Bookstore manager chosen as one of 
‘20 Women to Watch’ by trade magazine

From “The College Store” magazine, Sept/Oct 2005

Laurie Davis likes to try various creative marketing ideas at her store and sharing them with others. She's presented sessions at both CAMEX and Georgia Association of College Stores meetings on store marketing ideas.

Some she's tried and found successful are having a sale and offering free gift wrapping during buyback, and in-store contests. Two favorite promotions were a button contest and a tee shirt design contest. Pairs of numbered buttons with NGCSU on them were given away at the store. First, second, and third prizes were awarded to those on campus who found their matching number.

"We had two students, a faculty member and a student, and two staff members – none of whom had known each other before," Davis says. "People really got into it. A faculty member posted his number on his door. People met each other and made new friends. It was just to do something positive and support the campus. I was really amazed at how quickly we ran out of buttons, and the positive atmosphere it created."

The tee shirt design contest was also popular. Students entered their designs, and students selected the winner, whose designed tee shirt was then sold in the store. Davis says it was a great concept and a popular tee.

Looking for creative ways to offset the costs of textbooks, she has cut margins: 1 percent on all textbooks up to $70; 3 percent on those $70-100; and 5 percent on anything more than $100. Davis says she's had strong support from her administration, and that the cuts haven't affected the bottom line much.

This page last modified on: Monday, 14 November 2005 18:34:20 -0500 by University Relations    

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