Students wander in and out of the Shocker Store all day, checking out new items and old clearance pieces. So, who works all the magic behind the scenes? That would be Lisa Tilma, the official Shocker Store director — and occasional bingo announcer — who keeps Wichita State swag and textbooks on the shelves.
Before coming to WSU, Tilma was the alumni director at Friends University for 15 years, where she primarily worked with donations.
She first entered Shocker Nation in January 2019, at a WSU Tech location.
“I initially started out working at the Shocker Store when we (the Shocker Store) had a partnership with the WSU Tech campuses,” Tilma said.
Five years ago, WSU Tech’s contract ended, and Tilma made her way to the main campus. Originally starting out as assistant director of the Shocker Store, she has moved her way up the chain to director.
But running the Shocker Store is more than just folding shirts and ringing up customers. Tilma starts her mornings at the store on Braeburn Square, which is primarily run by student employees. When she’s there, it’s mostly to let them know what tasks need done throughout the day.
“You’ve got this merchandise, we are running this sale,” Tilma said as an example.
After that, she returns to the Rhatigan Student Center and goes to meetings, deals with donation requests and works on the ground floor with the rest of the employees. She also comes up with new creative ways to market the products.
Tilma says her biggest challenge thus far has been coming up with new ways to get students in the door.
“So much of course material has gone digital, and this semester has actually been a record semester for us. [With] over 800 classes using digital.” Tilma said.
Even with the challenges, Tilma said her favorite part of the job is the people.
“We are kind of like a little family,” Tilma said.
Her love for the people plays a role in every part of the job — from the joys to what she hopes to accomplish. Tilma said it’s what makes the store unique: the people and their willingness to give back to their school.
At the end of the day, to Tilma it is not just about selling t-shirts, but making that connection with students and giving back to her community.
