As Student Stores transition nears, plans solidify

Nearly three weeks after it was announced Barnes and Noble College would operate UNC Student Stores, the management transition process has begun.

On May 9, Brad Ives, associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises, sent student and part-time employees of the Student Stores an email from Vice President of Stores at Barnes and Noble College Paul Maloney. The email informed these employees they would have the opportunity to continue their employment with Barnes and Noble College.

“Barnes and Noble College has previously committed to hiring all current full-time bookstore employees. I am writing to inform you that we’d like to extend this commitment to those who are not full-time as well,” Maloney said in the email.

“As a former student worker myself I am really excited to get to work with all of you and my greatest hope is upon graduation you may consider a career at Barnes and Noble.”

Maloney then instructed student and part-time employees to fill out an application to transfer their employment to Barnes and Noble College.

In the email sent to these employees, Ives said Maloney had assured him the application process was not meant to decide if anyone would lose their jobs, but to transfer employee information to Barnes and Noble College.

“You’ve got to give your name and your address and employee information and things like that to an employer,” Ives said. “It’s literally just a formality to go through so people will still have their same jobs.”

Graduate Emma Biggerstaff, who was a student manager at the Student Stores, said she felt she and her co-workers were kept in the dark until decisions about the Stores’ future were made.

“A lot of the wording in the emails we’ve been forwarded from Barnes and Noble has been kind of vague to the point where you can’t really pinpoint what they’re saying or the nuances of what they’re saying,” Biggerstaff said. “It’s basically just vague enough to keep everyone confused to the point of not being able to do anything about it.”

Ives said the physical transition of management will hopefully not disrupt workers’ schedules or orientation.

“We’ll have a small shut down for the actual transition. We’ve got to close the Store for the day to do a final count on inventory. That will happen on a Friday. Friday June 24,” Ives said.

As for renovations, those for the most part will not begin until the Christmas holiday, Ives said.

“They’ll operate while renovation goes on in place. There’s a small chance if we can get approval we might start renovation of the textbook space after the fall rush is completed,” he said.

Ives said Barnes and Noble College will use the same art supply company as Student Stores historically has but vendors for other products might change.

“There will probably be a few changes in vendors because they’ll have different relationships,” Ives said. “There may be some different manufactures with a chip and dip bowl.”

Biggerstaff said she hopes the transition process will go smoothly.

“It’s been interesting I guess being part of the whole process and hearing multiple opinions about it. I didn’t ever talk to anyone who wanted it to happen,” she said. “In terms of student body and even faculty and University employees, everyone seemed from the start that they wanted to push back against it.”

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