P4A
Mondav. August 19. 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Students' return spells extra business
By Ashlee Roll
Kansan staff writer
Kansan staff writer
The shelves at SuperTarget are growing empty. As an employee restocks one shelf, a mother cries to her daughter, "You need a broom," and empties another.
This is the week many businesses have been preparing for all summer; the week that KU students return to Lawrence.
"A lot of stuff starts taking off, like plastic storage containers," said Doug Mead, seasonal team leader for SuperTarget, 3201 Iowa St. "The students definitely have an impact."
Mead said SuperTarget had prepared for the rush of students by stocking up on small appliances and housewares.
Jacque Jenkins, Towanda junior, and her mother, Connie, pay for back-to-school items at Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St. Students are purchasing supplies to prepare for school, which begins Aug. 22.
Employees at other discount stores in Lawrence have noticed items ranging from mini-blinds to comforters flying out of the store and have been preparing themselves for the influx of students as well.
"This is our busiest weeks," said Phil Michael, assistant manager of Wal-Mart, 3300 Iowa St. "Our sales increase extremely."
However, students don't see themselves as an impact, they just need
to buy necessities like sheets and towelracks.
"The reason I'm buying this stuff is because I'm not from here and buying it is a lot cheaper than shipping it," said Lindsey Batogowski, Chicago sophomore.
And that's exactly what many local businesses are counting on.
Discount stores are not the only businesses in town that prepare for students.
Even local banks have begun to court students seriously, realizing that students can create a huge increase in their business.
During August, Mercantile Bank, 1807 W.23rd St., increases its business by 75 percent, said Devon Haase, a temporary personal banker hired specifically to help deal with increased business.
To entice student bankers, they are giving away everything from cookies to T-shirts.
Mercantile Bank also has planned to greet students in the unions to help them open new accounts, and the bank has put up fliers in the residence halls.
"For the next three weeks we have extra help in all our branches to deal with the amount of students coming in," Haase said.
Like Mercantile Bank, Free State Brewing Co., 636 Massachusetts St. also has added employees to make the transition from summer to fall easier.
"We get hit right before school with parents coming in with students and students coming in by themselves to go out before school starts," said Debbie Fey, manager. "Our business goes up, I guess, anywhere from 15 to 20 percent. There is definitely a noticeable difference."
Renter's insurance saves trouble
By Andrea Albright Kansan staff writer
Shana Everhart, Lindsborg junior, thought her belongings were safe in her apartment. Last spring, she and her roommate Emily Morgan, Overland Park sophomore, found out the hard way that they weren't.
Everhart and Morgan's apartment was burglarized by a neighbor who took jewelry, including Morgan's great-grandmother's wedding ring.
Police caught the burglar, but the stolen items were not recovered. Unfortunately, they also were not insured.
"It was my first apartment out of the dorm," Everhart said. "I didn't know I needed renter's insurance."
Students who have valuables stolen may feel violated again when they realize they won't recover money for them.
Some students assume their parents' home owner's policy will cover their valuables at school, but this is not always the case.
Insurance agencies have renter's policies that will cover replacement costs for stolen items. These policies also provide liability insurance for pets, waterbeds and loss-of-use insurance.
"My belongings weren't covered by my parents' policy," Everhart said. "They said I had to have renter's insurance."
Liability insurance covers a student's financial responsibility in case of damage or injury to themselves or the apartment. This policy pays medical bills for pet bites and covers damage done by broken fish tanks or leaky waterbeds.
Chris Hutchens, Farm Bureau insurance agent, said students had several options when buying insurance that would meet the individual needs of the situation.
Although agencies offer cheaper policies that cover the depreciated value of lost or stolen items, Hutchens recommended policies that cover the full cost of replacing belongings. Replacement policies pay for new items regardless of their age or condition, while actual cash value policies will pay only the value of the item at the time it was lost.
"A replacement policy makes a big difference," Hutchens said. "On one claim, the difference can be several thousand dollars."
Christine Patterson, manager of Heatherwood Apartments, said the apartment's leases didn't require insurance unless a student had a waterbed.
"Liability insurance protects the student in case the bed leaks all over," Patterson said. "We do recommend renter's insurance in case of a break-in for all of our renters."
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