You never truly appreciate things until they’re gone.
Before the anxiety and restriction of in-person activities at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SDSU Bookstore was one of the busiest places on campus.
It was common to walk from class-to-class or grab a bite at East Commons and see students filing in and out of the bookstore or lounging by the side looking for posters to purchase and hang up in their dorm room.
It was easy to stop by after class to get anything from a blue book and extra mechanical pencils to alumni apparel or a new pair of Airpods. Like many facets of campus life, COVID-19 has taken this experience away – but not completely.
The SDSU Bookstore is still open for in-person business, though there are many changes and limited hours of operations.
In correspondence with local, state, and national health and safety guidelines, the SDSU Bookstore has set in place various policies to ensure everyone has a reasonable and comfortable shopping experience.
Upon entering the store, temperature checks are required of all employees and customers, with all people exhibiting elevated temperatures being turned back. Also, face coverings must be worn at all times.
They have since added additional guidelines to help maintain physical distancing including placing markers on the ground, directional signage, and maximum customer capacity.
With the ongoing presence of COVID-19, the bookstore encourages students to shop online, especially if they are not close to campus or would rather not shop in-person. Since the bookstore’s website was already set in place and was a popular destination for buying books and supplies, the store didn’t have to worry too much about how to keep the business going.
“In an effort to limit the number of people on campus and inside the bookstore, customers are able to purchase textbooks online through EZ Books. Supplies, computers, apparel, and gifts are all also available online through the bookstore website. The bookstore’s online shop has been in place for some time, which means that, fortunately, the shift to the virtual space was not a major undertaking for the SDSU Bookstore team,” Aztec Shops said in a statement.
Aztec Shops further said the success of their online shop allowed their staff to concentrate on ensuring the safety of in-store operations.
“This has allowed the team to primarily focus on in-store operations, and ensuring that all health and safety guidelines are strictly followed. Items purchased online, including textbooks, can be picked up in-store or can be shipped directly to the customer,” Aztec Shops said in a statement.
Aztec Shops says the reduction in on-campus visitors, on-campus residents, and faculty along with the bookstore’s decreased capacity has led to drops in people entering the store and in-store business. However, since the shift to virtual learning in March, the bookstore has seen an increase in visits to its website and more online purchases have been made.
With all of these policies implemented, the SDSU Bookstore will continue to be a valuable resource for the college community for the foreseeable future.
“Additionally, if customers need further assistance they can also call the SDSU Bookstore at 619-594-7525 and special arrangements can be made to accommodate most requests,” Aztec Shops said.
