It is a well-known fact that college students are very conscientious consumers, especially when making everyday purchases.
Although it is convenient for students to go grocery shopping on campus, is there a savings that’s worth walking the few extra blocks?

The Hungry Johnny, commonly known as the C-Store, is the only convenience store on campus available to students who dorm.
But because of its usually high prices, many students prefer to take the trek to 7-Eleven or even dare the long walk to the Rite Aid on Parsons Boulevard.

In order to shed further light on the various prices available to student buyers, the Torch recently compared prices on goods between the C-Store and 7-Eleven and found the numbers to be drastically different.
The Torch compared typical items that a college student would purchase.

Our grocery list included milk, toilet paper, Tostitos restaurant style tortilla chips, canned salsa, peanut butter, jelly and a loaf of bread.

Overall, the total on seven items was much cheaper at 7-Eleven.

The biggest surprise was the price of a half-gallon of milk, which cost $3.65 at the C-Store and just $1.99 at 7-Eleven.
7-Eleven sold every item cheaper; the C-store was sold-out of bread on the day we went shopping.

The prices bother resident students like Michael Luarte, a freshman and Psychology major.

“I feel they are pretty high, I would actually take the time and walk to Rite Aid just to get a better deal on what I’m buying,” Luarte said.

Luarte said he pays an average of $10 per C-store visit and only gets two candies and a drink for that amount.

According to Chartwells, the reasons for the higher prices on campus have to do with the nature of their business.

“We’re purchasing mostly food to cook and serve,” said Gina Capetanakis, the marketing director for Chartwells, referring to the food at Montgoris and other dining halls on campus.
“So we are not able to get the low enough price from our vendors that perhaps a 7-Eleven could.”

Freshmen Francesca Bartalini is also upset with the prices at
the C-store.

“I think they have to take into consideration that a lot of us have to be spending very little,”said Bartalini,
We’re on very tight budgets since we are away from home. As much as it is convenient to us, it is too much.I’d rather buy things in bulk and carry them a long way than go to the C-store,”
she said.

And while Chartwells does assess their prices in order to provide students with better service, Capetanakis said that the prices are adjusted only once a year, during the
summer.

“On convenience store items you are probably not going to see changes throughout the year but if you look at other items like fruit, prices are adjusted on a weekly basis,” said Capetanakis.