During the summer, Dickinson has made several changes to the campus. Paper towels are scarcer than before, Drayer Hall has opened after being under construction all of last year and the Free xChange for used clothing has been relocated to the old mail room. Additionally, the college has completely renovated the Devil’s Den Convenience Store in the lower level of the HUB.
Once a “quick stop” for snacks, drinks and other essentials, Devil’s Den now offers students more variety and flexibility in its offerings. The convenience store now offers more traditional grocery items. Fresh produce, dairy, eggs, milk and milk alternatives can now consistently be found there, as can bakery products, condiments, breakfast foods, soups, crackers, noodles, sodas, frozen foods and snacks.
The Dickinsonian spoke with Sonya Wright, the Assistant Director of Culinary Services, about these recent renovations. “We are so happy to be able to offer products for students to be able to grab a quick snack or choose groceries to cook in their campus home,” Wright said.
Like most new business endeavors, Devil’s Den had several problems as it opened. Debit and credit card payments took longer to transact during the first few days, student charge is still unavailable to use as a form of payment (though Wright says this will soon be fixed) and the store now operates under limited hours compared to last year. Instead of operating from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Devil’s Den is now open 1 – 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Wright said that Dining Services made this change to “ensure a consistent opening” and that it reviews “hours of operation from semester to semester.”
Another difference students might have observed is a slight change in prices from last semester. The price of eggs has decreased, due to larger economic shifts, while prices for some products have increased as vendors charge more. “If anyone feels that a certain item’s price is not comparable to Wegmans or Giant, I’d be happy to talk with them and see what we can do to fix it, if possible,” Wright said.
While Devil’s Den had its soft opening on August 28, a grand opening will be announced soon. Wright also notes that the store is still stocking new items, which will be available for purchase in the coming weeks. Any announcements or updates about the Devil’s Den’s grand opening and new offerings will be posted to Dining Services’ Instagram account, @dsondining.
