Soda Price Rises to $1.25 Many Annoyed At Spare Change
By Elliott August ‘08
News Staff Reporter
Choate students returning to campus this fall were surprised to find that the price of a 20 ounce soft drink had risen from $1.00 to $1.25. The 25 cent increase marked the first time in ten years that the price of sodas at Choate had changed.
According Mr. James Yanelli, Director of Student Activities at Choate and the faculty member in direct contact with the vendors, the choice to raise soda prices was “a combined decision between the school and the [Coca-Cola] company.”
In August, Mr. Yanelli received a letter from the Coca-Cola Company explaining that they were being forced to drastically increase their prices due to an overall rise in costs. With fuel prices skyrocketing, the beverage company was forced to spend more than before on both the production and distribution of the sodas.
Reactions to the new price have ranged from confusion to outrage. In fact, concerns over the soda prices have overshadowed those over Edsall’s new paint job, the stricter enforcement of the dress code, and almost everything else. There is even a group on Facebook.com, the popular student networking website, dedicated to boycotting the machines.
Many students do not object to the higher cost so much as the inconvenience of having to carry a dollar and change. “It’s ridiculous, it’s a rip-off,” complained Peter Renehan ’08. “You can’t bring a dollar anymore. You have to bring an extra twenty-five cents if you just want a little twenty ounce drink.” Added Christopher Carracciolo ’08, “I don’t have enough money anymore, because you have to break two dollars. It’s such a pain in the butt.”
When the school was informed of the higher prices, it faced a choice: subsidize the extra costs to keep the price at $1.00, at a net loss to the school, or raise the price to $1.25. Explained Mr. Yanelli, “what we wanted to make sure of as a school is that we weren’t losing money by selling soda to kids.” He also pointed out that “there are some people who don’t even think we should be selling soda.”
Mr. Yanelli stressed that the rise in soda prices is not intended to make a profit for the school: “Soda sales [are] not designed to be a revenue stream for the school, but [rather] a service to students.”
Despite the current protest, the student body has in fact been indulged over the past few years by having 20 ounce sodas available for only one dollar. Of all of the vender’s clients, Choate was the last to raise its prices. Mr. Yanelli explained that “we held out as long as we could with the company, but the cost to the school was increased to the extent that it didn’t make sense for us to sell the soda at that price.”
In addition, vending machine prices around Wallingford and in the Connecticut area reflect the prices at Choate. When asked about the rise in prices, Dean of Students Mr. John Ford remarked the he was “surprised they didn’t do it sooner, because if you go to vending machines all over the place, [sodas] are pretty much all a dollar twenty five.” For example, at Hopkins Day School in New Haven, CT, 20 ounce sodas are also sold for $1.25. Most Wallingford vending machines also sell 20 ounce sodas for $1.25. These are located in places such as Shaw’s Supermarket and the Global gas station across from Vinny’s Deli.
From a health standpoint, the consumption of soda at Choate is not a major concern. According to “Doc” Gardner, Choate’s medical director, “it is not so evil that we are going to prohibit students from having soda. It’s just junk food.” But he went on to say that “in a perfect world [students] shouldn’t be drinking any soda. There is nothing redeeming about it.”
A disgruntled Choatie laments the increase in soda prices.
