Running the Store

Here's a list of stuff to do if you're running the Thrift Store. Use your store volunteers well. Don't forget to check out our Store Prices (although they should be posted by the register as well).

Here's a list of the things you should be doing in the store besides running the cash register:

Processing Store Boxen

When a store box comes in it should have its very own build sheet with it.

1. Make an index card with the following info:
   • Processor and speed
   • RAM
   • Hard drive size
   • Video, sound, NIC, modem?
   • Passwords
   • OS
   • Price (look at other boxes to figure out a good price)
2. Tape the price tag to the box and put it out
3. Give the build sheet to the nice folks at the front desk. They'll be sure the info gets into the database.

Store Special Boxen

We hopefully have one or two of these for sale at all times. The procedure for processing them is the same as above, except the general rule for pricing is $100 for each 1 GHz. So, a 1.6 GHz box would go on sale for $160. Of course, you're encouraged to do some research and use common sense when applying this rule. We have recently been using more ad hoc assessment for this. Mostly adjusting prices downward, as the price of a new box descends. If it's not pretty, has some defects, or isn't a consumer type box, like say a heavy ugly server case, feel free to deduct ten or twenty dollars. And then if it doesn't sell, deduct ten more. and keep it up until someone buys the damn thing.

White Board

Write special sale stuff up here. Even regular 'ol stuff if we don't have much on special. Make it pretty (and readable)!

Burning Distros

You can do this on the register computer.

1. Put a blank CD into the burner drive.
2. Open K3b from the toolbar.
3. From the top toolbar, select Tools-->CD-->Burn CD Image. It's important to do this from the top toolbar so that the disk will boot up correctly when the customer installs the OS.
4. The isos (OS images) are in /home/sailor/Desktop/iso-store. Pick the distro and image you'd like to burn. Often, the distros are 3-CD sets. Disc 1 will be named something like "sarge-i386-1.iso", disc 2 will be "sarge-i386-2.iso", etc. You'll need to repeat this process if there's more than 1 disc.
5. Press "Burn" buttons until the program starts burning.
6. When the program's done, it'll eject the disc. Label the disc correctly, put it in a case, rubber band it if necessary, and put it in the display.

Printing the FreekBox Manual

The FreexBox manual is sold in the store for $1. It lives in howto/deadtrees and is called manual.ps (please be aware that where it lives and what it's called could change).

Please print it off from a printer that can print double-sided, as it's a long document (so, the store printer won't work). If you can put the cute spiral binding on it, even better.

Printing Hall Passes

Use these passes when a customer wants something that's in receiving or recycling. They need to have the pass when they're in another part of the building so that no one's mean to them if they're going through bins of stuff. The person in Reuse 1 can also be quite helpful in these cases. Try to include the name of a staff person they should contact in the area they wish to be in.

Hall passes are in the deadtrees directory under hallpass.ps.

Sorting SCSI cards

Cards to eliminate:

• Really old ISA cards with the beefy connector port
• BusLogic on chipset
• Missing faceplate/somthing's broken

Keep:

• Everything else - Adaptec cards are standard/good
• Especially good cards: Adaptec "AHA-2940" cards. These should probably be priced a little higher. They're widely-used and last a long time.

Hard Drives

• Formatting: our drives are formatted in the EXT3 format. It works for linux, but not necessarily Windows. Tell customers that if they're using Windows, they'll need to reformat (they might need to use a boot disk or Fdisk to do so).

Returns

This is unofficial policy. The Reuse Committee should create an official returns policy wiki page and link to it here.

• Only exchanges for like items. No returns or credits.
• Take back monitors and printers within a week of sale with receipt.
• Is it a regularly available item? Not too hard to exchange? Exchange it.
• If it's something that's scarcer or more expensive, have the Production Coordinator (Dave) sign off on replacement or send it to advanced testing for a retest.