C-Store stocks up for spring spending spree
Andrea Terry, who has worked at the C-Store since fall of 2017, recalls an instance when someone purchased 4 cases of 12 oz. cans of Red Bull at once in an effort to clear out their meal plan money. This totals over 250 dollars.
May 16, 2018
Here’s a friendly reminder to students: spend all of your Connection Card balance before leaving campus to enjoy your summer break. Start shopping the C-Store soon so you don’t have to deal with long lines and wasteful spending.
“If [students] started spending now, I think they would spend money on things they would want,”
Christine Cloninger, a manager in Dining Services, said.
Kaitlyn Walker, a senior and former cashier at the C-store, remembers the rush to spend remaining Connection Card dollars. Long lines, a person spending 300 dollars in one transaction, people buying five cases of energy drinks are just a few examples of last year’s mayhem. Walker also recalls individuals buying people food on their Connection Card so that they didn’t have to use their debit card.
The pricing on products won’t change during the end of year push, but the C-Store has already began to increase their inventory to accommodate for the upcoming demand.
This end of spring quarter spending spree is nothing new. The rush to spend remaining Connection Card “swipes” has been going on for as long as Cloninger and Dan Layman, Director in Dining Services can remember.
During the school year, Connection Card balances typically transfer over into the next quarter, however after graduation on June 8th, balances will expire and students will lose any remaining money.
Dining Services does notify students about their Connection Card balances, according to Layman.
“I had students with 1,400 stubs [dollars] going into spring… We notify the top ten balances of each meal plan,” Layman said.
If a student wants to have a say in where their Connection Card balance goes, they should monitor their account and plan frequently, according to Layman.
If a student doesn’t spend their balance before graduation, the remaining balance will go to Auxiliary Services, a fund the the school uses to pay for projects around campus.
“Those funds help finance housing issues such as dorms needing new roofs. Dining needs a lot of new equipment. Carpet and booths [seating] in the SURC Dining cost over 100 thousand [dollars],” Layman said.
In the past, campus clubs have had food drives to help minimize wasteful spending on Connection Cards by donating to charities like Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH).
Dining administrators mentioned they haven’t received any information on upcoming food drives.