King’s Co-op Bookstore cuts student employee hours

The students working at the King’s Co-op Bookstore have had their hours scaled back due to declining sales over the past year.
The bookstore’s board of directors says the store is not making enough money to cover costs. The chair of the board, Stephanie Duchon, says the board has cut student employee hours to make up for lost money and prevent a steeper shortfall.
“Cutting hours was the simplest way to start,” said Duchon. “It is the biggest cost.”
The board has asked Carolyn Gillis, the bookstore manager, to cut the students’ hours by at least 10 and up to 20 hours starting this week. Before cutbacks, there were 80 available hours for student staff to work.
Gillis also has been asked to draw up a report to determine the impact on savings of cutting hours by 25, 50 and 75 per cent.
The board will look at Gillis’ plan at its meeting next month and make a final decision, based on the findings, on whether to continue the cutbacks and to what extent.
The board currently has no other plans to reduce costs, said Duchon.
Revenue is declining, she said, because of expensive shipping costs and the shrinking Foundation Year Programme book list.
“It is not an easy decision because part of the goal of the bookstore is to provide employment for students,” said Duchon.
Read the full story here.