Each school year, students at SNU are given one hundred and fifty dollars of “flex money,” and they are allowed to use this at either Starbucks or Chick-fil-A. As we all know, Chick-fil-A is the newest addition to the school’s campus, so it can be assumed that most students would have used all of their flex money here. However, through my investigation, I found that this was not the case.
To see how students spend their flex money, I went to Starbucks during their busiest time: the morning. Here, I saw lines of students waiting for their morning coffees. Then, I went to Chick-fil-A in the afternoon and evening, their busiest times, and saw equally as many students.
While at Starbucks, I asked a few students where they preferred to spend their flex money. Sophomore, Chloe Tarango responded, “I am always here at Starbucks because I need my morning fix of caffeine, all my flex dollars are here for sure!” I was surprised by her response, considering everyone loves the new Chick-fil-A, and I was curious if she even liked Chick-fil-A. She continued to answer by saying, “Of course I do, I just don’t use my flex dollars there because we already get to swipe our meal card for dinner or lunch.” Hearing her response, I was impressed because she made a valid point. Being a student myself, I view flex money the same way and have also only used my flex dollars at Starbucks while using my meal swipes at Chick-fil-A.
I later went to Chick-fil-A during dinner time and approached junior Jayla Johnson who I know is a regular at Chick-fil-A. I asked her where her flex money has been spent so far this year, and sure enough, her response was, “Chick-fil-A of course! I am here almost every night grubbing on my food and most likely sipping on a shake! I have to have my strips and shake every Friday, so that’s what my flex dollars are reserved for!” We continued to converse, and Jayla explained that the reason she uses all her flex dollars at Chick-fil-A is because the limited meal exchange options “can get old” and she would like to eat other things that are on the menu. I can agree with Jayla’s statement because I also find myself having to eat at the cafeteria for more variety.
Flex money has been very important and valuable for students this year, and as the year continues, more and more students will have to decide what they want to spend it on: Chick-fil-A or Starbucks.
Photo by Finau Fakahua