Next fall, students will buy their books at the school store under a different management. Mr. Pierre Fradette, the new owner, will now manage the bookstore. He bought the store from Herb Tryon of Prism Management in May. Fradette has promised to try to implement changes in the bookstore. The school store will most likely operate under the same staff.
Mr. Richard Saltz, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Choate, voices his optimism for the new management: “We are all hoping that Pete will put some new spice into the school store and hopefully with all his new finances, everything will turn out well.” Saltz thinks that the school store will function even better than it has in the past few years, or at least as well. He expects that this change will be for the better for students. “This new management will hopefully understand what Choate needs and be able to supply us accordingly,” says Saltz.
Saltz also explained that the change of management had nothing to do with the many complaints that the school store has been receiving. “This new management owner, Pete, used to work for Herb himself and he just decided to buy the management and work to improve it.”
According to Mr. Saltz, the school store staff should stay the same under the new management. However, the final decision is still up to Mr. Fradette. Mr. Saltz is constantly monitoring the financial risks of the school store and is also working with Ed Griffin, Assistant Business Manager and Jim Yanelli, Director of Student Activities, to ensure a seamless transition.
Some people on campus have felt hindered by the inefficiency of the bookstore. In response, Fradette would like to have more books arrive on time. The selection of clothing and snacks is also a top priority for improvement. Fradette hopes to prolong working hours, specifically keeping the store open from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. on Saturdays. Fradette also wants to extend working hours for the school store during the summer programs.
“Sometimes on the weekend when you need supplies, you have to either wait until Monday or walk all the way down to Wal-Mart for simple stuff like snacks or toothpaste,” says Marco Walton ’10. “If the school store could be open for just three hours on Saturday, it would be very nice.”
Ian Chan ’10 comments about the change of management: “It would be awesome if the school store could get the textbooks in on time and can replenish their stocks regularly so that general student lives are made easier.” Another student, Derek Smith ’10, says, “I think that the inconvenience caused by not having books is very terrible. Our English class with Mr. Lowery had to deal with a schedule change for three to four days just because of the delayed books. I think that everyone will be a lot happier.”
Ownership of the school store will changed this May. The new owner, Pierre Freadette, is now considering other changes. PHOTO/Greg stasiw ’11
