Feeling Cornered?

Freshman Jessi Turner found herself wandering the aisles of the Corner Store around 7 p.m. last night. On this trip, one of her monthly trips to the Corner Store, Turner bought herself a 10 ounce box of Cheerios, which cost her $4.59. Per ounce, Cheerios cost an average of 28 cents more than at Wegmans, the supermarket chain that dominates the Rochester area. Director of ARAMARK Brad Bingaman attributes the discrepancy in prices to the fact that Wegmans operates at a dramatically higher volume than the Corner Store. “It comes down to buying power,” Director of ARAMARK Brad Bingaman said, mentioning that UR tries to keep its prices comparable to convenience stores like 7-11 and Rochester-based Wilson Farms.Wegmans Manager of Consumer Relations Jo Natale agrees, saying that their prices are lower due to the fact that they purchase products in bulk, allowing them to have consistently low prices.Since the Wegmans on Mt. Hope Avenue closed on Oct. 11, many students living on campus have found themselves doing their grocery shopping at either the Corner Store during the week or the Marketplace Wegmans when the UR Special shuttles students there on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Some, like sophomore Melissa Berndt, go to the Corner Store about four times a week. “I think they’re way overpriced,” Berndt said. “I like what they have but they completely overcharge for it.”Senior Mike Sinkoff agreed, saying that the Corner Store is overpriced and understocked. “[I] don’t know what you can and can’t buy on declining,” Sinkoff said, who bought candy Wednesday night. Freshman Stephen Privitesa cited a more fundamental problem with pricing. “The prices are not labeled,” he said. “I wouldn’t know how expensive [it is] because there’s no prices.”Indeed, many of the items appear to be missing price tags, such as many of the cereal boxes and other items. Frozen items, however, feature price labels on the door of the refrigerator. While the shelving in the middle of the Corner Store was expanded over the past few years, many students have complained that the aisles are fairly difficult to navigate. The back aisle is 27 inches wide, while the farthest aisle is just over three feet wide.”The Corner Store could be bigger, but has a nice variety right now,” sophomore Jenn Muniak, who bought a Snapple and fruit snacks on Wednesday night said. Privitesa said that he goes to the Corner Store frequently, but dislikes the small size of the store and its produce. “It’s either this, or that over there,” Privitesa said, pointing to Douglass Dining Hall.”It’s cramped,” senior Colin Royster, who visits the Corner Store about four times a week, said, “but I do like that they raised the shelves.” Freshman Emily Richards visits the Corner Store three times a week, and said that while the store is small, it has a lot of different food. “[It] has a lot of options,” Richards said.Sophomore Sam Schrauth said that he goes to the Corner Store almost every day and buys junk food, for the most part. On this particular trip, Schrauth bought a cookie sitting near the cash register, and shrugged. “It’s better than most dining services on campus,” he said. Schnee can be reached at cschnee@campustimes.org.