The University of Denver, where I was employed as the Finance Manager for the DU Bookstore for almost 30 years, began the spring quarter this week. The start of each quarter was always a big deal for the bookstore, involving the hiring of lots of temporary employees, preparing complicated work and break schedules, and getting all those textbooks onto the shelves. Most of the yearly income for the store was earned in just a few weeks during the months of September, January, and March. The internet - especially Amazon - has really hurt college bookstores over the past ten years. However, I have no idea what business is like at the DU Bookstore these days. I worked for one year (per contractural agreement) at the store after it was outsourced to Follett Higher Education Group in 2012, and to me, it seemed like they were doing all they could to discourage business. Since they were very secretive about sales figures and business strategy, I am not sure what their strategic plan was, and currently is. Bankruptcy, I suspect. The photograph above, by the way, is of University Hall, constructed in 1892 and the first structure built on campus. And no, I was NOT working there at the time.
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