Proximity of market makes it valuable


Grocery shopping is a time-consuming and inconvenient activity for many USC students living on or around campus. With Superior Grocers a pretty unpopular choice and the more frequented Ralphs a half-mile away, students without immediate access to a car must walk to the store and struggle home lugging their groceries.

Edwin Rodriguez | Daily Trojan

 

For something as seemingly simple as grocery shopping, the lack of options in the immediate area surrounding USC has made shopping unnecessarily difficult.

With a new Fresh & Easy on its way to a spot underneath University Gateway, however, students will finally be able to get quality food easily.

Construction began Nov. 8, and it is expected to be completed as soon as December or January. Students will soon have a much easier and less stressful time with their grocery shopping.

As a major university in one of the world’s largest cities, it is surprising USC has only recently seen such commercial developments in the surrounding community that cater to its students.

Especially important for USC’s students is easy access to a trusted grocery store that exists for the purpose of serving students, the prior absence of which has inconvenienced students for far too long.

The new Fresh & Easy is a godsend for students already scatterbrained from jam-packed schedules, removing the burden of carefully planned trips to Ralphs.  It’s a welcome addition for those students who would prefer not to have to plan their days around grocery shopping.

Not everyone, however, is thrilled with the idea of the supermarket. Critics of the new Fresh & Easy argue that it would be a superfluous addition because of the presence of Superior in the University Village. Superior is popular among local residents, but some students have voiced their concerns.

Though the prices at Superior might be lower, the store was not built for students and thus does not necessarily provide the best grocery options for them. Just because it is there does not mean it has to be our only or most convenient option when it comes to grocery shopping and what we eat.

Superior has a devoted clientele that has likely been shopping there for years, so criticisms about Fresh & Easy potentially taking revenue from it would be incorrect, until its destruction when construction begins on the new U.V.

Relatively few students regularly buy their food from Superior, so Fresh & Easy would not take a significant number of customers away from them or do any damage to the local community.

The space at Gateway that will house the new grocery store could not have been better utilized.

Not only is University Gateway right next to campus and in proximity to most student housing, it is itself one of the most popular housing choices for students and a hub for students’ Yogurtland stops and late-night Freebirds runs. The addition of a Fresh & Easy is essentially the finishing touch on an already impressive retail collection.

 

Sarah Cueva is a sophomore majoring in political science. Her point ran Fridays. 

1 reply

Comments are closed.