts down on staffing costs and eliminates the need to move the books upstairs and back down two to three times a year. When the books move there are always periods when certain books are not available as they are packed up, in transit, the space is reworked and then the books are unpacked again.
Yes... this Rush was rough. There is no denying that. The learning curve was high as we have had to redefine numerous processes.
Every University Campus Store faces the same problem. How do you build a store that can accommodate 3 to 4 weeks of crazy busy in a year without having to incur the cost of the extra rent, staffing and other overhead for the additional space the other 48 weeks of the year? What do you do when there simply is no more space available?
We are doing our best and have learned a lot from this September.
If you guys have any suggestions or ideas or just want to give us a heads up on your experience with the Store (the good, the bad and the ugly) you can leave a comment here:
http://svy.mk/13ruwRN
