FAQ: Shopping at Material Source



How do I pay? Do you take cash or credit cards?

  • We only accept payment via ARTICard.
  • You must have your physical card present to complete a purchase or refund.
  • We are unable to accept cash or credit as payment, however, you may upload money to your ARTICard online by following these instructions.

 

Can I borrow supplies and bring them back later?/Can I take a product now and pay for it later?

  • No. No materials may leave the store unless they are paid for in full.
  • We recommend planning ahead for classes and lessons by purchasing your materials ahead of time, as well as leaving plenty of time to complete purchases as there may be a line of customers during busy times.
  • As far as borrowing materials that are not for sale, such as scissors, staplers, tape, etc., we do not lend out these things as our student workers need them to do their jobs.
  • Many supplies are available to be borrowed from Tool Checkout in the Shops.

 

Can the student workers offer me advice on how to use the materials?

  • We do not recommend relying on our student workers for material recommendations. They are student artists just like you, and may or may not have previous experience with certain products.
  • If you are unsure about what products to use in a project, the best course of action is to consult your faculty.

 

When will this item be restocked?

We do our best to restock items regularly, but cannot always predict when products will sell out. If you need a large quantity of something we recommend requesting it ahead of time by emailing [email protected].You may also reach out for an estimate of when items will be restocked. In general, we follow this schedule for restocking:

RESTOCKING GENERAL ITEMS:
  • If the item is available on campus, we will do our best to restock it within 24-48 hours. 
  • If not, shipping from the vendor may take more than 2 weeks. 
  • We do our best to avoid this occurrence, but our space is limited. Please plan your projects accordingly.
RESTOCKING STEEL, LUMBER & LASER CUTTER:
  • Our restocking times for lumber, steel, and laser cutter materials are usually Tuesdays & Thursdays. 
  • We are unable to restock these materials outside of these restock times.
  • Requests for large quantities of steel and lumber at least a week before a restock day are appreciated!

 

Can I apply to work at Material Source?

We usually hire students at the end of the previous semester. This is dependent upon how many of our student workers are returning and which shifts we need to fill. If you are interested in working for Material Source, you can email [email protected] at the end of the semester with your availability for the following semester. You can also keep an eye on postings on Handshake.

 

Can I purchase materials as an Alumni?

In order to make a purchase at Material Source you need a valid ARTICard that you are able to deposit ARTICash on. If you have this then you may make a purchase with us. Please note that our resources are limited and we must prioritize active students. We are unable to source specific materials for Alumni or provide large quantities of materials. You may email [email protected] to ask about where we source our materials from, as we recommend reaching out to suppliers directly for large orders.


I have further questions that have not been answered, who should I contact?

Please email Material Source management at [email protected] and we will be happy to answer any question you have.