Manage the retail roller coaster and the rapidly changing inventory at college bookstores. Here are a few tips to help get it done.

1. Get School
Stores Ready
for Fall Opening
with Extra Storage

2. 2
GET SCHOOL STORES READY FOR THE
SEMESTER WITH EXTRA STORAGE
Virtually all post-secondary bookstores face a retail roller coaster, as merchandising needs shift drastically
during the 15 weeks of a typical semester, a juggling of merchandise priorities that is unmatched
in the book retail world. The result is a challenge for inventory and school facilities management.
Luckily, there is a solution - portable storage systems.

3. 3
A MIXED
BOOK BAG
While some universities have
moved book sales and rentals
to third-party vendors, for most
schools, course materials remain
a staple. Students buy the bulk of
class-related material at the start
of a semester according to the
National Association of College
Stores. In spring comes another
$252 on materials and $212 on
supplies and tech.
Campus bookstores often
stock other needs as well,
including lamps, pillows, insignia
sweatshirts, other dorm supplies,
and grab-and-go food. These
days, some school stores
even carry cosmetics. The
breadth of products is daunting,
particularly when you consider
the logistical steeplechase of the
academic selling seasons and
the restricted room they have to
manage inventory. To alleviate
some of these pain points,
effective planning and inventory
management is necessary, and can
improve the customer and student
shopping experience.
Students spend
an average of
$327
on course
materials
&
$295
on school supplies
& technology
in the fall

4. 4
15 WEEKS,
THREE SEASONS
A university or college store effectively sees three
different selling seasons during a 15-week semester.
Let’s take a look at them.

5. 5
15 WEEKS,
THREE SEASONS
FIRST: Occurs at a semester’s
start, when students need to
prepare for classes.
SECOND: Is the middle stretch,
when book inventory becomes
relatively unimportant.
THIRD: Book returns at
semester’s end, and students
desperate for caffeine, snacks,
and clean clothing, to fuel study.
The rate of change is beyond
most retail and presents
compounding complications.
One complication is the inherent
seasonality of some products,
like clothing or accessories.
After the early semester rush,
it may be impossible to discount
unsold books to make room, as they
may be needed again at the
beginning of the next semester.
All these challenges make
budgeting and inventory
planning a nightmare. However,
with effective preparation
before the semesters begin, it is
possible to create an organized
plan to manage the changing
seasonal swings.

6. 6
MAKING
MORE ROOM
Planning and budgeting might be
easier if the bounds of the selling
floor and back-of ­the-store inventory
warehousing were elastic. But
they aren’t. One answer is finding a
portable storage container partner, like
PODS. A container provides additional
space to hold temporarily unneeded
inventory in an area as small as a
single standard parking space.
In the opening season of a semester,
non-essential products and store
fixtures can go into the container to
create additional floor space. For
more popular classes, extra inventory
can be stored in the container,
and brought to the shelves as needed.
As the container can be left onsite,
managers will always have easy
access to their extra inventory.
After the rush passes, excess book
inventory goes into the container.
Other items and fixtures return to add
variety and improve the customer
experience. This can include seasonal
inventory swings around holidays
or large events. During the returns
season, incoming inventory goes into
the container to keep the floor open
for merchandise that will sell.

7. 7
MAKING
MORE ROOM
Because containers are secure and
weather-resistant, merchandise is always
safe. Aside from keeping the container
onsite, PODS can also move the container
to another location if the space it
occupies is needed for other purposes.
The container can be taken off-site for
storage in a PODS warehouse, to be
returned the day contents and space are
again needed. The additional flexibility
aids inventory planning, budgeting,
and facilities management. It takes
the pressure off the need for constant
just-in-time deliveries and an unrealistic
precision of demand forecasting.

8. CONTACT
US TODAY
Joining PODS’ Relocation Partner Program means
you’ll have a dedicated support team, whichever
direction you choose to go.
Offer transferees a dedicated team to support their
move and an experience that’s flexible, seamless,
and less stressful. With the PODS Relocation
Program, they’ll appreciate it, and their hard work will
repay your investment.
Consider PODS’ Relocation Program as an option.
Call 888-339-7637 to contact us today.
Please contact the PODS Business Solutions Team
to learn more and get a free quote.
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*The content contained herein is provided for informational purposes only.
The content does not constitute either legal or tax advice. There is no implicit
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