OUR VIEW: Prices are up again – time for a food fight

Now that Coke prices are down, bread prices are up.

Bread lines will be a thing of the past now that Food Services has raised the price of bread at Hazels in the Hub. What used to be the most affordable item in the Hub received a price jump. While a slice of bread still costs 93 cents, it will now cost an extra 16 cents to put your favorite spread on it.

That’s right, in order to put a bit of jam or honey butter on a nice slice of wheat or cinnamon raison bread, you’ll have to carry another dime, nickel and penny. The only exception to the spread price jump is butter, which will be available for free.

Part of the appeal of Hazel’s was the chance to buy a slice of bread for only a dollar. Even the poorest of students could afford a simple, cheap breakfast. While this option is still affordable, it is a hassle to have to carry extra change around.

But this little increase in price is more an irritant because it’s rubbing salt in an already-sore wound. While a 16-cent jump in the price of bread is not a terrible burden on students, it represents yet another Food Services price hike. The Hub is already more expensive than off-campus food services, but it is the primary source for food in the TSC. Many students have so much work to do on campus that they don’t have time to venture off campus to grab a bite to eat somewhere else. The price of food can quickly rob a student of what precious little money he or she owns.

A couple of weeks ago the Bookstore tried to give students a break on Coke products by bringing the price down to 99 cents for a 20-oz. bottle. This was 40 cents cheaper than the price of a Coke at Food Service-run locations. The Bookstore said they set the price because they could still make a good profit without gouging the students.

The Bookstore and Food Services operate off the same Coke contract, and both are working to make a profit. So why is it that the Bookstore can make a profit on 99 cents and Food Services can’t?

Food Services needs to stop making petty and pointless price raises. It’s time for Food Services to listen to their customers – those that keep them in business – and lower the prices. Profits can still be made without gouging those who don’t have much.

Don’t believe that? Just buy a Coke at the Bookstore to find out the answer.