It had been a long day and I still had one more class to attend. I had been on campus since 10 a.m. and I had not eaten since breakfast.
I usually go to eat at the Don Taft University Center Food Court, but on that day, I was just not into their same old options. I ended up buying an awful tasting — and terribly overpriced — Jamaican patty from Outtakes, which I regret even purchasing.
Outtakes offers entirely different options, but I’m disappointed by how expensive its products are.
Students’ choices at NSU are not endless. There are only six locations where students can pick up a snack — excluding vending machines — while they are on the main campus.The two most prominent locations are the UC Food Court and the campus “convenience” store Outtakes, operated by university dining service company Chartwells. The food court is always the same old mixture of hamburgers, pizzas, and sandwiches. But, Outtakes, with its outrageous prices, is even worse than the food court.
There is really no excuse for the horrendous prices at Outtakes. There is nowhere on campus that is as guilty of gouging NSU students. Many students feel that Outtakes is abusing its location on campus by taking advantage of students who don’t have any other convenient options for groceries. Outtakes charges way too much for what it provides because they know students would have to leave campus to buy certain foods somewhere else.
It is unfair for students to be treated so poorly. Many of us have little or no income, aside maybe from part-time work or thanks to the generosity of our parents. We are being taken advantage of by people who are supposed to look out for the NSU community.
In my own research, I found the discrepancy between campus and market costs alarming, with products sometimes marked upwards of five to 50 percent of the market cost. A gallon of orange juice or milk costs almost $5 — 10 percent higher than at Walgreens. Hot Pockets are marked up 50 percent, compared to Walmart six miles away.
The hot food that Outtakes pre-prepares and sells is even more outrageous: $1.79 for a Jamaican patty and $3.99 for a mini chicken sandwich, which you could get for a dollar at McDonalds.
Why is there such a discrepancy in pricing from regular market prices? Why are students expected to pay five to 50 percent more for things when they want to buy something to eat at Outtakes?
I tried to get these answers from campus dining, but all I heard was silence — unreturned e-mails and phone calls.
It is time for students at NSU to speak out. We are being played for fools. It is wrong that blatant price gouging occurs on our campus and it is time to take action. The saying is that the customer is always right; it’s time for Outtakes to understand that.
