What kind of school supplies does the NCSU Bookstore NEVER have or rarely have that you wish they did? What do you wish they carried? What do you hate about the school supplies section.

I'm asking because I'm in the process of helping redo the inventory and selection and want some fellow students' input.

Mods, if you think this belongs somewhere else, please move it there.

5/16/2006 4:45:46 PM

who the hell buys school supplies anymore? i buy 1 five subject notebook each semester and thats it. pens i usually steal from work or find in the classroom.

5/16/2006 5:08:40 PM

The department did several million dollars in sales last year. People in art classes have to buy art tablets. People in GC classes need drafting pencils etc. People in math classes need calculators (sometimes very specific models.) Although most students can get away with a pad of paper and some pens/pencils, sometimes people actually want a little more.

Beyond that there's things like premium papers and resume kits. Sadly sending in your resume on nice paper in a fancy envelope with "Resume" printed on it in gold leaf actually does increase the chances of your resume standing out. So... people buy stuff like that too. School supplies isn't just rulers+trapper keepers+slide rules.

Now how about someone who isn't a troll?


[Edited on May 16, 2006 at 5:28 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2006 5:23:05 PM

I usually run in there after a highlighter. I love the giant bin of the fat highlighters (I think the brand is owned by Sharpie now). Whatever you do - keep the highlighters!

I've gone in the bookstore hunting accordion files to put papers/presentations in, but there's never been quite what I needed. Maybe more stuff in the lines of "what to turn your work in in".

5/16/2006 5:39:11 PM

walmart

5/16/2006 5:47:54 PM

^^ Yeah, acordian file folders and stuff like that are definately on order. Definately going to try to carry more of them and keep them in stock. Unfortunately some of the premium presentation folders never sold even after being marked down to around 2 bucks (down from 10) so those aren't probably coming back.

5/16/2006 5:52:10 PM

good call with the highlighters. This may have changed since freshman year, but I recall there being almost NO selection for lab notebooks with the carbon copies. I don't even know if such a product exists, but i'd LOVE a grid notebook with carbon copies, especially if that were just a section of a multi-subject notebook.

5/16/2006 6:23:55 PM

maybe lower the prices and people would shop there.
right now, i'm going with drunknloaded

5/16/2006 6:25:22 PM

^ that's not my decision, I can help influence what we carry but I'm a student and not a manager. The new section manager has aknowledged the pricing was way too high in the past and has been reducing it across the board. There's also always a clearence section where stuff's 50-90 percent off. The one thing we can never do is have ultra-cheap store branded pens and pencils. Even with the significant drop in prices they've done since this time last year, they're not going to be able to beat walmart. That's not a realistic suggetion at all.

People shopping there isn't an issue though. As I said, several millions in sales last semester. I'm just offering peopel a chance to make some suggestions and voice some crticisms.

^^ got around 3 kinds with grid lined carbon paper, and about 4 with notebook style carbon paper now. if you ever saw any national brand or roaring springs brand notebooks that you wish we carried I'd make sure they ordered some.

5/16/2006 6:37:24 PM

better selection of engineering paper.

i usually need more than a pack of 100 sheets but not a pack of 500 sheets, which is the next step up.

5/16/2006 6:39:37 PM

good point. I'll try to make sure they stock BOTH COLORS and 100, 200, and 500 sheet packs.

5/16/2006 6:40:14 PM

that would be cool

5/16/2006 6:47:04 PM

I'll poke around and see if I can find you an item/model number to give the bossman.

Quote :

"People shopping there isn't an issue though. As I said, several millions in sales last semester. I'm just offering peopel a chance to make some suggestions and voice some crticisms."

People shopping there isn't an issue. How much people shop there IS. Knowing that the revenue supports scholarships, if I were faced with
a) spending $0.50 more on a notebook @ NCSU bookstores
b) saving $0.50 on a notebook by waiting and going to target

I'd probably go ahead and get the notebook on campus most of the time. As is stands, I almost never go there, because I didn't know yall had dropped the prices, and I still considered you all obscenely expensive. You have a certain captive market with the dorms right there, and freshmen who don't know their way around the area.

5/16/2006 6:48:35 PM

just buy a 500 pack and use it for a couple of semesters

5/16/2006 6:48:41 PM

Yeah, and like I said they've already reduced the prices a bunch and were planning on using a different pricing scheme for the new inventory they're bringing in. Prices have been, and in some cases still are, quite stupidly high. If you're ever there and notice something that's more than just somewhat more expensive than NORMAL prices at a place like office depot, staples, or office max just point it out. If you manage to get me at the time, I can look up the store cost and if the markup is out of reasonable bounds for that item, I'll bring it up with the manager.

5/16/2006 6:51:55 PM

^^nah that shit's annoying to carry around. its fucking huge. and if you want to tear it in half, well then only one half of it has the cardboard back.

[Edited on May 16, 2006 at 6:52 PM. Reason : /]

5/16/2006 6:52:17 PM

the 500 pack isn't bound like the 100 pack

its all loose leaf

5/16/2006 7:03:36 PM

i mean i guess i can see the on campus solution being good for on campus students but i know my ass could save 10 dollars a year shopping at walmart for it

5/16/2006 7:15:12 PM

i don't know how likely it'd be, but if y'all carried portfolios...nicer ones, it might be nice. I've seen the small 8.5 x 11, but the zip-up, handled 11x14 and 11x17 would be nice.

5/16/2006 10:44:15 PM

when you say portfolio, do you mean a pad holder? like the ones that have the ncstate seal on them and are leather, except zip up? We've got those now, no handles though. We've also got some leather zip up binders and folding file folders in the back somewhere... don't know why they aren't out though. I'll keep that in mind when they order the new set of premium leather stuff though.

5/16/2006 10:51:56 PM

i think shes talking ab a portfolio for artwork or something like that

5/16/2006 11:11:52 PM

Ohh yeah, they've been really low on those but they have hid a few in the back. I'll take a look tommorow and try to get them to order some more.

5/16/2006 11:12:27 PM

I agree about the engineering paper selection. I don't mind the size selection as much as I do buff not being available more like the green is, instead of just at the beginning of the semester.

5/16/2006 11:33:49 PM

So far:

1) Keep highlighter buckets/piles
2) Work on reducing prices more
3) Carry more engineering paper and more variety in sizes and colors THROUGHOUT the year, not just in the beginning
4) Better accordian file folders.
5) Different/better presentation folders
6) Continue stocking large variety of lab notebooks throughout the year, and beef up the selection (get your professors to make recomendations, that'd help the most)
7) More art portfolio selection (large handled ones that zip up and offer better protection)

Any more suggestions are welcome. Also feel free to comment on the computer supplies, cables, tools, dorm supplies, etc. That's all the same department.

[Edited on May 16, 2006 at 11:45 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2006 11:43:12 PM

sell clicky pens. yknow, the pens without caps. that click.

5/17/2006 12:08:09 AM

Pshaw, we don't cotton to such witchcraft!

5/17/2006 12:10:27 AM

drafting pencils. like the sharp brand -- those things are the only things i can use in math classes.

also, please stock a good number of very fine pens, like .3mm and the like...the "bold" 1mm pens are useless for doing detailed writing.

5/17/2006 12:18:14 AM

^ steadtler drafting pen sets and refills are onsale now for half off. (includes .3 mm pens and stuff like that too)

I'll try to make sure we keep plenty of micron pens in stock. We still have the sharp and pentel and steadtler brand drafting pencils, but they're carded and not loose in displays now. Just ask someone for help finding them, but yes we need to make sure those are actually kept in stock.

[Edited on May 17, 2006 at 12:22 AM. Reason : ]

5/17/2006 12:20:10 AM

i heard that ncsu phased out selling double major diploma frames recently... and i know a couple of people who would buy them there if they were sold at the bookstore

5/17/2006 12:22:15 AM

Different department, you might want to email celeste at celeste_lowndes@ncsu.edu to ask about that. you may actually still be able to order them.

5/17/2006 12:23:35 AM

portfolios of this kind:



i personally already have a large one that i used in high school for art, but i'm going to have to invest in a smaller one (either 8.5 x 11, 11 x 14, or 11 x 17, depending on my final decision) and i'm trying to find some fairly nice ones. it'd be convenient to have my mom on campus at the beginning of the year and convince her to make this nice purchase for me. (Considering that she suggests if we're at the bookstore, we might as well buy what supplies I may need, instead of trying to get to a Target or Walmart. she doesn't like trying to get around Raleigh very much.)

anyway, just a suggestion! thanks for listening!

5/17/2006 2:29:21 AM

^ i agree with the idea for smaller pen sizes.....i'm not a sloppy writer and all, but i like my stuff to be thin and readable...i'm not crazy. But for some reason people can just read it better. Whatever you can do awesome can't get any worse

5/17/2006 4:04:52 AM

^^ Just talked to a manager about it. Those portfolios didn't sell very well in the past, but they also never had them in stock during back to school. This year they'll get them in stock and put them out where they'll be visable during back to school.

^ yeah, the ultra-fine pens are something that'll be kept in better stock.

5/17/2006 8:09:13 AM

Stock some Trapper Keepers...

my other one is worn out

5/17/2006 8:49:24 AM

Did you want the Ninja Turtles or Batman ones?

5/17/2006 8:52:33 AM

Ninja turtles for sure, all i have right now is the generic ones with the crazy shapes and colors

5/17/2006 8:54:16 AM

better than the "rad dude" one

5/17/2006 9:04:20 AM

the 5 subject notebooks you guys had 2 years ago with the state logo on them and the pockets with each divider were perfect. Now you guys just carry the ones with the weird opaque cover and odd dividers. Any plan on getting the classic looking ones back? They were much more functional

5/17/2006 2:29:22 PM

^ Yeah they were great and a good price (as low as 2.50 depending on the month/sale that was going on.) The thing was, they cost the bookstore about 4.75 each and were meant to be sold at 6.89 or so. They are one of the single biggest money losers for the bookstore. All the ones you've seen being sold have been from the same stock ordered 3 years ago. That's why the ones left have goofy ugly covers. When those are gone they may try to replace them with a more reasonably priced branded 5 subject, but i'd be hard pressed to convince them to do that now.

I will however keep in mind the need for a relatively inexpensive 5 subject pocketed notebook. Something around 3.29-3.99 and highish quality (somewhere between normal mead and mead 5 star) would be reasonable right?



[Edited on May 17, 2006 at 2:42 PM. Reason : ]

5/17/2006 2:38:14 PM

honestly 6 bucks doesn't come off as unfair to me. I mean it is a 5-subject book...so people should expect them to be a little bigger and more durable. and for only purchasing one a semester it doesn't seem so bad. My only concern is that the dividers each be dual-pocketed and i'd pay 6 bucks for it.



[Edited on May 17, 2006 at 4:35 PM. Reason : oh and no opaque lavander cover ]

5/17/2006 4:34:33 PM

^ We've got a genesis 5 subject with hard plastic coated cover and dual pocketed dividers that's 6.89. It's basically like the mead 5-star 5 subjects. It's not ncstate logo'd but it's the same basic notebook we used for the earlier logo'd 5 subjects.

We've also got some non-lavender ncsu ones at 3.79 right now. All these things have "opaque" covers as opposed to clear, but we definately are avoiding the pastel crap if we can help it.

[Edited on May 17, 2006 at 4:45 PM. Reason : ]

5/17/2006 4:43:17 PM

witchcraft = clicky pens?
THEN BURN ME AT THE STAKE. GIVE ME CLICKY PENS OR GIVE ME DEATH.

5/18/2006 12:30:48 AM

Haha, we're drowning in clicky pens. They need to shrink a little.

[Edited on May 18, 2006 at 12:10 PM. Reason : ]

5/18/2006 12:10:39 PM

SARASA clicky pens are the absolute best!

5/18/2006 3:08:53 PM

A LARGER VARIETY OF POCKET PROTECTORS

5/18/2006 7:40:01 PM

AND PROTECTORS TO PROTECT YOUR POCKET PROTECTOR!!!

5/18/2006 11:20:57 PM

can you get a 5 subject lefthanded notebook? i like the lefthanded notebooks but i usually have to use 2 or 3 for each class/semester, 5 subject would be great

5/19/2006 1:29:29 AM

We needed some worthless, full size, $4 staplers.

Can we get worthless nameless full size $4 staplers?

We also need to never carry that many damn post-it notes ever again.

We should also bother the managers until they let us get some wire rack shelving to put on the floor to showcase the speakers. Something simple and chrome that I (we) could tape some price signs to so people will come up and buy the speakers instead of bending over and busting their butt just to realize they don't want to buy the speakers.

They didn't listen to the idea when I was there though, but maybe you'll have better luck.

There were some sennheiser headphones on newegg for $23 that a friend of mine recommended that I get as well that I wanted to see if we carried or could carry. I can't find the specific model though. He said they blocked out most any sound and gave great sound quality, so I figured if we could carry it for $30 we'd have a fairly decent product.

My other ideas would be small flexible-neck incandescent lamps (not halogen of course since we know the rules about that) and 40w or 60w bulbs to go with it. If we could get some that were freestanding and some that had the clip on the base, that would be cool.

If we can order some sort of package of notebooks similar to what target had last year (A 10-pack of 70 page single subject notebooks for a dollar) for something like $4-5 we'd probably sell a bunch.

Hmm... Other stuff...

We should scrap the little floppy disk tower. It's got like 5 things on it which could either go on the media shelf or the wall. You could use the display as an overflow for less popular iPod products or as extra room for them (since it has shelves you could put those larger items on it like the AV kit, or the speaker dock (not the hi-fi, the small one). I think this would make more sense since it'll keep the iPod stuff together, and the stuff that doesn't sell as much (like floppy disks and tape media) can go where the unpopular iPod stuff is now.

One other product idea: Archos or other multi-function MP3 players. Carry one or two just for shits and giggles? I remember they used to be cheaper and more functional (or have more features, really) than an iPod and they were fairly popular among the other nerds I knew in high school.

Oh well, I'll stop throwing out ideas that'll end up being more work for you over the summer. But it would be cool if we could get that speaker shelving (I really would like for us to have something for them, lol).

5/19/2006 3:38:29 AM

so my roomate told me on campus students are not allowed to have an extension cord in their rooms???

5/19/2006 4:28:57 AM

^^ We've carried iRiver and Archos stuff in the past. It's only worth carrying around back to school.

5/19/2006 10:47:18 AM