KPU Bookstore Introduces Curbside Textbook Pickup
Students can pick up their textbooks at campuses while remaining physically distant
KPU’s bookstore recently announced a safe way for students to pick up their textbooks for the upcoming semester: Curbside pickup at the Surrey Campus or delivery by mail.
Karsten Purbs, Director of Ancillary Services at KPU, says the bookstore is closed to students and that some may not want their textbooks delivered through mail.
“The curbside idea came because of that,” Purbs says.
“We looked at it from how the student would order it to delivery and how [we can] make sure it’s safe for the staff who are executing it and also the student for the pickup,” he says.
To request a curbside textbook pickup, students can go to the online bookstore, order their material, and choose either delivery through mail or curbside pickup. With curbside pickup, students receive a map and information on how to come to the campus parking lot to receive their textbook.
Roughly 20 parking spots have been tuned into 10 pickup spots in order to create a safe amount of distance between students when they arrive.
Students can text their order number and parking stall number to a phone number listed on the signs in the pickup spots. A staff member then processes the order and delivers it to the student while maintaining a safe distance.
“We also have a flagger that we put in the parking lot to ensure that it’s safe in terms of the student coming in with their cars and knowing which direction to go … and how to properly exit the parking lot and make sure that we have a decent flow of traffic in there,” says Purbs.
“It’s obviously our first time doing this …. It has allowed us to look at anything that we may want to change if we need to do this in the fall,” he says. “Who knows if that’s going to be part of the fall.”
Purbs says that, even though textbook orders are rolling in fast, the store has not had any issues with curbside pickup or delivery.
“The spacing of the volume has allowed for that to be executed in a timely fashion,” he says. “Once this semester pickup is over, we’ll sit down, evaluate how it went, how it was executed, and see what changes we need to make for September.”
Students who don’t have access to a vehicle can still request textbook pickup on campus. The bookstore has a walk-up front door where students can pick up their books.
Purbs also says that the bookstore is currently in the process of creating a way for students to return their books.
“We appreciate [students’] patience with this … and with change comes a level of patience that we appreciate from everybody to help us execute this,” says Purbs.
