It’s no secret Ames’ population takes a hard hit during the summer when many students leave for break; retail locations in the area are also affected by this decrease in potential shoppers.

Selections at North Grand Mall popular among Iowa State students include Gap, Express, American Eagle and Victoria’s Secret. Because fewer college students live in Ames over the summer, retail works a little differently.

“We don’t need as many people working over the summer because we have fewer customers,” said Jackie Mason, Iowa State graduate and Gap sales associate. “The Iowa State population makes up for so much of our customer base that we just don’t need as many people working.”

Mason also said sales decrease over the summer due to the decrease in their customer base. Stores like Gap rely on holiday sales, such as Memorial Day, to bring in more revenue.

Ames’ other shopping hotspot for college students is Target. Unlike many of the stores at the mall, Target’s retail merchandise, along with other items such as groceries, are in a price point affordable for college students.

Although Iowa State students make up for a large portion of Target’s customer base, the store doesn’t suffer from revenue loss due to their many customers from the Ames community outside of Iowa State.

“At the Ames Target, there are less college student guests than you would expect during the summer, but enough of the Ames population shops at Target so the loss of college students doesn’t hurt us,” said junior Amanda Szoke, junior in apparel, merchandising, and design and sales associate at Target.

For those who are living in the Ames area over the summer, take advantage of fewer people taking over the sales at your favorite stores and score more deals for yourself—the best ones can come when there aren’t as many people looking for them.