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An ad image, also used on a poster, for apparel available
at Black Hills State University Bookstore in
Spearfish, S.D. The shop is doing well despite the challenging
economy.
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ollege students love to dress
casually. And they might
not be into trends as much
as you would think. That is the
consensus of college bookstore
managers around the country.
“Sweatpants, sweatshirts, Tshirts,
shorts … they are the perennial
best-sellers,” said Toni
Channels, clothing and gifts buyer
for the University of California
San Diego Bookstore in La Hoya,
Calif. “The students love the casual
items. I have been here for almost
20 years, and those are the items
that are always at the top when it
comes to (licensed sports apparel).”
College bookstores record big
profits from sales of licensed sports
apparel, including shorts, jerseys,
sweats, hats, socks, golf shirts and
any article of clothing you can
think of. Places like UCSD have
entire sections devoted to sports
apparel, including a children’s
department.
“It’s a huge part of our business,”
Channels said. “Pretty much every piece of apparel we have has
either our team name – the Tritons –
or UCSD on it somewhere.”
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A logo apparel display at Macon State
College in Macon, Ga. Hoodies are top sellers
for the bookstore.
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“Athletic wear is extremely important
for us at the bookstore,” said
Spearfish, S.D.-based Black Hills State
University Bookstore Manager Michael
Jastorff. “We have a cool mascot with
the yellow Jacket, and we are doing
pretty well despite some tough times in
the economy.”
Most of the bookstores use popular
brands to spur sales, including Nike,
Adidas Under Armour, Champion and
Russell Athletics, noting name brands
can play a part in buyers’ decisions.
Sometimes, however, lesser-known
brands like Cotton Exchange and
Dubwear will sell well because people
are mostly buying for the name of the
school or team name as opposed to
brand name.
“Russell is our dominant brand
because people know their quality, but
we have a private label program with
Cotton Exchange that does most of our
basics,” said Towson University Store Director Rosemary
Epperson, whose Towson, Md. store’s annual sales figure is
$11 million. “They actually put a label inside that says,
‘Made especially for Towson University Store,’ and people
get to know that. I believe our brand is Towson, so we don’t
really try to sell the vendor brand that much. They give us
the quality we need at the right price.”
Currently, the big trend is sweats, including sweatshirts,
sweatpants and sweatshorts. If it is soft and comfortable, students
will buy it.
At UCSD, its Russell tackle twill hood is the No. 1 selling
sports apparel item.
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Logo merchandise is paired with accessories,
such as a digital pedometer and
tennis balls, in this Macon State College
display. The student population at the
school is trending younger, and merchandise
is reflecting the shift.
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“And it has been that way as long as
I’ve been here, and that’s a long time,”
Channel said of the 50-50 sweatshirt
that retails for $48.95. “It’s basic with
the school colors and some others with
color variations and the UCSD logo.”
West Virginia State University
Bookstore in Institute, W.V., also sells a
large amount of its hooded sweatshirts.
“Our yellow Jackets mascot is
extremely popular, so we sell a lot of
those,” said Manager Mark Akers, noting
that the sweatshirts mostly range
from $19.99 to $36 with some Nike
styles in the $50 range. “We have some
embroidered, but the screen ones work
best because they are cheaper. What’s
not selling, though, are crew neck sweatshirts.
We scaled back when we saw that
they weren’t happening anymore, but I
don’t think we ordered a single crew
neck sweatshirt in the last two years.”
Hoodies are also at the top of the
sports apparel sales charts for Macon
State College Bookstore in Macon, Ga., and Black Hills
State.
“Our screen prints do the best, obviously because of
price,” said Melanie Brown, buyer and assistant manager for
the bookstore at Macon State, a commuter college. “We do
some tackle twill, but we try to keep them below $40,
because if it’s too pricey people just won’t buy it.”
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A display with a feminine feel at
Macon State College’s bookstore.
Women are more likely to take the
time to browse at the store.
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“I think it’s just about being comfortable while looking good at the same time,” Jastorff
said. “It just comes
down to that. We have some pretty bold
graphics that work well, and our tackle
twill probably sells the best of all of them.
It doesn’t hurt to keep the price down,
too. We try to keep them in the $30 to
$40 range, but we found out that if it’s a
good sweatshirt, people are willing to
spend for it.”
At the University of Northern Iowa
and many other schools, sweatpants are
the “in” item for both men and women.
“Whether they are regular bottoms or
the open bottoms, sweatpants are huge
right now,” said Sue Sonnenberg, buyer
at University Book and Supply, a privately
owned bookstore that services the
University of Northern Iowa in Cedar
Falls, Iowa. “They range in price from
$24.99 to $39.99, and we are finding that many students are buying the cheaper ones and cutting out
the elastic at the bottom themselves. We have Northern Iowa
big and bold down the leg.”
It is the same at West Virginia State
University: “I have no idea why, but
sweatpants are hands down the hottest
thing,” said Akers, who sells the sweatpants
for $19 to $26. “The girls buy
more, but the guys buy a lot, too. We
have some in stock that are the kneelength
capris, and they do great, too.
your basic run-of-the-mill sweatpants
with a logo down the side are extremely
popular.”
Epperson said multiple print locations
entice sales at Towson.
“There are the traditionalists who
like the closed bottom sweatpants and
those who like the open bottom ones,
but they all like the multiple location
prints on the front, the side of the leg,
the back. The
same goes for our
hooded sweatshirts; the more print locations,
the better. And the women really
appreciate that we buy sweatpants styles
and sizes especially for women as opposed
to unisex styles.”
“We just can’t keep them in stock,”
Jastorff added. “Whether open bottom or
regular, they are just doing great.”
Zip hoods, whether full or quarter zip,
also rank high in sports apparel sales.
At University Book and Supply, Russell
and Champion zip hoods with a big
Northern Iowa logo across the chest range
from $34.99 for screen printing to $54.99
for embroidered zips. The store also does
well with quarter or full zip polar fleece by
Antigua with a logo on the left chest that
range from $42.99 to $45.99.
Of course, T-shirts screen printed with
school logos remain near the top of every
bookstore’s sports apparel list.
“We do well with our old-school T-shirts
that are basic UCSD lettering with the full
name spelled below it in two colors for
$13.95,” Channel said. “And another one
for the same price that is the basic UCSD
arch. Very basic and traditional sells well
for Ts and sweatshirts. Four of our basic Tshirts
are in our Top 10.”
T-shirts are the No. 1 seller at Towson,
where its Tiger mascot reigns supreme.
“While we don’t have a big athletic program,
we do have a popular mascot that is
on almost everything we sell,” Epperson
said. “And our T-shirts sell really well…
probably more than 1,000 a year, retailing for $14.99.”
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Melanie Brown, assistant bookstore
manager at Macon State College.
The store does well with college
apparel despite the lack of athletics
at the school, Brown said.
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Sports jerseys can also be major revenue generators for
schools with recognized sports programs. What may be surprising
is that women are into jerseys as much – sometimes
even more so – than men are.
“We just started selling women’s football jerseys and they
blew out the door,” Channel said. “They are mesh with
school colors, and Tritons screened on each sleeve with a big
60 in the middle. I never carried them before for women,
but they sold great at $32.95.”
University Book and Supply has also found success with
mesh jerseys for kids.
“The youth ones are actually our most popular jerseys,”
Sonnenberg said. “And if you happen to
have a player that’s popular, use that to
your advantage. We got a lot of mileage out
of (Arizona Cardinals quarterback and former
Northern Iowa QB) Kurt Warner. So
we sold a lot of No. 13 jerseys.”
Schools that do not have big sports programs,
like Towson, Macon State College
and West Virginia State, tend not to sell
many jerseys.
“We are a Division 2 school that’s pretty
good in baseball and basketball, but we
don’t sell a lot of jerseys,” Akers said.
“Sports does not drive our business. It
helps out, but it’s not like a big school like
West Virginia or Penn State, where sports
drives sales. At schools like ours, school
spirit drives sales. Students take pride in
the school; that’s why people buy apparel
here.”
“I think we would probably do a little
better if we had some college athletics
team,” Brown said of Macon State. “But
we do fine with our college apparel without
it. It just makes it a little more challenging.”
Channel said bookstore managers
should never forget the basics.
“We’re always trying to find what’s new
and trendy, and I like to have a good mix
of trendy and basics,” Channel said. “But
you can never forget that the basics are the
bread and butter. Never forget your basics.”
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Susan Headley, of Bonaire, Ga., a
Macon State College management
major, photographed in the school’s
bookstore. The shop’s management
relies on its young student workers to
keep them apprised of popular trends
during the buying process.
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“We have about 4,000 students, and I
have found over the last 20 years that nothing
beats the basics,” Jastorff said. “you
have to dabble a little in fashion, but the
basics seem to work for us. you have to stay
with what works. Don’t stray too far off into what’s fashion
oriented. Sooner or later, it can catch up to you.”
Channel noted, however, that while basics may be paying
most of the bills, trends are important, too.
“I am always looking for new vendors that have products
that are unique and different. you have to keep it fresh,” she
said. “you have to stay up on the trends and know what’s
going on out there, what styles are hot, what fabrics are in.
And a big way to do that is to listen to your students. We
have a T-shirt that says my big brother or my big sister goes
to UCSD, so a grad student suggested we have one that says,
‘My Mommy
Goes to UCSD.’ And
I think that’s a great idea. It’s something
we can do to cater to the older student market.
So I’m working on it.”
Brown also listens to her staff in addition
to students for ideas.
“What I have found, since I have gotten
a little older, is that bringing my student
assistants in to sit with me when I am
ordering is a big help,” Brown said. “They
tell me yes or no and this is what younger
people like and what they don’t like. So
their opinion is greatly valued, and they are
usually right on target. What I like is not
necessarily what the students like, so I usually
end up taking their advice. We constantly
listen to students and encourage
them to tell us if we don’t have something
they want. We will look into it, and if it
makes sense, we get it.”
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Corin Humbracht, sales associate,
(right) and student Jenna
Deutscher, look at Black Hills
State University logo sweat pants.
Athletic clothing is an important
category for the bookstore.
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Sonnenberg, while noting “the volume comes from the
basics,” said being trendy livens bookstores.
“And it’s also fun to bring in the new
trendy stuff,” she said. “Stay on top of
trends and colors and they brighten up the
bookstore, especially in the spring after the
dullness of winter.”
Akers said that trends come and go, so
you have to pay attention or you can be
stuck with merchandise that only takes up
space.
“We try different things, of course, but
you have to be careful,” Akers said. “We
sold a lot of flip flops a couple of years ago.
Now, we sell some, but nowhere near what
we used to. The butt design comes, goes
away, comes back. The New Era hats that
were so big three or four years ago have
slacked off dramatically. We sold 300 in the
first year, and we probably haven’t sold 300
in the last three years. Sometimes it’s hard to predict.”
Epperson said her
“80-20 rule” works well at Towson.
“I have about 80 percent basics and 20
percent new, trendy stuff,” she said. “I have
a very strong core business, but I like to
offer variety, too. Luckily, we have strong
school colors with black and gold, but people,
especially the females, like variety. We
have graphics that borrow The Gap’s
‘Peace. Love. Gap.’ slogan that we changed
to ‘Peace. Love. Towson.’ They are pretty
popular.”
Sonnenberg said the economy may have
people looking for bargains, but most will
still shell out cash for quality: “While I
think that there are still people looking for
cheap stuff, once people know it and wash
it, they realize they get what they pay for. So
cheap is not always better. Look at places
like Abercrombie & Fitch. They aren’t
cheap, but it’s quality and trendy. If people
like it, they will pay for it.”
One trend that does not seem to go
away is butt prints for females, whether for
sweatpants or shorts.
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Michael Jastorff, CCR, store manager
at Black Hills State University.
Name brands, and garment comfort,
play a large part in shoppers’ buying
decisions, according to Jastorff.
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“They are still popular, but not what
they were,” Sonnenberg said. “They are big
enough that you still want to have them,
though.”
Stocking cap beanie hats with university
logos on the front, also are trendy at
University Book and Supply, which sells
them for $8.99 to $14.99. In addition, tiedyes,
particularly T-shirts and hoodies, are a
consistent sell for Towson.
“Right now, anything with distressed
graphics – the ones that look like you
already wore them for 100 years – is really
doing well, too,” Epperson said. “We
have done it with hoodies, but the T-shirts are better sellers.
Since it’s an edgier thing, I tend to only buy things
like this that have a lower price point just in case the
trend dies.”
Jastorff also said “burnout prints” that look like faded
outlines of logos and the Black Hills mascot are also trendy
in sweats.
Channel also encouraged bookstores to consider having
special sections dedicated to women, who are the biggest
demographic of all college bookstores interviewed.
“Basically, we have a section that is like
a juniors department,” Channel said. “We
also have a high Asian population on campus,
so we sell a lot of smalls and extra
smalls, which I think is unusual. But you
have to pay attention to that kind of stuff
to make sure you are meeting the needs of
your demographics.”
“When the guys come in, they may buy
one sweatshirt,” Akers said. “But women
come in and buy a few items. They get a
sweatshirt, sweatpants, two T-shirts. And
they come back.”
Brown noted that demographics have
changed for Macon State over the years.
“Our students are getting younger and
younger because we used to be more of a
place where people would work and come
to school at night, but that’s definitely shifting,”
Brown said. “So we have a lot of
younger students, and we are finding that
women are the best demographic. They
buy more because they spend that extra
time in the store. They browse.”
Epperson utilizes standard pricing as a
tool at the Towson bookstore.
“I don’t price individual items,”
Epperson said. “For example, all of my Tshirts
are $14.99. And all of the hoods are
$34.99. Set an overall price and it controls
margins and customers can maker easier
decisions. They don’t have to sweat that
something is 50 cents or a dollar more.
The standard pricing is helpful in margins
and decision making.”
Direct mail and Internet sales are other
options that sell sportswear for Epperson.
“We have an online site and a print
catalog that’s mailed once a year to students
and some alumni and some people
that are on our mailing list,” Epperson said. “It drives
sales, particularly in slower times like summer and
January, when the campus is quiet. It has really worked
for us.”
When it comes to buying, Akers suggested shopping
around.
“Make sure you have different vendors so you can see
what everyone is offering out there,” he said. “And don’t be
bullied into buying big quantities to get bigger discounts.
Sometimes, it’s just not worth it.”
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