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Evaluating food sales at school

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In the busy schedules of SIS students jam-packed with academics, volunteer work, and athletics, students are constantly on the move and rarely have time for a proper sit-down breakfast. They tend to wake up still sleepy-eyed from a few hours of sleep and hurriedly rush to the bus stop on an empty stomach. In order to help students get through the day, many clubs and organizations at SIS, such as HFH and the HSSC, have sold snacks around the school. On April 16th, the Tiger Times sent out a survey to the student body to gain insight on ways to improve these food sales.

One change proposed by students was the expansion of the menus of the food sales. For example, many students suggested burgers, popcorn, fried chicken, and triangle kimbap. Although students have shown large support for these food items, it is questionable whether it would be the right decision to sell such unhealthy foods at school. On the other hand, other students wanted to see healthier options like fruits, which do not always come with the economic benefits of cheaper, unhealthy snacks. For example, the HSSC experimented with its menu by adding healthier snacks such as apples, only to discontinue their availability due to a lack of popularity among the student body.

The time and the venue of food sales have also been taken into reconsideration. Many surveyed students expressed preferences for specific times of the school day for food sales. For example, 54.5% of surveyed students wanted food sales during the passing period between second and third period. Considering that no food sales are currently held at this time and students only need a small snack to carry them through third period to lunch, passing period presents itself as an opportunity for clubs to easily sell light snacks such as chips. In terms of venue, 63.6% of surveyed students mentioned that they prefer food sales in the atrium. This potential venue presents itself as another opportunity for clubs as the atrium attracts lots of foot traffic due to students using it as a shortcut between classes.

The greatest concern expressed by students is the pricing of the foods. For example, HFH sells a slice of pizza for 3,000 won, but only 9.1% of surveyed students responded that the current price of pizza was reasonable; in fact, 65.9% stated that pizza should only cost 2,000 won. However, if HFH were to reduce the cost of a slice of pizza to 2,000 won, it would struggle to turn a reasonable profit, as the club would only earn 2,550 won profit per box of pizza. It is in the hands of the clubs to strike the right balance between adequate profit and affordable prices for the studens, although it is important to note that the funds generated from these sales go to charitable causes.

Overall, the student body has various suggestions for food sale improvements that can be taken into consideration by clubs. With even small changes, such as pushing sales back an hour and a half from office hours to passing period, clubs could maintain sustainable profit while also catering their food sales toward their audiences.

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