BOZEMAN — The MSU bookstore sells way more than just textbooks. Stickers, hats, jackets, and all kinds of clothing. They make quite a profit, but the Cat-Griz football game is bringing in the big bucks.
Lauren O’Neill is an MSU alumni who went to do some last-minute shopping at the bookstore with her friend Emma Wickqm.
“Lauren over here is converting me to the MSU side, so I’m getting some gear for the game because I have none,” says Wickqm.
They’re not the only ones grabbing some last-minute gear.
"Right now, we see 200-300 students a day in here,” says Chad Shreier, the CEO of the bookstore.
Shreier said they had an entire fraternity visit and each of them bought a pair of the yellow and blue striped bib overalls. When it comes to sales, he says this week has been unlike any other.
"I can tell you we’re up and we’re up by a lot,” says Shreier.
Their most popular items?
By far it’s the “smarter than the average bear” shirt and our “grizzly butcher chart” shirt,” says Shreier. “We’ll sell a couple hundred a week.”
If that isn’t cool enough, the profits from fans buying bobcat merchandise go toward reducing the price of textbooks for students. They’re the only non-profit bookstore in the state.
“The better the Cats do, the better it helps our students, and the more the community is involved the more it helps students with the cost of education,” says Shreier.
Wickqm and O’Neill say they’re happy to be able to contribute.
“I bought a sweatshirt,” says Wickqm.
“And as a proud alumn, I had to get some new gear,” says O’Neill.
