ٺƵ’ main bookstore reopens next Monday (June 6) with a new name, a new look and a bevy of new features.
The Campus Store is part of a Memorial Union renovation that began in March 2015 and is due for completion by the end of this year. The store is the first section to be finished, which means textbook sales are coming back from their temporary home in The Pavilion and the contractor can start work in the union’s east wing, which has been the temporary home for much of the rest of the store.
The first thing you need to know: There is no more access to the store from inside the Memorial Union. Use the doors on the west or east sides.
Once inside, be prepared to see “one of the most amazing stores anywhere,” said Carol Swafford, associate director of sales.
You’ll find fitting rooms and a more prominent computer repair station, plus the store for order pickups and returns.
Clothing is a top seller, but the bookstore never had a fitting room — the new Campus Store has two. Swafford said that was one of the most common requests at the old store.
The new store also adds a small selection of beverages and ready-made fresh food items in the Aggie Snacks section, named by students.
The store is also better prepared for future changes, with fixtures that can be reconfigured. That’s an important feature, said Jason Lorgan, director of ٺƵ Stores, considering he predicts the store will need less space for textbooks as digital course materials become more prominent. In fact, the Campus Store includes a help desk dedicated to digital materials, including the store’s program.
The store’s new look continues with new branding, created in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Communications. The Campus Store will also feature photos showcasing campus life and landmarks.
MU Construction Continues
The Memorial Union’s north side is getting a face lift, literally. The contractor is straightening the front wall (eliminating its angle and adding interior space as a result) and building an atrium between the first and second floors. The basement games area also is being redone.
The east wing remodeling, which will begin about a week after the bookstore moves out, will include a convenience store run by the Campus Store, which will share the proceeds with the ASUCD.
The $23.5 million project’s completion is expected in late December, a few months later than planned, mostly because crews kept finding surprises in the course of their work. “That’s been the nature of working on a 60-year-old building that’s been added on to many times,” said Greg Secor, senior project manager with Design and Construction Management.
, among the first that the online retailer is installing at universities, will offer customer service as well as lockers where Amazon Prime and Prime Student members will have access to free same-day pickup for orders placed by noon and free one-day pickup for orders placed by 10 p.m. Staff will load and reload the lockers throughout the day, so that each order is ready for pickup when the customer says he or she will arrive.
Amazon will continue to provide ٺƵ a share of the proceeds from sales at , with the money going toward student support. This arrangement has already generated more than $700,000, including more than $100,000 for textbook scholarships.
The TechHub stays where it is, well, except for the repair station, which moves to a special room — safe for delicate electronics works — in the textbook area. All repairs are done by students, and Lorgan said the store hopes to expand to offer repair service to phones in the future.
The Campus Store’s regular hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (itt has its own entrance and can stay open later).
The store will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the June 6 opening, and will hold a grand opening in the fall.
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Cody Kitaura/Dateline, Dateline, 530-752-1932, kitaura@ucdavis.edu