UPINKOUT

Dorm Co has been hard at work securing the best college supplies and dorm products for 2011. We apologize for not giving you the latest in dorm supplies info since August and we will do our best to take a break and let you know what's happening in the dorm world whenever we can.

Dorm Co is a supporter of Breast Cancer research and for today 10-27-10 we have teamed up with UPINKOUT which is getting everyone dressed in Sassy Pink on 10-27-10 in Ann Arbor to do its part in creating the awareness and research funds for Breast Cancer.

For those of you who know Dorm Co we never coupon or discount because our dorm supplies are already priced crazy low. For one day, however we break our no coupon rule for a good cause.

Everyone who shops at Dorm Co today and uses Discount Code: UPINKOUT
Saves 10% and an additional 10% goes to The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center for Research.

Shipping to the Dorm

Ordering dorm supplies too late for shipment to your home? Just because you are leaving for college in 5 days doesn't mean you can't get dorm stuff, textbooks online or those new shoes that you need, no matter what the purchase, you can ship it to your college.

At Dorm Co we are often asked, “Can I ship it to my college dorm address?"

The Answer: ABSOLUTELY

It would seem that the answer ‘absolutely’ is a given or an obvious answer, but there are a few reasons for the uncertainty. We address these concerns below.

1.Universities would rather you not get packages (online orders). That’s right, you are paying $5,000 to $50,000+ per year on tuition & room/board and your college doesn’t want to be bothered with more packages. …Well Kinda. It’s not that they don’t want to be bothered, but rather the university infrastructure wasn’t built to support the online shopping craze that is today. With small mail rooms, colleges are simply not equipped to handle high volumes of packages. These mail centers were often built years ago when college students only got an occasional letter from mom & dad, not a futon from Dorm Co. So then you might ask, “how do they make it work?" Instead of telling you that you can’t get packages, which would cause a fire storm, colleges simply put a limit as to how early you can have packages ship to the college. Universities will hold your futon or other dorm supply shipments, but they put a scare in you by telling you that if your packages arrives too early (from the date you arrive) that they won’t accept the package. This fear alone is enough to make anyone not ship to college, but trust us when we say they won’t reject your package. Unless you send it over 2 weeks early, your college will hold onto your shipment until your arrival.

The Good News is that we have never had a package get returned by a university for early arrival & universities are starting to willingly accept the added volume. In some cases we’ve heard that they rent out semi-trailers to store all the extra shipments that arrive. Trust us … Your college will find a way. They know how important your happiness is and even more important to universities is their retention rate. The happier you are = higher retention rates, which means the better a college looks. Universities know the high importance of having retention rates that rank among the best.

2. College addresses at first can be confusing. Sometime over the summer you probably got a letter with your college address or in the case of ‘green’ colleges this came through as an email. Either way, your official college address to receive shipments and letters was given to you. If you can’t locate it, then you can always call the residence life office of your soon to be university. It should be simple to just use your newly given address as your ship to address when checking out your online purchase, but for a few reasons it is not. For starters the address is several lines and typical online ship to address fields are not set up in the perfect layout. The solution to this is easy as all you need to do is ensure all of your address is somewhere in the ship to fields. As long as you fit it, you are fine. Problem #2 is that savvy online shoppers know that FedEx cannot deliver to a PO BOX and now your college has just given you a PO BOX address. What to do?! First don’t worry, because what your university has given you is a COLLEGE BOX. They may even call it a PO BOX, but Dorm Co knows it is really a COLLEGE BOX number and your shipment can easily ship without trouble to your college. When your college post office gets the package they will put a note in your college box letting you know that your package has arrived. Just take the note, go to the counter and they’ll grab your package and you’ll be on your way.

Now that we debunked some myths and concerns about online shopping and shipping to your college, we should probably get out of your way and say …. Happy Dorm Shopping.

GO GREEN.... Do you prefer lower prices or expensive boxes?

Call us tree hugging hippies, but we prefer CHEAP prices and in our little way helping the environment.

Would you rather pay more for the same products from companies that use 'pretty' boxes? Or would you prefer cheaper prices and products showing up in a used box?

A used box to companies that think customers need BRANDED & EXPENSIVE boxes is like a curse word! We say that's garbage! Ok.. now you are thinking, 'what company uses the word ... garbage?' ... DORM CO

The point is this... 70% of our dorm shipments go out in used boxes, they aren't the best looking, but it recycles cardboard, which saves trees and in the end helps all of us. As an added bonus it reduces our box cost and in turn allows us to lower our prices and offer $2.95 shipping!

Go Truly Green this back to college shopping season and embrace the Dorm Co used box.

5 Essentials to Ensure Good Sleep in a College Dorm

There isn't a time in life when getting good sleep is more important than college. With your brain soaking up so much new stuff, you'll need to relax those neurons and fall into long, extended, quality sleep. The best way to ensure good sleep while in dorm life is know about the little ways to add on extra minutes.

1. Plush Comforter - It all starts with a comfy comforter. A comforter is not just a comforter, many retailers sell 180 Tread Count comforters that feel less than cozy. You'll want to a add an ultra plush Twin XL comforter to truly make your dorm bed a place to get good sleep.





2. Twin XL Bed Topper - After you find the comforter that makes you sleepy just by looking at it, you'll want to a add an item that you won't see, but you will certainly feel. That essential dorm item is a Bed Topper. Whether you go with memory foam, a featherbed or a traditional egg crate, you will need to add cushion to your dorm bed. With college provided beds thin, flimsy and overall not comfortable, you can change all that by adding a Bed Topper.




3. Neverlate Alarm Clock - You may be thinking... How does an Alarm Clock help me sleep? Traditionally the alarm clock is the enemy of sleep, but have you ever lost sleep due to having to check and re-check your alarm clock to see if it is set? It happens to all of us, but it especially happens to those in college who have to wake up at different times throughout the week. Typically different daily wake up times would require that you set your alarm clock everyday, but with the Neverlate Alarm clock you can set 7 alarms (one for everyday of the week). By setting everyday up front you don't have to worry or wonder if you properly changed the time each night... that is key to falling asleep faster. As a bonus this alarm clock also has a special nap timer!


4. Blackout Curtain - Unlike your room at home that probably has dark curtains or shades that block the sun fairly well, your soon to be dorm room will feel as if the sun lives in your room. The college provided blinds block hardly any sun and unless you like waking up at 8AM on the weekends you’ll need a Blackout curtain. By adding a Blackout Curtain you are ensuring that your dorm room can stay dark and that you can catch a nap no matter what time of the day.

5. Sleep Eye Mask - If you like naps and seriously who doesn't?! Then you'll need a Sleep Eye Mask to ensure you can fall asleep in the middle of the day. Sure the blackout curtain would do the trick, but what if your college roommate is up and hanging out? You certainly can't shut the curtains on them, so instead of imposing your sleep wants, you can add a quality Sleep Eye Mask to get the darkness and peace you need.