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Students outline pros and cons of new bookstore

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This year, Rollins College is ringing in 2017 with a freshly renovated bookstore. It has moved (again) from the center of campus, across the soccer field, to the outskirts of campus on Fairbanks next to the Career and Life planning Center and across from the Hamilton Holt Evening School.

Their hours of operation throughout the week are as follows: Mondays – Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Fridays from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.. Whether you need to rent a book, grab some lotion for those randomly cold Florida days, or are in dire need of some grub and want a sandwich, the bookstore is open for business— so swing on by and bask in all the newness.

When you walk in, you may be greeted with the fresh aroma of delicious carbs and coffee, which instantly tickle any breakfast addict’s nose. According to student worker Hailee ‘17, “The new bookstore location is able to have all of the usual bookstore needs and a new Einstein’s Bagels.”

The old bookstore included Dianne’s Café, which was a part of the Sodexo Culinary and Food Service Management that operates all the other cafés on campus as well as the on-campus food plan. Since the new Einstein’s Bagels is not a player within the network, they do not accept the on-campus meal plan, but fear not: the cashier will happily accept off-campus funds.

With all the differences, how do the people of Rollins feel about the new move? One customer said, “I like it, it’s nice and new.” Do greater things come in small packages or is bigger always better? According to one on campus student, “The new bookstore is too small. I like the old bookstore better because it was bigger and had more stuff.”

The old bookstore had two floors; the very bottom was devoted to books and school-related supplies, while the main floor was filled with Rollins swag. According to another student worker, Karlissa ‘18, “There are the hiccups of the consolidation, since the bookstore is smaller.”

With all these new changes, students and staff are still getting acclimated. One of my observations was the lack of space to backstage operation. Currently, the shipment area is inconveniently situated tightly at the very front next to the main entrance, disrupting traffic flow.

The new bookstore location may be a possible inconvenience for some, due to its non-central location; however, it does have a small parking lot right in front for easy access off Fairbanks. Overall, Rollins College is a growing community that is always changing. Here’s to you, new bookstore; we just might keep you… maybe.

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