Running a School Store
The school store can help schools introduce their students to valuable business skills, all in a fun, comprehensible, and active learning environment. Students, particularly young ones, learn best by applying what they've learned in the classroom to real-world problems, and then reinforcing it through repetition. The school store is a perfect vehicle for just this type of instruction.
One of the best aspects of the school store is they are infinitely flexible. School stores offer an environment where early-elementary students can practice basic math and money skills, while high school students can learn and apply concepts like advertising and marketing or supply-and-demand economics. A school store can be adapted as your students increase in experience or grade level, teaching age-appropriate skills all the way through to graduation.
The school store can be an ongoing source of much-needed revenue for student programs and after-school activities. The school store can work in conjunction with other fundraising programs and provide an opportunity for students to learn and practice valuable business lessons and social skills.
Opening a school store does require a commitment from the school administration, PTA/PTO, faculty, and students.
Thinking about starting a school store? Great idea! First, let's go over some essential tips for getting your store off to a great start.
Location Is Everything
Location. Location. Location. The first three rules of business apply to school stores, too. Pick a location in a highly trafficked area of your school, one that will put your merchandise right in front of your potential customers.
Tip: A lot of people avoid starting the store because they think they don't have enough space. School stores can fit in whatever space you have available—a spare classroom, a rolling cart, even a fold-away table that gets set up before and after school.
Two Heads Are Better Than One
Often, schools might feel there's not enough time or people to run a store. School stores can be easy enough for one person to run a few hours a day.
Tip: Involve your students! The most exciting stores are often class projects or collaboration between the student council and the PTA or PTO. That way, you only need one or two adults to oversee, plus you get the added advantage of giving the students a hands-on learning experience.
Buy Now, Pay Later
Start-up money is often a big obstacle with schools who want to start a store, but it absolutely doesn't need to be.
Tip: Get your store ready for Back-to-School Season in the spring. Fall ordering allows you to place a school supply order in the spring and schedule delivery for the start of next school year.
Managing Your School Store
Running a school store should allow you to raise funds, provide kids with the opportunity to learn in a real-world environment, and have some fun. Not sure how to accomplish all of that? Here are a few dos and don'ts that will help.
Do treat your school like a real business—take inventory, give receipts, and know your customer.
Do involve your students. They'll bring excitement and energy to your store and you will give them a chance to get some great experience. Plus, who knows more about what students want than a classmate.
Do pay attention to the bottom line—adding a small mark-up to the price will make your school store profitable.
Do offer the basic supplies your students need, then spice it up with some fun items, too. Along with school specialty of exclusive novelty pens, pencils, and other school supplies, offer all of the traditional school supplies with which everyone is familiar.
Don't get too caught up in the business and forget to have fun.
Don't forget to get input from your students workers on decisions you make about your store—they are your target market.
Don't overlook the obvious—pricing stickers, signage, advertising, etc. Your store will run much more efficiently if everything is clearly labeled with its price.
Don't make purchasing decisions without consulting your teachers—kids are buying supplies for their classes, so they are the best way to know what your store should offer.
This article is courtesy of Geddes, www.raymondgeddes.com, which provides unique novelty pens, pencils, stationery supplies, and novelties for schools.
Sidebar
Showing School Spirit with Promotional Products
By Karen Spring
Don’t just cheer for your favorite school sports team. Join in the spirit of it all. Proudly display your positive feelings towards that school by wearing apparel or using products emblazoned with your favorite institution’s name, emblem or mascot.
Showing off your school spirit is such a fun and easy thing to do. School spirit encourages students, teachers, and other faculty members to take pride in their school and sports teams. Demonstrating school spirit is simple when you have the right tools.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of trouble to gear up your students with the best products for supporting their school and teams. You just need to have items on hand that are fun.
Bracelets
The latest rage these days is bracelets promoting awareness. These silicone, rubber, and vinyl bracelets demonstrate consciousness for a variety of different organizations and charities. Now, you can have these very same awareness bracelets promoting your school. Choose your school color and name to make this neat item the perfect complement to your students’ daily wardrobe or use a phrase that fits well. Think Fightin’ Irish or Semper Fi. Students can wear these bracelets to school, to extracurricular activities, and to pep rallies to demonstrate their support. Parents, faculty, and members of the alumni community also can proudly wear these bracelets.
Apparel
Outfitting your students and faculty is easy with everything you could need in team and school spirit promotion, from t-shirts and sweatshirts to golf attire and hats. Your school’s logo, name, or mascot is either silk-screened or embroidered onto the items. Choose apparel in your school’s colors, and you’ll be offering great options for your students, faculty, alumni, and parents – the very individuals who want to proudly show their support for their favorite school.
Fun Items
Don’t head to another pep rally, game, or sporting event without some fun items to add excitement and spirit. Foam fingers and clappers are wonderful additions to make any event unique and exciting. Your fans will be cheering while they wave their foam fingers to rally their favorite team and players. Or make a thundering noise to really get your school heard with our clappers. Not only is your favorite school’s name boldly imprinted on the pair of clappers, but bang these together, and you’ll be sure to get noticed.
Why just lug around a tote bag, when you can make a lasting impression with a bag or backpack that shows off your spirit? Choose an exciting style to suit your needs as a student, a parent, or an alumnus, and you’ll not only show your support for your favorite school, but you will also have a great accessory for your wardrobe (and a fabulous spot to stow away all of your goodies).
Karen Spring is a contributing writer for Gimmees.com, an online source of promotional and tradeshow gifts, corporate apparel and other custom imprinted promo items.
