To celebrate the completion of renovations and the patience of its customers throughout the construction begun last December, The Cornell Campus Store will give out free gifts such as CD’s and t-shirts, food and hold various drawings for its customers throughout this week.
The major structural changes of the remodeling project include the expansion of the “Munch Market” convenience store and the centralization of all checkouts, returns and customer service on both the lower and upper levels.
The store has also received new paint and carpeting, which was needed since the last changes were made in 1984, according to Margie Whiteleather, Strategy Manager of Cornell Business Services. Yellow, purple, green and blue colors have replaced the original gray tones.
Technological advances and design changes were another element of the remodeling plan. More than a dozen self-service computer kiosks were installed throughout the store, providing connections to the store’s products and services as well as links to the campus network.
In addition, large scale-monitors or “video walls” are located throughout the store for the purpose of promoting campus events and broadcasting national news.
“We hope to offer another way for announcements and important news to be delivered,” Whiteleather said.
The main reasons for the renovations, displayed by the large-scale monitors, were to improve traffic flow, update the store with the newest technologies, create “a more appealing ambiance” and to expand the services The Campus Store offers.
“Our faculty was overdue for improvements in traffic flow and fixturing,” said Shelly Compton, Operations Manager and leader of the project in a press release. “By focusing on a small number of layout changes while utilizing new technologies to expand our offerings, we’ve kept the core construction costs to a minimum.”
Managing traffic flow was a main reason behind the renovations, as an estimated 10,000 students, faculty and staff pass through the store daily, according to Whiteleather.
Students have also expressed the benefits of the remodeling project. Becky Matro ’02 commented on the “nicer appearance” while Crystal Cline ’01 stated that she thought the cappuccino counter on the upper level was a nice addition.
“It reminds me of a Border’s or Barnes and Nobles. It seems like a good place to stop between classes,” she said.
In addition, during the ten-day period of fall “textbook rush,” students used
the kiosks over 25,000 times in order to view and print their personal booklists, according to Whiteleather.
For employee Mehren Yousaf ’01, the remodeling has made work easier. “It was confusing when each person had to do eight things at one time. It is definitely a lot easier now with a central checkout place,” she said.
Student groups will also be performing at The Campus Store’s “Grand Reopening Celebration,” such as the Glee Club, and acapella groups including the Hangovers, Whiteleather said, although specific schedules have not yet been arranged.
Archived article by Jamie Yonks