IUSA examines C-store prices

Students with meal points pay a little extra for corn flakes and laundry detergent, according to an IU Student Association study.\nThe study compared the prices of 30 items from the Willkie Center convenience store to prices of outside stores such as Kroger, Marsh, Mr. Dee's and local stores such as K&S Country Market and Faris Meat Market. \nKellogg's Corn Flakes, at $4.99, and 60-ounce containers of Era detergent, at $6.99, were among those items with the greatest price difference between IU's center stores price and the average price from an outside store. Even Ramen noodles, at .59 cents apiece, cost .34 cents less outside the C-stores.\nThe price for the 30 items in the C-store was $108.40; the average outside price totaled $63.95. \nIUSA president Jake Oakman, a senior, who conducted the study along with vice president Jeff Wuslich, a sophomore, and member Ben Piper, a senior, said he understands IU isn't in the grocery industry. \n"I'll pay a little extra for the convenience of having the center stores, and I think most students would pay a little extra as well," Oakman said. "But at the same time, we're probably getting ripped off, and that's not fair." \nOverall the study found that -- with the exception of Homepride Wheat bread -- items sold outside the C-stores were on average $1.50 cheaper. Notable price differences include Chi-Chi's medium salsa, at $5.59 in the C-stores and $2.91 as the average outside price, and Healthy Choice frozen dinners, at $4.99 in the C-stores and $2.32, on average, in local grocery stores.\n"I\'m not sure why prices are so high," Wuslich said. "Hopefully this will bring a response from (Residential Programs and Services) explaining the issue. Perhaps one of the business classes could take a look at this problem and try to solve it."\nSandra Fowler, director of RPS dining services, said she doesn't believe people can compare C-store prices to grocery store prices.\n"Vendors or suppliers are usually different for the two types of locations," Fowler said. "In addition, the overhead costs for our convenience stores are very different from the overhead costs of the local grocery stores."\nFowler also added that when students buy their meal plans, some of the money finds its way back to the university, rather than going to pay for RPS costs.\n"Part of the overhead costs include funds for short and long term maintenance, support of RPS programs and services, and other university services," Fowler said. \nSenior Brian Holman, an IDS employee, chairs the meal points committee, which is made up of representatives from RPS, student government and the residence halls. Holman said the pricing is done by the administrative side of the committee (RPS), so students don't have much control over it. \n"Six years ago, every hall had the traditional dining service that you see now at Read," Holman said. "Then students weren't using all their points, so they expressed frustration to the trustees, and so they decided to switch from all meals to all points, gradually. When they did this, they made some major budgeting errors, and in trying to fix those errors, they also founded a meal plan committee set up to basically address meal plan issues." \nStill, Holman stressed that the committee can't control the price of food or how it is distributed among the residence halls -- it can only make suggestions. \n"We've tried to add a little variety by offering different sizes of Coke at Foster, and the macaroni and cheese they offer now at Chester Fried Chicken," Holman said. \nHolman added that he regrets the decision made last year to close dining halls in Forest, Teter and McNutt.\n"Last year they told us we had to close certain stores, and I made a mistake in going along with that -- I shouldn't have voted to close the stores," Holman said. "Now, this year, other dorms don't even have as much food as Willkie does, and in Willkie you don't have to buy a meal plan. But the students in those other dorms still have to buy a meal plan"