Associated Students Bookstore migrating to new point-of-sale system

May 6, 2021

The Western Associated Students Bookstore is in the process of migrating its Inventory Management and Point of Sale system.   

Background:  The Bookstore received an end-of-life notice from its current vendor that its system will be going end-of-life as of July 2021.  This system is the backbone of the operations of the Bookstore, and includes its electronic point of sale (ePOS), website, registers, inventory management....everything!    

Through an official RFP (request for proposal) process,  Prism|RBS was selected as the bookstore's new vendor.  The Go-Live for the new system is set for July 1 to coincide with the start of the new fiscal year.  

What this means for bookstore users:  

The biggest change users will notice is the bookstore's website. The new site will have the same URL, www.bookstore.wwu.edu,  and will have an updated look and enhanced accessibility functionality. When in store shopping resumes, the new system offers the option to keep a record of your purchase history for easy returns and exchanges.  There will be new capabilities to support offsite events, such as commencement, when those activities resume.  

The migration overlaps our annual year-end inventory. There will be an interruption in operations during a short window of time, 6/29/2021 through mid-day 7/1/2021. During that window, you may not be able to access the Bookstore website and order fulfillment will pause until this process concludes on 7/1/2021.  

Where the bookstore is in this process now:  

  • Significant cross-functional teamwork is underway to support the required migration.  Examples of work include system install, interface scripting, data export, and extensive training.  

  • For the next two months, the bookstore team will be working in both systems as well as supporting Summer RUSH, physical inventory, and year end closing.    

Bookstore staff will send two additional email updates  at four weeks prior to Go-Live, and on the Go-Live date.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the Western Associated Students Bookstore!    

Questions or feedback? Contact asbookstore@wwu.edu .