The upper level of the AU Campus Store re-opened Oct. 3 after two weeks of renovations that began on Sept. 19. Renovation on the lower level began Oct. 3.
Follett Higher Education Group paid for the renovations and Follett’s contractor, Granger Construction Company, is doing the renovation work, according to Director of Auxiliary Service Dave Courter.
“There was no cost to AU,” Courter said.
During the renovation period for the main floor, students were able to purchase items on the second level of Butler Pavilion, where there was a smaller offering of each of the store’s departments, store manager Kristi Cole said.
“Since we were condensed, we moved all the gift-type items downstairs,” Cole said. “Things that are more seasonal, we boxed up and put away.”
The timing of the renovations came down to zoning permits, and Cole said store employees wanted to make sure the renovations were done before All-American Weekend.
The lower level, where textbooks are stored, will re-open Oct. 10. Students can still purchase textbooks during this time with the assistance of employees who can access the department to retrieve items for customers, Cole said.
All the textbooks will be in the same area they were in before renovations. However, the back of this level will contain a permanent eFollett desk, where students can go to retrieve Web orders, sell textbooks and return rentals, Cole said.
“Having a set department for these orders will make us more efficient and also allow us to shorten the time frame between when students place online orders and they are processed,” Cole said.
The upper-floor renovations include cash registers moved to the right side of the store in the nook where the children’s clothing used to be, Cole said. On the left side of the store, where the registers used to be, there is a section of clothing.
All books that are not textbooks and convenience items, such as magazines and candy, have been moved to the right side of the store.
“The area past the stairwell leading down to the textbook level looks fairly similar to the way it looked before the renovations,” Cole said.
Computer-related items will be on the left side in the very back of the store.
Both floors also receivednew carpeting and new paint jobs.
“The main floor was basically gutted,” Cole said.
All of the renovations were done so the flow within the store would be smoother, she said.
“The renovations further our mission of delivering the best possible service and building the best possible resources for the students and greater AU community,” she said.
Not all students were happy with the renovations.
“They should have done this renovation over break or during the summer because it’s really an inconvenience for students,” said Jennifer Rollin, a senior in the School of Communication. “It’s just another way for AU to spend money to try and attract new students rather than helping the current ones.”
Other students reacted positively to the renovations.
MJ Johnson, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, said she remembered visiting AU as a prospective student and being underwhelmed by the bookstore. She said the renovations were a good use of money.
“I still believe it’s a smart move,” she said.
