BREAKING: Student Stores will be outsourced to Barnes and Noble
They have a 10-year, $30 million contract
The future of the Student Stores has been uncertain over the last few months, but today we have an answer. It’s just not the one we were hoping for.
Every department except for the Print Stop and new pharmacy will be outsourced to Barnes & Noble College, effective July 1, 2016. According to the email sent to Student Stores employees, every full-time employee will still have a job with this new 10-year, $30 million agreement.
Photo credit: Keep the ‘UNC’ in Student Stores Facebook page
The UNC Decision of Finance and Administration’s website says: “Some staff will shift over to the Finance and Administration Service Center of Excellence; Print Stop employees will stay in their current jobs at UNC-Chapel Hill; and the rest will be offered full-time positions at their current salary with Barnes & Noble College, with a guaranteed three-year employment.”
“Barnes & Noble College expects to employ a similar number of student and part-time employees at comparable salaries,” the email reads.
So, how will this change the overall experience of the student stores? In the official press release, some of the key terms include:
- Maintaining the UNC Student Stores name without Barnes & Noble branding
- Offering a 10 percent discount on new and used textbooks for UNC students
- Managing the Student Stores website
- Establishing a Student Stores advisory board, consisting of students, faculty and staff
- Expanding the coffee shop to include a large seating area on the main floor
A $3.8 million budget will be spent updating and expanding the current retail space and an additional $200,000 will be allocated for technology. The $1 million signing bonus will go to need-based scholarships.
There is a fact sheet available for additional information. There will also be a campus-wide information session tomorrow at 4pm in Genome Sciences Room G100.