MSU bookstore invades Griz Country

It would be an understatement to say that the MSU and University of Montana (UM) rivalry is one of the most heated feuds in Montana. It is this very tension that makes the recent purchase of The M Store in Missoula by the MSU Bookstore all the more surprising.

Before its acquisition, The M Store was owned by UM alumni. Although the business has no direct affiliation with the actual university, the store carries a wide range of Griz apparel and merchandise. The M Store will continue to sell Griz products after the transition.

Chad Schreier, CEO of the MSU Bookstore, explained the reasoning behind this seemingly strange business maneuver. “The logical question people ask is ‘What on earth is the MSU Bookstore doing, going out and trying to cross the divide like this?’ My perspective as CEO of the bookstore is one where I look for every possible way to lower the cost of course materials,” Schreier said. The revenue obtained from the bookstore, in return, will benefit UM students by lowering the costs of materials, a similar business model to the one used by the MSU Bookstore.

The M Store will continue to operate as its own, for-profit business, but it will be owned by the not-for-profit MSU Bookstore 501(c)(3). Schreier describes this move as just one of the next steps that is being taken to expand the scope of the MSU bookstore’s operations. “We’re not so much a bookstore as we are a non-profit organization that oversees a bookstore. We want to be able to showcase this model, to be able to show people how we’re helping our students,” Schreier said.

Schreier is quite excited about the future and to see how the MSU Bookstore will continue moving forward in new directions. “We’re going to continue to look at unique ways to generate more revenue, which in turn will continue to lower the cost for students on their materials. We’re on an all-out campaign to lower them as aggressively as possible,” Schreier said. He also stressed the important role that the entire MSU community has in the bookstore’s operations. He made it clear that his door is always open to students who have new ideas for products and services for the bookstore to offer. “The students are the real owners,” Schreier emphasized.