Students who are pinching pennies and are willing to walk the extra three blocks will likely find the lowest prices for items like batteries, cookies and soda at Grand Union supermarket rather than Foodstop or Topside convenience store.
In an informal survey by The Dartmouth of prices at Foodstop, Grand Union and Topside, most items were cheaper at Grand Union, followed by Topside and then Foodstop.
For example, Grand Union sells a four-pack of Duracell AA batteries for $3.99, while Topside charges $5.49 and Foodstop charges $6.25. Snackwell's Devil's Food Cookies cost $2.19 at Grand Union, $2.39 at Topside and $3.29 at Foodstop.
For one item, a two-liter bottle of soda, Topside's price, $1.39,was about 40 cents more than Grand Union's and Foodstop's.
Another item popular with students is Tylenol Extra Strength Pain Reliever. At Grand Union, 24 caplets will set students back $2.99, while the same bottle costs $4.35 at Foodstop and $4.89 at Topside.
But according to Dartmouth Dining Service Director Peter Napolitano, price is not the only factor students consider.
"Dartmouth students come to Topside because it is convenient," he said.
The location of Topside and the variety of products it carries makes it attractive to students, according to Napolitano. But perhaps the most appealing aspect of Topside is that students can pay for their toiletries and late-night snacks with their student identification cards.
Topside, located on the second floor of Thayer Dining Hall, is open from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. every day.
"We offer this store as a convenience to the student body," Napolitano said. "Students' needs come late at night and we are here for them."
Foodstop President Brian Molloy said the prices at Foodstop, a 24-hour convenience store located on Main Street next to the Fleet Bank, are higher because the store does not buy in bulk.
"I am only operating six stores," Molloy said. "Our buying power is not as good as Grand Union's," which is a large chain of supermarkets.
Molloy said Dartmouth students make up about 10 percent of Foodstop's customers. But he said Foodstop does try to cater to the needs of college students by selling a variety of pre-made sandwiches and hot food items.
He also said Foodstop is convenient for students because it is closer to campus than Grand Union and is open 24 hours a day.
The majority of students who shop at Foodstop shop there late at night, Molloy said.
Despite generally cheaper prices at Grand Union, some items cost the same at all three stores, like Ben and Jerry's pint-size ice cream, which sells for $2.79.
Napolitano said he is aware of the high prices at Topside but said the store tries to keep prices as low as possible.
"I can't imagine paying $4.00 for a box of cereal," Napolitano said, "but it costs Topside about $3.50."
Napolitano said because Topside is not a grocery store, it is not able to buy products in large volumes and cannot keep prices as low as Grand Union's.
"If a product costs Dining Services 80 cents, we sell it for a dollar. Our profit margin is very, very small," Napolitano said.
He said Topside sets prices "on a formula basis" by factoring distribution, storage and employee costs into the final price for a specific item.
Grand Union is open from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. seven days a week.
