The Redbank Valley School Store, powered by the Redbank Valley Future Business Leaders of America is a hands-on business simulator that teaches students the basics of business management. I was the 2020-21 President of the FBLA chapter, which put me in a place to begin online operations. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the School Store to operate under a modified status. We previously set up a store for students to visit during “activity period”. Due to the pandemic, it was no longer possible to continue. We decided that online ordering could work. I began to design and build a WooCommerce store to allow students to make purchases online and have them delivered to their homerooms.
The most challenging part of this project was implementing the WooCommerce store. Students placed orders online, but paid for them with cash. I needed to design a solution that presented students with a checkmark on checkout that reminded them to pay with cash. Students also needed to inform us of their homeroom. I found a plugin that was designed for in-store pickup that collected this information.
Specific homerooms were delivered to on specific days. I also build a system on WordPress that presented this information to students on the homepage and on checkout.
The project was a success! The website ran for an entire school year without issue! After graduating, I continued to provide server management and consulting for the current leadership of the club.
What I Learned: WooCommerce store development, PHP hooks / filters, inventory management, and training students
Screenshot – click to view
