By TYLER BARTH
Located near the booths at Birch Hall , at the cash registers, sit various confectioneries being sold for Valentine’s Day. It is a common tactic to place sweets near a cash register, the thought being that a customer would be likely to make an impulse buy, but these candies have a Valentine’s theme to them, clearly with the intention of luring in a student to buy them for their special someone.
The price of the Astor Bar is even with prices online, found via a simple Google search. However, a tumbler, which is a type of cup often used as a decoration, can go for as little as $6. Chocolate tic-tac-toe pieces, according to another simple Google search, go for less than $3.
“While there is a lot of convenience, the price might drive people away,” said Whelan, “It’s kind of a stupid move in general.”
“I didn’t even realize they were there,” said Alexandra Kreutz, who studies visual arts, “A good tumbler might be more than six bucks, but it depends on the quality of what they have here.”
Despite this, the sweets atop the register appear to have some value for some – though not in the intended way.
“I’ve seen people pick them up,” said Ana Santos of the Student Affairs Office, “Haven’t seen anyone pick them up for Valentine’s, just some wanting chocolate for themselves.”
All in all, the chocolates, though well intended, appear to have not served their purpose. Few students have bought them, and most who have did not buy them with their betrothed in mind.
“I understand where they’re going with it, and it’s, yknow, festive for the holiday,” said Wyatt Pfeifer, who studies Engineering Physics, “But it seems like they’re trying to make a quick buck for themselves.”
One thing I learned was how some students may not necessarily look at the valentines decorations in Pay Caf as a good thing. It’s just another holiday and even though they sell things related to it, it doesn’t always have a great appeal to students.