To become competitive once again, campus store officials knew they had to begin offering services to students that its competition could not provide. “We looked to meet needs, not only measured by profit, but also by serving unmet needs with an efficient personal service model,” Bridges explains.
Hearing from the provost that students frequently attended the first week of classes without books because they couldn’t afford them, or because financial aid hadn’t yet credited the student’s account, the campus store zeroed in on this as a differentiator. Administrators simplified the process of buying books. Instead of requiring students to first visit the financial aid or bursar’s office to receive a voucher, the store now allows students to charge up to $1,000 in books to their student account. They can then spread repayment out over the semester.