You may proudly serve, but do we proudly consume?
According to a 2011 article in the American Journal of Health Education, written by Gary McIlvain, a study examined 500 college freshmen regarding caffeine intake. McIlvain found that "83% of the students reported having at least one sign/ symptom of caffeine intoxication in the past; 51% reported having at least one sign/ symptom of caffeine withdrawal. Students consumed three to five times the recommended amount of caffeine". The high correlation between caffeine consumption and college students creates an obvious market for coffee vendors surrounding college campuses. On the other hand, there is another correlation that occurs predominantly in college campuses; the correlation between college-aged people and the lack of money to spend.
At Wheaton, the Hood Cafe in Balfour, run by a partnership between Starbucks and Aramark, and the corresponding cafe in the Science Center are the only places on campus to get a truly delicious cup of coffee on the go (sorry folks, but the Chase and Emerson coffee just doesn't do it for everyone). What is the problem you ask? Well, the problem is I -as well as my fellow students -don't want to pay close to $5.00 for a caramel flavored ice coffee every time we are itching for the highly demanded caffeine needed in our daily schedule. It is aggravating to know if it was more easily accessible, I could get the same satisfaction from a caramel flavored coffee at Dunkin' Donuts for half of the price. The Wheaton dining service provides $37.50 of Lyon's bucks on your student ID at the start of every semester, but if you are an avid coffee drinker, that money could be blown halfway through the semester, leaving you to pay that four to five dollars for a "gourmet coffee" out of pocket. This idea is a classic case of supply and demand, where a business capitalizes on the market's wants and needs. The Starbucks at the Hood Cafe is able to price its goods significantly high because it has very little competition to work with here on campus.
As we have talked about in class, caffeine is a commodity known as a "drug food", which is a type of food that can elicit cravings and create responses in your brain similar to those in addictive drugs. Other examples of drug foods are alcohol, chocolate and sugar, Because of this natural desire to consume it, coffee has the power to drive a market and in this case, the market is in the hands of Starbucks Coffee Company here at Wheaton. If you are an active member in the coffee market such as myself, your bank account will suffer greatly from those late morning cravings when the cafe is the only means of obtaining your caffeine fix.
A great place to get coffee on campus other than afformentioned spots, is the Lyon's Den- we (I work there) sell organic fair trade (and bird friendly) coffee that is both delicious and affordable ($1.50 per cup/mug) we are also open from 4pm until 2am -Monday -Thursday, 10am-2am Sunday, and from 8pm-midnight on Friday and Saturday. People often don't go because it's "too far", but it's a lot cheaper than Balfour and a lot closer than dunkin's. While I'm not encouraging coffee addiction, I do think that if you're going to drink /buy coffee, at least drink/ buy yummy and and affordable coffee. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a caffeine intoxicated, broke college student, I agree completely. I've bought coffee from Hood Cafe in Balfour just once, when I was naive enough to not check the prices. I think realizing I had just been charged $4.50 for an iced coffee gave me more energy then the caffeine. For $5 a cup, I expect a coffee that does a little song and dance too! To balance my caffeine needs with my measly wallet, I bought a Keurig. K-cups are anything but cheap, but when you do the math, I would venture to say you'll be saving compared to the Hood Cafe.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback from both of you! I have been to the Den a couple times to enjoy a chocolate milkshake and one of the famous super cookies, but have never gotten coffee from there. Ivy, thanks for the advice about the prices, I'll be sure to check it out! I have also invested in a Keurig recently and is definitely one of the best investments I have made thus far in my life! I always love finding cheap alternatives to over-priced goods, but who doesn't?!
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