The Gift Picture at College Stores

The Best Buys for Students and Alums

This past pandemic year has seen a lot of uncertainty and plenty of variables. Throughout it all, at the University of Wyoming store in Laramie, there has been one constant: stickers.

“We sell tons of them. Every month we sell hundreds, if not thousands of them,” said Apparel and Gift Buyer Jessica Lindmier. “Whether the store is open or not open, whether it’s tourists, students, alumni — stickers do fantastic for us no matter what is going on.”

It’s the same at the Torero Store at the University of San Diego, where “our best-sellers are stickers, stickers, and more stickers,” said Gift Buyer Sandy Brower . Nearly every shopper leaves with at least one decal from the Blue 84 brand: “It’s a great add-on sale to logo clothing.”

Of course, no shop can rely on stickers. To maximize revenue at the University of San Diego Torero Store, Buyer Sandy Brower buys ahead of season, making sure that merchandise is on hand for upcoming events like spring break: “That’s when families are touring campus and want a souvenir T- shirt,” Brower noted.

To spot tendencies in advance, Brower takes note of what students are wearing and which brands they use, both in person and on social media. “Pinterest is a good indicator of what is trending,” the buyer observed. In-store, “displays need to tell a story about the merchandise. It can be a theme story, seasonal story, or color story.”

In Laramie, University of Wyoming store employees rotate items constantly. “We try to re-merchandise the whole store weekly,” said Lindmier. “We’ll display our clothing alongside gifts to make a collection. That increases sales because people will add on, buying everything that goes together.”

Lindmier keeps her eye out for trends, especially those on the coasts. “In our region, we usually get things a few months later, so we’ll look at what’s work-