Grocery stores differ in price, convenience

ALLISON CANTER/Daily Apples on sale at Meijer this past weekend were 99 cents per pound. Larger stores tend to charge less for products than smaller stores located on campus.

By Yael Kohen
For the Daily

Students looking to keep their mini-refrigerators stocked have many grocery shopping options, ranging from convenient on-campus stores to larger, less expensive supermarkets.

"I keep mostly snack food in (my refrigerator)," LSA first-year student Monica Dougherty said.

On campus, there are a few small stores, such as Village Corner, Diag Party Shoppe and White Market, which offer a variety of foods but are limited in products and are slightly more expensive.

Larger supermarkets, such as Meijer and Kroger, are located off campus and offer more variety in products for cheaper prices. But their locations are less convenient for students without cars.

Meijer, which serves as a department store and supermarket, has an overwhelming selection, including an entire aisle devoted to soda, and another to cookies.

"We have a lot of things to attract (students) here" said Tom Kulpa, store director of Meijer on Ann Arbor-Saline Road.

The selection at local campus stores is much smaller.

Cookies and cereal share an aisle in some stores, and milk is displayed next to soda in one aisle. In addition, there is less selection between sizes.

Since most students living in residence halls do not have cars, they have to take the bus or a taxi to shop at large supermarkets.

Jessie Spence, manager of Village Corner, said business is good because "we're right downtown, and Meijer is far away and you can walk here quickly."

But Meijer previously has worked with bus companies on changing bus routes to make it more convenient for students to travel there, Kulpa said.

Some students said the long bus and taxi rides make supermarkets an unattractive option.

"I wouldn't go there if I had to take the bus or a taxi," LSA first-year student Michelle Bezos said.

Other students said the bus system is fairly convenient.

"The bus can be a little confusing, but once you figure it out and can understand the bus schedule, it's pretty easy," LSA first-year student Lauren Stringi said.

Kulpa said Meijer officials have discussed constructing a smaller on-campus location.

But some students said it would be inappropriate to construct a supermarket on campus, saying it would detract from the campus atmosphere.

"I don't think (the campus is) an appropriate place for one," Dougherty said.

LSA first-year student Erin Larsen said food shopping on campus is inconvenient, so she opts for care packages sent to her from Illinois.

"I've never been shopping. My mom just sends me stuff because it's too inconvenient," Larsen said. "I've heard prices are high, it's out of the way, and I just don't have the time."

Price is another issue of competition between the local grocers and the large supermarkets.

"We can't order as many products from the company, so we get charged more," Spence said, explaining the store's high prices.

Economics Prof. John Laitner said lower real estate prices off campus also allow off-campus supermarkets to charge less for products.

"A place like Meijer is able to charge less because they're out of town where shelf space is cheaper," Laitner said.

The quality of products at both types of stores are equal, Spence said.

Supermarkets tend to have more brand names as well as generic brands that cost less, but some students said they would rather buy the brand name food at nearby stores.

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