It’s the beginning of term. You’re in a hurry to get your textbooks at the Duck Store. The thing is, it’s crowded, hectic and overwhelming. But when you finally get to the cashier, you’re greeted with a smile by someone — usually another student — who is there to help you.
One such cashier is Hannah Santucci@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Hannah+Santucci@@, a senior double majoring in public relations and magazine journalism. She has worked at the Duck Store during Book Rush — the first week of the term — since she was a sophomore.
“I try to make it so it’s not as painful of an experience,” Santucci said. “Everybody wants their books … you just make it happen. And I don’t know how I do it, but I make it work.”
The Duck Store hires about 75 people each term, mostly University students, to temporarily run the registers. About eight to 15 cashiers work at a time with bagging assistants.
“There’s a reason we call it Rush,” Santucci said. “When we’re busy, it’s intense.”
The peak times are during class breaks (20 minutes or 50 minutes past the hour) and almost every day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to Duck Store human resources manager Natalie Eggert@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Natalie+Eggert@@.
“Sometimes the lines are ridiculous,” University sociology major Lauren Berg@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Lauren+Berg@@ said, who bought her books this term during the first week of classes.
One of the goals of Duck Store employees like Santucci is to keep the line moving.
“When the line starts getting really, really long, we jump in to set up the maze,” Eggert said. “We make sure all the registers have at least one ‘next’ customer ready to go.”
Santucci admitted she loves the fast pace of the job even though it’s stressful. “There’s a special kind of person to work here as a cashier. You have to roll with it.”
Facing angry or frustrated customers is not a stretch when working, Santucci said. Bad moods erupt when the store is out of used copies, ran out of a book completely or isn’t selling a text that a professor assigned.
And then there’s the price.
“I mean, when you see the books that are $400, $500, it hurts,” Santucci said. “People don’t like to see big totals — but we’re cashiers. I can’t control the price of your books.”
If it gets too stressful, Santucci makes sure to take a deep breath and remember that customers aren’t mad at her; she’s just the messenger. She makes sure to always offer free pens and the student survival guide.
“I try to talk to people and keep it lighthearted,” Santucci said. “I try to be super compassionate and understanding. I think, ‘How would I feel?’”
The Duck Store understands that textbooks — priced by publishers — can be expensive. It tries to help students by offering buy-back rates@@Are these rates higher than other places? Lower?@@ and used books. This year it has also started renting out textbooks. So far, 600 of the most popular titles in large classes are on the list. Students can rent a textbook for half price and then return it at the end of term in good condition, so there is less up-front cost.
On top of her job, where she spends 25 to 40 hours a week working, Santucci is also in the sorority Kappa Delta@@http://greeklife.uoregon.edu/chapters/kappa_delta@@. So the first week of fall term not only means Book Rush but also sorority recruitment.
“It’s such a rough week to do anything,” Santucci said after having stayed up until 4 a.m. finishing recruitment activities and homework and later waking up at 6:30 a.m. for class. “My life is scheduled down to the minute … I try to balance my Duck Store schedule with being a senior and taking the classes we take and being in a sorority. It’s a logistical nightmare. But I mean, I love it.”
Santucci has kept working at the book store despite frustrating customers, fast-paced work and the stress of back-to-school.
“If you’re a high-energy, upbeat person who loves people — if you can handle that, it’s a really fun job.”