The C-Store is the one-stop shop for any Saint Louis University student’s day-to-day grocery needs. Located with Subway in DeMattias Hall on the west side of campus, it is faster to get to when short on time or transportation.
“I usually go to the C-Store three to four times a week for a few things, mostly out of convenience,” senior Eddie Height said.
Though many students find it convenient for on-the-go and on-the-clock, many students also said that it is far from easy on the wallet.
Many of the prices in the C-Store are more expensive than those at supermarkets. However Chartwells Student Manager Andrew Miller feels there is good reason for this difference.
“Shnucks has an advantage through buying in bulk. bigger is better, when it comes to groceries, it favors big businesses,” said Miller.
Despite the reasoning behind the inflated prices, many students said that the steeper prices kept them from spending their flex points there.
“I don’t really shop at the C-Store,” sophomore Amanda Miller said. “I definitely go to Schnucks more because the prices are so much lower. It’s crazy expensive here.”
Many other students said that, in addition to lower prices, another appealing factor was the greater variety that Schnucks featured, including even cheaper off-brand products.
“I spent $8 on just a box of cereal and Ziploc bags,” freshman Cortni Breen said. “It’s not fair.”
One thing that many students did agree upon, however, was the convenience of the C-Store, especially for students without access to a car on campus.
“Shnucks is only two blocks away, so it doesn’t take that long to get to, but I don’t have a lot of time as is,” freshman Katie Montez said. “Having a car would definitely make it easier.”
Another convenience offered by the C-Store is that they accept flex dollars. However, these prices can be misleading as there is no standard flex to U.S. dollars conversion.
For example living off campus requires paying $200 for 150 flex dollars, but upgrading an on-campus apartment meal plan for 600 dollars provides 750 flex.
While some students find that this variable price point is not as straight forward as it could be, others came to a harsher conclusion.
“Flex in general is ridiculous,” junior Allison Garcia said. “It’s just too expensive.”
Miller says that while the pricing of Chartwells on campus is an issue that has been presented to the SGA, it has yet to be discussed this year.
“We’ll probably talk about it in next week’s meeting when we meet with the new Chartwells manager,” Miller said.
A Chartwells representative was contacted for further information, but had not responded with a comment at press time.
