How to start a school store: from empty closet to first sale
The complete playbook for launching a student-run store, from the first admin conversation to the first Friday of sales.
The Huddle
Running the Store
The school store opening-week playbook: empty room to first Friday
A T-minus checklist for reopening your school store this fall: inventory, float, crew, soft open, and the first Friday numbers huddle.
Pricing your first drop without leaving money on the table
A margin floor students can calculate themselves, plus the markdown calendar that saves you from a box of unsold hoodies in April.
What to sell in a school store: the assortment guide
The four product tiers, the constraints to check first, and the margin mix that keeps the store funded: how to decide what goes on the shelf.
The four-minute drawer count
The open-to-close cash routine that keeps the drawer honest, the handoffs clean, and the variance conversation short.
Surviving spirit-wear season
Preorders, size curves, restock timing, and the November line: a playbook for the biggest weeks on the store calendar.
The January reset
Semester two starts clean or it doesn't start at all: the count, the repricing, the dead-stock calls, and the new-crew ramp.
Taking the store courtside: running spring events through your operation
Concessions, pop-ups, and game-night tables as store extensions: same controls, new venue, and an event P&L your class can grade.
Next year's budget, this year's numbers
Spring data is fall's crystal ball: sizing the first PO, timing the drops, and building the equipment ask while the evidence is fresh.