The Journal

Issue date: 12/1/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Katie Clancy The price of a 20 oz. bottle of soda has increased from $1.00 to $1.25.

If every penny counts, even the slightest price increase does not go unnoticed. Prices of vending items across the campus rose between 5 and 25 cents in early November.

"Prices went up because the cost of business went up," said Doug Stuhlmann of St. Louis Vendors.

Webster University has a contract with St. Louis Vendors to provide the campus with vending machines. Stuhlmann said such business costs might be related to fuel costs, insurance prices and the cost of products.

Ted Hoef, dean of student affairs, is the Webster contact for St. Louis Vendors.

"They've done a great job of holding down price increases as long as they could," Hoef said.

Despite the fact that the increase was the first in several years, students were upset they were going to have to pay more for snacks and sodas.

"It bums me out I have to fish extra coins out of my pocket," said senior film production major Joel Schad as he purchased cookies from a Sverdrup vending machine.

Schad said he used to buy at least one item from a vending machine every day he came to school but due to the price increase he's cut back on his purchases.

"I had to pay 65 cents for this," said junior broadcast journalism major Brittni Lombardo, pointing to her can of Coke. "And I had to go digging through my purse to find it. It's just a hassle."

Canned soda used to cost 50 cents in Sverdrup vending machines.

The money used to purchase items from the vending machines primarily goes back to St. Louis Vendors to pay for products and employees.

"A percentage of those sales comes back to the university for utilities used for the vending machines," Hoef said.

Because of the contractual agreement between the company and the university, Hoef said he could not divulge the exact percentage that comes back to Webster.

The vending machines often hold different items from week to week to provide a change of routine for consumers.

"It's to provide the consumer with choices and options," Stuhlmann said, "so the students, faculty and staff don't see the same thing."

Hoef said St. Louis Vendors has been faithful to the school.

"They've served the campus very well for many, many years," Hoef said. "When they came to us and requested new prices, we saw it as something that just had to be done."

Andrea Noble contributed information for this story.

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