[LM_NET] Hit: Library store

[Jennifer Sloan <jeni.sloan@GMAIL.COM>]

Here are the replies that I received from the following e-mail.   
Thank you to everyone who gave input.
Jeni Sloan
Teacher-librarian
Colo-NESCO CSD
Zearing, Iowa
jeni.sloan@gmail.com

My library is looking to start a store to boost our library budget.
Do any of you do this?
If so, what types of things do you sell and are you open whenever the
library is?

Thanks for your input,

Jeni Sloan
Teacher-librarian
Colo-NESCO CSD
Zearing, Iowa
jeni.sloan@gmail.com

We sell pencils, pens, duotangs, bristol board, etc.  We don't make  
much however.

Diane Gallagher-Hayashi
Teacher-Librarian
Stelly's School
SD63 (Saanich)
Saanichton, BC, Canada

daichan@shaw.ca
Diane_Hayashi@sd63.bc.ca

We work with the student run store whose advisor is the marketing  
teacher. Basically they provide us with computer related supplies  
that they also sell in the store and we receive 15% of the profit. I  
like the arrangement because I don't have to worry about purchasing  
the supplies for the store. At this time we sell note cards, clean  
computer paper, blank DVDs and CD-ROMS. One of the middle school's  
librarians has a pencil machine that is like a vending machine.

Good luck.

Maren Stahle, M.L.I.S.
Library Media Specialist and
K-12 Library Media Coordinator
West Bend East High School
1305 East Decorah Rd.
West Bend, WI 53095
Office Phone - 262-335-5553
Fax - 262-335-8242
mstahle@west-bend.k12.wi.us

Jennifer,
I know it may sound surprising, but a middle school that sends  
students to my high school sells "healthy snacks" like juice bags,  
fruit snacks and granola bars. I believe she makes close to $1,000  
profit during a school year just by stocking up at Sams club.
She sells before/after school and during lunch periods I believe and  
she does extend a short line of credit to students that she attaches  
as library fines. It helps those students who forget both their lunch  
and money.
I'm not sure if you want to take on all that shopping and the mess,  
but she does make quite a bit of money.
Good Luck,
Diane

Jeni,

I do this. I sell wood and mechanical pencils, pens, colored pencils,  
highlighters, erasers, notebook paper (10 sheets for 10c), index  
cards (10c for 10), poster board, spiral notebooks, steno pads,  
floppy disks ($1) and blank CDs ($1), and several other items that  
students always need. I shop at Wal-Mart or wherever is on sale. I  
take cash out of the drawer whenever I need to buy something, and I  
keep all receipts.

I pay sales tax when I buy the items, and then charge just enough to  
break even or make a little. White posters are $.46 plus tax and I  
sell them for $.50, but I make a lot on notebook paper when I buy a  
pack for $.30 at the beginning of the year and sell it by tens for a  
total of $1.50. I also make a good profit selling mechanical pencils  
(< $5 for 20) for 50c each.

It's a little bit of trouble to make the trips to the store, but I  
think I provide a useful service to the students, who may not have  
transportation or time to get out to the suburbs for school supplies.  
Also, kids can't say they aren't prepared for class because if they  
have a quarter, they can get a pack of paper and a wood pencil for 20c.

The "bookstore" is open whenever the library is. It doesn't take any  
longer to sell a pencil than it does to check out a book. Last year I  
made over $400 with very little effort. I would suggest getting about  
$50 seed money and starting small. You can buy more stuff as you  
accumulate profits.

You will need a lockable place to keep your inventory and your cash.

You may need to get permission or follow your school's money-handling  
procedures, but I try to operate under the radar and I do NOT write  
receipts, I keep records of both my purchases and my deposits into a  
miscellaneous library account. I figure if it gets too complicated I  
will just stop doing it.

Good luck,

Julie Dahlhauser, librarian
Jackson Central-Merry High School
Jackson, Tennessee
juldahl@gmail.com


Regular pencils (10 cents) mechanical pencils (50 & 75), loose leaf  
paper (25 sheets for 25 cents) spiral journals (1.00), cap erasers (5  
cents) 3 ring binders (1.50) and other things.  When I find something  
on sale that I think the kids will buy, I get that.  For instance,  
last year I came across about 100 little samples of both lotion and  
deodorant and I sold those for 25 cents each.  We also sell greeting  
cards.  I am not able to sell anything that "goes in the mouth."  I  
used to sell cough drops and tic tacs but no more.  I try to buy most  
of our supplies in July or early August when Walmart and other stores  
have huge sales and then I buy extra pencils, etc. as needed about  
every 2 months.  For bookkeeping purposes, I have to keep an  
inventory and recount everything once a month to turn into the  
financial sec.

Amy
I started doing this last year since no one else in school was  
selling school supplies. I stocked pens (with the library's name on  
it so I could also give them away on occasion), pencils, pencil  
erasers, notebook paper, blank cds, spiral notebooks, blank note  
cards, and highlighters. If I had not retired I was going to add  
inexpensive pen drives (aka flash drive, jump drive) to the list for  
this year.

I actually did it more as a public service than a moneymaker since  
the school is in a semi-rural area and JH kids can't drive themselves  
to the store yet. Most popular items were pencils, spiral notebooks,  
and cds. The "Library Mart" was open anytime the library was open,  
and some teachers would send kids on passes to get something they  
needed.

Melissa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa Davis,                          mbdavis50@suddenlink.net
Retired Librarian
Conroe, Tx 77303
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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