DeCafe prices lower than Shell's

The DeCafé has proved that the price isn't always right. DeCafé's limited food selection and questionable prices have raised more than a few eyebrows.

DeCafé, a joint convenience store and snack bar, has raised student concerns over its ability to service their needs. Since some students rely on DeCafé for one to two meals a day via flex dollar expenditures many expected to have a wider selection of food to support a well-balanced diet.

DeCafé was envisioned by the College as offering an expanded range of options for on-campus students, and a variety of products that off-campus students can take home with them. Some students have been slow to adjust to the new system. "It's a rip-off," said college sophomore Jakleen Labbad, but College sophomore Joaquin Espinoza Goodman said, "I enjoy being able to get things there without cash."

Much student concern is over prices that are higher than what a normal supermarket charges. In an effort to see how much students are being charged at Decafé, the Review did some comparison shopping. Identical items at Decafé, Missler's and the Shell station MickeyMart, located near Allen Art Museum, were priced.

Missler's was generally found to carry lower prices than DeCafé, while MickeyMart came in last overall. CDS Director David Jensen said, "You really can't compare us to a large grocery store because their volume is so much greater. If we sold only bulk items, we could begin to compete with them. We're working to keep prices down."

In addition to lower prices, students want a larger selection and variety of items. "I think there should be more variety of fruits and vegetables - and more Ben and Jerry's," said College first-year Hannah Moland.

College sophomore Dave Karpf said, "There is very little variety and they're always out of things. We should be shopping for meals, not snacks."

Campus Dining Services expected such difficulties in the first few weeks of the school year. "As students are in a learning curve, so are we. We had no idea what students were going to purchase," said Jensen. "We used a normal convenience store as a guide, but our students reacted differently. If you went back to the store right now, you would see a lot of products we didn't have this morning."

Jensen encourages students to fill out comment cards and express concerns directly to CDS staff. Decafé also has special request forms available. Students can request a certain item they want, describe it, and note the price range that they would be willing to pay for it. Students will then be notified within a week if CDS can not find the item or can not offer it in the student's price range.

"We have gotten a number of comments," said Jensen. "We are addressing them as best we can."