As the bell of Hancock Place High School rings, students eagerly move to their next class of the day. Some however, not without a stop on the way.
Tiger Treats, the school store of HPHS, has officially opened mid September welcoming students to buy food and drink items between classes. The store is open after 2nd hour, after Targeted Learning Time (TLT), and after 2nd lunch.
It is important that this source of business for school has new and useful ideas to make it enjoyable for students.
Mr. Jim Meyer, Business and Marketing Teacher at HPHS is in charge of Tiger Treats. He recognizes the importance of understanding what the students actually want in the store.
“We are currently conducting market research to determine the best time to be open and provide the products that the students want among other things,” Meyer said.
The Business and Marketing class is currently sending out surveys via email to ask students their opinions on inventory to offer and improvements they’d like to see in the store.
“That will help us determine the best times to be open to best serve the students,” Meyer said.
Freshman Mikayla Bell who works in accounting and inventory for Tiger Treats really enjoys her job and the work she does for the store.
“What I enjoy most about working at the school store is we all work together really well and we learn how to compromise to get things done and find out what you all want,” Bell said.
With a mass of students coming everyday the school is able to thrive on profits and properly provide for its students.
“Tiger Treats is consistently busy during the time it is open,” Meyer stated. “Sales vary depending on the day, but we’re happy that the store is self-sustaining and allows us to reinvest profits back into providing products to the students.”
Tiger Treats’ consistent funding helps students and teachers get all that they need. With student feedback, the store can continue to get the money needed to stay running.
A convenient schedule has allowed the store to stay running for shoppers. However, the store hasn’t come without its challenges after opening.
“ Like any business, we’ve faced challenges such as keeping enough inventory of popular items, managing long lines during busy times, and making sure we follow all school guidelines.” Meyer said.
Tiger Treats is currently located on the third floor of the high school which is a convenient spot for passer by shoppers. However, this could pose a hazard and cause blockages for students also trying to get to class. Situations like absent workers and long lines can pose a problem regarding the school policy and student safety.
Challenges like these though have never posed a threat to shutting down the store. It provides opportunities for learning and improvement.
Solutions like quicker customer service and prospects of delivery to students has helped to crack down on what they can do to fix these challenges.
We are exploring the idea of adding pre-order options to make it more convenient for the students. Also, currently we are a cash store, but we are looking at other payment options. Meyer said.
“Each challenge has helped the class learn real business problem-solving skills.”
New developments and improvements make going to the school store a more exciting experience.
“Something that people should know about the school store is we are going to do a card deal and the prices are not too high so feel free to stop and buy something,” Bell said.
As new updates and improvements for the store are soon to come, Meyer and the entire Business and Marketing team are ready to serve.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve,” Meyer said, “whether that’s introducing new products, updating our marketing, creating special promotions, or making the checkout process faster. Student feedback is a big part of how we decide what’s next.”