Picture this: it is 98 degrees outside, you just took a math test, and you go in front of the gym with a five-dollar bill and a dream for sweets. You hand it to the person at the register, and before you know it, you have a kiwi strawberry sparkling ice, a popsicle, and some fruit roll-ups, which is ideally the perfect way to cool down.
The student store has been a popular destination for students on campus as long as it has been available. With a wide variety of items, such as various drinks, chips, and candy, with relatively cheap prices, one could understand why there are students every day lined up during lunch to buy their favorite snack. But this year, a change has been made to the pricing of the items. The popsicles, such as the strawberry shortcake, fudge bars, and sour pops, were some of the hottest commodities in years past, and this year the price was increased from one dollar to two.
“It could be understandable. But I just don’t really mess with it like that,” Tristan Baca (10) said.
Most student store items used to be one dollar and one of the nice things about the cheap prices is the fact that many students have things like loose change or extra cash lying around in their backpacks, pockets, or wallets, which can then be used to pay for a trip to the store.
“For me, I always buy snacks whenever I get the chance to. I always get Fruit Roll-Ups and the strawberry shortcake popsicles,” said Baca.
Speaking of strawberry shortcake popsicles, the snack has been one of the most controversial snacks from the student store after the raised price. This particular popsicle tends to be the most popular everywhere on campus–so popular to the point where it has even been featured on a K9 News segment. Although there are popular, top-selling items, some students believe that there is room for improvement.
“I think Apple Pay should be an [added feature],” Myles Alvano (12) said.
For many seniors on campus, they serve to be frequent buyers of the various items the store has to offer, and there have been multiple requests to add a “tap-to-pay” system or kiosk, such as the ones available in the vending machines. The store could increase its customer base, as there are times when students do not have physical cash on them, but have a digital wallet on their phone.
“I go three times a week. But two dollar popsicles are outrageous,” Alvano said.
For many orders on campus, students can expect their prices to be fair depending on the number of snacks they buy. However, the increase in price made students unpleased when they found out what would be happening to their wallets, as price increases are usually never received well by customers. However, some things happen behind the scenes that are not known by the average student customer.
“Our job as leadership students is to report when we have low stock and order things on time. We, together with our staff, make sure the things the students like are being ordered on time. We take great responsibility with the money being handled,” USB President Alina Lopez (12) said.
The student store is a student-run business that benefits the school and provides us as students with good deals and delicious items. For most students, as long as the items are in stock and ready to go, there are no worries.
