Arts block co-op

panda100

Hey-just wondering if anyone decided to boycott the arts cafe today-there was these red and white posters up everywhere about it??

I for one didnt,cos I think the arts cafe runs the best service on campus.It is opened almost till 10 every night,on the weekends and during the summer hols(great for reapeat students!) When ever I'm doing a long hard slog in the library I often go down to hilpers for a break at around half 8 in the evening cos its the onlly placed open.
If you compare this to the grind,which is opened for about four hours during peak times from monday to friday,then of course the arts cafe has to raise its prices slightly.The grind is opened at lunch hours only for maximum profit.There is often only abut 4 people in hilpers at around half8 but its a service that students studying in the library need.The grind and other outlets such as the restaurant only have to pay staff for normal working hours,during the week.The hilpers staff have to work evenings and weekends.I hope the mini protest today doesnt mean that hilpers will have to cut back its hours and shut down on the weekends in order to give us 60cent of our coffee.Hilpers is invaluble to those who study in the library,on the weekend and late into the night.

Dunno,this is the way I look at the co-op,what do others think?

Red Alert

Well the question is are Hilpers profiteering or not? Yes they're open 'till late, and so are 911 if i'm not mistaken (although I would choose Hilpers defo over 911). However their quality is mediocre for the price you pay, compared to for example Insomnia.

On the whole I think that a long hard look needs to be taken at the way in which all commercial establishments operate in UCD. Maybe the SU or somebody else need to sit down and start a pressure-group to deal with rip off pricing on campus in general. Compared to trinners where outlets near campus compete on price, UCD is fair game, because let's face it none of us are getting on the 46A to get our coffee.

Mr.Nice Guy

panda100 wrote:

I for one didnt,cos I think the arts cafe runs the best service on campus.It is opened almost till 10 every night,on the weekends and during the summer hols(great for reapeat students!) When ever I'm doing a long hard slog in the library I often go down to hilpers for a break at around half 8 in the evening cos its the onlly placed open.
If you compare this to the grind,which is opened for about four hours during peak times from monday to friday,then of course the arts cafe has to raise its prices slightly.The grind is opened at lunch hours only for maximum profit.There is often only abut 4 people in hilpers at around half8 but its a service that students studying in the library need.The grind and other outlets such as the restaurant only have to pay staff for normal working hours,during the week.The hilpers staff have to work evenings and weekends.I hope the mini protest today doesnt mean that hilpers will have to cut back its hours and shut down on the weekends in order to give us 60cent of our coffee.Hilpers is invaluble to those who study in the library,on the weekend and late into the night.

I can't believe this. Hilpers are gangsters who try to squeeze every last cent out of students. I bought a snack bar once and I was charged over 80 cents. That's f*cked up right there. Even buying something like a banana requires about a euro. I hate them.

I want to see that shop out of business. They exploit students.

John_C

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

I can't believe this. Hilpers are gangsters who try to squeeze every last cent out of students. I bought a snack bar once and I was charged over 80 cents. That's f*cked up right there. Even buying something like a banana requires about a euro. I hate them.

I want to see that shop out of business. They exploit students.

Buy your snack bar and banana in a shop and you won't pay café prices. The SU ownes about half the businesses on campus. If hilpers are profiteering it shouldn't be too difficult to undercut them. The basic choice I have is that I can get a cup of instant coffee for 90c from the SU or a cup of nice coffee for 1.50 in hilpers. I'm happy enough with that choice.

getyourENDAway

its a total rip off, people who go in are even worse for supporting them, i think we should stop going in,that is the only way they will listen.

Fair play to lads for organising it!!!

arbeitsscheuer

John_C wrote:

Buy your snack bar and banana in a shop and you won't pay café prices. The SU ownes about half the businesses on campus. If hilpers are profiteering it shouldn't be too difficult to undercut them. The basic choice I have is that I can get a cup of instant coffee for 90c from the SU or a cup of nice coffee for 1.50 in hilpers. I'm happy enough with that choice.

Nice coffee?

You're 'avin a larf mate. It's just brown an' fcukin' water...

Got a lovely cuppa coffee from the SU co-op for bout 80c today.
Now that's a bargain right there. As Enda said, fair play to the lads for organisin' it...

Pythia

I've hardly ever bought anything from the Arts Cafe. A yoghurt twice, maybe a Danish once. I don't drink coffee or tea.

Riamfada

The coffee in the arts cafe is poor quality charged a top prices. That 1:50 cup filter coffee is the cheapest on the market. And its a disgrace that they charge those prices for expresso based coffee from a machine in a paper cup. Arts Cafe have some cheek but whats worse is the customers who pump it full of money anyway.

John_C

SebtheBum wrote:

Nice coffee?

You're 'avin a larf mate. It's just brown an' fcukin' water.

Well I quite like it but we each have our own tastes. There's plenty of choice on campus so we can each get our favourite. Hilpers does seem to be quite popular so they're obviously doing something right.

Riamfada

John_C wrote:

Hilpers does seem to be quite popular so they're obviously doing something right.

Location location and Ucd students. Most of them have more Euros then brains

anonymous_joe

I've used in once in all my time in UCD. (Since September). I used it more before I came here.

arbeitsscheuer

anonymous_joe wrote:

I've used in once in all my time in UCD. (Since September). I used it more before I came here.

Used? You make it sound like an illegal narcotic...

I mean I know going to Hilpers evokes feelings of helpless middle-class guilt and almost illicit pleasure, but that's just ridiculous...

Riamfada

Its like a cross between old bewleys, old kylemore, my grannies kitchen.

The funny thing is the stuff from the Co-op stand is better then the **** from the cafe. I never once seen them clean those machines.

John_C

Grimes wrote:

Location location and Ucd students. Most of them have more Euros then brains

There's probably an element of truth to that. I never went there when I was an undergrad but now that I'm a grant sponging postgrad I'm in a couple of times a week.

I do genuinely think it's very tastey though. I'm based in the eng block so it's not exactly my local but whenever myself and the lads are going for coffee that's usually where we head.

The co-op is a good idea but I think that selling good quality cheap coffee from the SU shops & bars would be better in the long term.

Riamfada

I think what they are saying is the prices are to high for the standards in Arts cafe. They charge above manual expresso prices for the (in my opinion devil created) instant expresso beans cutting out all the quality and labour costs..... Its like charging Parker prices for a Bic Biro and watching people que to pay for it.

It pains me... PAINS ME . I die a little when i see people pay for that plop

hullaballoo

There's nothing wrong with Hilper's' prices on coffee. It's got a good kick to it, and it's only €1.50 a cup. Nothing would make me give up my 3-5 cups of coffee a day in there.

The only real issue is that the sandwiches etc are well over-priced. That's not really something I think the SU should be wasting time and money on. If somebody feels that the sandwiches there are too expensive, they have the choice to go elsewhere.

Frankly, the SU should butt out and let economics work their course like in the real world. That way they can focus their resources on real issues like education and students.

arbeitsscheuer

Lotsa ppl complain about the sandwich prices, but I think that's a non-starter.

Spar Sandwiches in City Centre: 3.95
Equivalent sandwich at Hilpers: 4.00

Spar: City Centre, competition from Centra, Londis, Epicurean Food Hall
Hilpers: Competition from SU manky-mc-mank sandwiches and In-Breach-Of-Public-Health-Act Restaurant/Canteen

I rest my case.

Riamfada

Not to mention the frequent BLTs without any Bs.

I love me €4 tomato sambos

scop

Overpriced- Arts cafe, its not even up for debate.

Far play to the lads.

orangerooster

Use the café because I drink coke and its a handy/only place for me to get it. However they wouldnt honour my winning labels (3 that were off bottles I had bought in the café!) wont be going back in a hurry considering a shop in town gave me the three free bottles despite me never being in it before.

I dont drink coffee or tea so wouldnt know about quality etc. but being open late doesnt seem to be an excuse for the descriptions my friends have made of the coffeee thats sold at high, high prices. Fair play to cheaper stuff people.

Riamfada

and they made a packet aswell.

Young Siward

yeah i bought some coffee off Enda, fair play to the lad and the rest of the gang. Having said that Hilpers was as crammed as ever at lunch time, even with some punters adorned with the 'Fight the Rip off' label. Bizarre.

Having said that, I do go in for a couple of coffees every single day. Only way to stay awake in some of the lectures....

Seraphina

i go in to rob plastic spoons for my yoghurts. if im stuck in later than i expect i'll buy a sambo, but everything is overpriced, and half the time the banana's are so green they arent edible! then they go charging you 70cents for a tiny one when they probably buy them for that price a kilo!!
its too expensive to buy anything on campus tbh. i bring my own lunch with me every day. speaking of which i should go make my sambo for tomorrow now...

Riamfada

Do you have to pay for milk in the Arts cafe?

tintinr35

has anyone else noticed how about half of the su shop on the ground floor of the library building is not really used, if they were so concerned about students paying high prices why not open an su coffee shop at the back of the current shop where one can get take away coffee at a low price and sit in the seats outside the shop (same as hilpers tbh) and if they did so it wud be more convienent for those in the library and more central seen as its en route to student centre, ag science, building, science building, sports centre etc!!! use your heads and quit talking from your hole ucdsu

Red Alert

you can in fact get tea/coffee in the SU shops for 1 euro i think. but yeah the machine's in a very inaccessible position. maybe if they had a couple of them in a more easy-to-get-at part of the shop it might help.

Blush_01

If you want something, you have to pay for it. Yes, we're students, but we have a choice as to what we do. If you want Hilper's coffee and tea at Hilper's prices, do that. If you don't, go to the SU, 911, Mick Donnells, Insomnia, one of the bars - nobody is forcing your hand. But for fúck sake, grow the hell up. Just because we're students doesn't mean we're entitled to everything at cost price. Think the SU doesn't make a profit on what it sells in the SU shops?

If you were that serious about saving money, you'd bring a flask of tea or coffee in to college, or invest in your own kettle. You'd make your own sandwiches, bring in your own fruit, chocolate etc. So it's not about the money, it's about making a political issue out of something that's not really that big a deal. You don't like Hilper's? Don't bloody shop there! It really IS that simple.

Riamfada

I wouldnt see a problem id Hilpers gave a good quality service for the price they are charging. And the staff (manager really) dosnt make any friends with any of the customers in his attitude

Red Alert

i've never encountered this guy - what's his deal?

i think the SU are entitled to compete with private enterprises on cost reasons and shouldn't be in any way hampered by the college. the SU shops are cheaper for almost everything than any of their compeditors.

Pythia

Excellent post Blush, couldn't agree with you more.

tintinr35

Grimes wrote:

I wouldnt see a problem id Hilpers gave a good quality service for the price they are charging. And the staff (manager really) dosnt make any friends with any of the customers in his attitude

well grimes tbh i dont think he is there to make friends! i doubt any of us wud be happy bunnies if we were workin there!!

panda100

Blush_01 wrote:

If you want something, you have to pay for it. Yes, we're students, but we have a choice as to what we do.

Aye theres the rub!!You see we dont have a choice!!
Anyone who has lived on campus will know that hilpers is the only place opened at the weekend and during holidays.For international students,who are living on campus 24/7 it is the only place for them to go and have a coffee at the weekend.Also,anyone who studys till late at night will know that hilpers is the only place where you can relax and get a cofee after 8.Its also opened during the summer holidays for resit students.If they cut back hours to reduce prices then it would be a sore loss to campus life.

The grind,mick donnells and the retaurant all close early and arent opened at weekends, or if they are are only opened at lunch/dinner time for maximum profit.One things I like about Brady(i dont know why students dislike him ) is his slow progress in making belfield a 24 hour campus,but battaling against the su co-op is making this very hard for the college to do.I wish the people running the co-op had a bit more foresight with their mini hilpers protest.Why dont they rally the su shops,the grind,mick donnels to open later and longer.Then this will force hilpers to reduce prices and also make the student centre a more sociable place in the evening time,instead of the ghost building it turns into at 6 O'Clock.

The_Minister

panda100 wrote:

mick donnells.

We have a McDonalds??:eek:


The protest is an unfair comparison. They have to pay for labour, employee insurance, public access insurance etc (do they pay rent?). Thus it is an unfair comparison. Besides they have a right to make a profit.

arbeitsscheuer

tintinr35 wrote:

well grimes tbh i dont think he is there to make friends! i doubt any of us wud be happy bunnies if we were workin there!!

Then why is that South-east Asian bird always in a good mood whenever I'm in there?

She's nice enuff, why does the manager have to be a complete prat?

Red Alert

the SU shops could be much bigger if they tried. they're also really essential: we wouldn't know what to do without the one in Eng.

panda has it spot-on about the student centre: i definitely think it should be more hospitable until say 9pm. open the shop, the grind, turn the volume up and maybe have the odd live act in there for example one that mightn't pull a crowd to the student bar but wouldn't drive people away

m1ke

I think the quality in hilpers aka the arts cafe aka the cafe formerly know as finnegans break serves up muck quality food. I haven't bought an item of food there besides a chocolate bar in about two years now. Saying all this, i've been tanking about a litre of coffee a day back in the place. I think the coffee is fine - slightly on the pricey side but relatively speaking normal.

I would have supported the boycott, from the hours of 9.30am - 1pm and 2pm - 5.30pm. There is definitely room for better quality. Insomnia serves just about the minimum standard of edible food - everywhere else on campus serves buckets of radioactive slop - but you need to take out a small mortgage if you want to eat there everyday.

The_Minister

m1ke wrote:

I think the quality in hilpers aka the arts cafe aka the cafe formerly know as finnegans break serves up muck quality food. I haven't bought an item of food there besides a chocolate bar in about two years now.

So how the hell do you know??

arbeitsscheuer

Firespinner wrote:

So how the hell do you know??

The place is p*ss-easy to steal from, mate... And in fact, that's the only way you can be 100% sure of gettin your money's worth!:D

rain on

which one's the manager? is he the older irish guy? there's a younger irish guy who's been there for ages and is sound - gave me free stuff before when i got to the counter and realised i'd forgotten my wallet.
i don't mind hilper's, though i do see the points others are making about it being the only place open late or at weekends. i use it for pure convenience - i study in C218 and when i want my tea and flapjack i just run down the stairs, grab it and head back up to work, no leaving the arts block etc. other people who study in here make their tea up here, but that involves going to the su shop for a carton of milk which'll go off if it's not used (we don't have a fridge, strictly speaking we're not meant to have a kettle either because it's a fire hazard. but that's getting into the pain in the hole that the english dept admin are.. and that's a whole other story)

Mr.Nice Guy

Blush_01 wrote:

If you want something, you have to pay for it. Yes, we're students, but we have a choice as to what we do. If you want Hilper's coffee and tea at Hilper's prices, do that. If you don't, go to the SU, 911, Mick Donnells, Insomnia, one of the bars - nobody is forcing your hand.

If your friends are in there you're going to buy something to eat with them. It doesn't mean they have to bleed us dry.

Blush_01 wrote:

But for fúck sake, grow the hell up.

Eh? What's your problem? Work there do you? Don't be so hostile when students fight back against being ripped off. Maybe you should grow the fúck up?

Blush_01 wrote:

Just because we're students doesn't mean we're entitled to everything at cost price.

Doesn't mean we're entitled to sit idly by and take being ripped off either.

Blush_01 wrote:

If you were that serious about saving money, you'd bring a flask of tea or coffee in to college, or invest in your own kettle. You'd make your own sandwiches, bring in your own fruit, chocolate etc. So it's not about the money, it's about making a political issue out of something that's not really that big a deal. You don't like Hilper's? Don't bloody shop there! It really IS that simple.

That's not simple, that's surrender. Prices are bad so just ignore it. That's your solution. Well I think it's pathetic.

I support those who took a stand against Hilpers. That place is a shambles.

The_Minister

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

If your friends are in there you're going to buy something to eat with them. It doesn't mean they have to bleed us dry.

If you want to use their facilities pay.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Eh? What's your problem? Work there do you? Don't be so hostile when students fight back against being ripped off. Maybe you should grow the fúck up?.

Her **** was from frustration, yours was an insult. (just thought id mention it)

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Doesn't mean we're entitled to sit idly by and take being ripped off either..

Of course we are entitled. As the nice lady said go somewhere else.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

That's not simple, that's surrender. Prices are bad so just ignore it. That's your solution. Well I think it's pathetic..

Surrender? Its not a battle its an election campaign for a certain SU person. If enough people ignore it and go elsewhere prices go down law of economics.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

I support those who took a stand against Hilpers. That place is a shambles.

If its such a shambles why do so many people go there

Riamfada

I think its the fact that there is no reason to charge such prices and offer such a low quality service. Im sure people go there but many people would request a better service from UCD although the Arts Cafe is privatly run. And without some activisim by certain circle no positive change would ever arise in the college.

Mr.Nice Guy

Firespinner wrote:

If you want to use their facilities pay.

I don't pay to use their facilities. Do you think I should have to?

Firespinner wrote:

Her **** was from frustration, yours was an insult. (just thought id mention it)

I felt frustrated at being insulted. (just thought I'd mention it)

Firespinner wrote:

Of course we are entitled. As the nice lady said go somewhere else.

The nice lady suggested we do nothing about it. There's a difference between an organised boycott and ignoring the place altogether.

Firespinner wrote:

Surrender? Its not a battle its an election campaign for a certain SU person.

It is a battle. It's not an election campaign.

Firespinner wrote:

If enough people ignore it and go elsewhere prices go down law of economics.

So why the hostility towards those who called for a boycott?

Firespinner wrote:

If its such a shambles why do so many people go there

Because it's conveniently located.

Do you think the prices are fair there?

panda100

Firespinner wrote:

Surrender? Its not a battle its an election campaign for a certain SU person. If enough people ignore it and go elsewhere prices go down law of economics.

Exactly!!If he really wanted to make a difference then he would do what I proposed in my previous post about lobbying moss green to open the restaurant and grind for longer.But there is no glory that way,because no one can see you making a noise and kicking up a fuss about it.When your running an election campaign you want to be seen and noticed so of course the best way to do this is to stand outside of the arts block 'pretending' to help students.When actually it could have a negative impact on all of us,particularly foreign students on campus if hilpers reduce their prices by reducing hours.The best thing would be to get in touch with the managers of the grind and mick donnells privately and try and work something out.Just like world aid soc did with the fairtrade campaign which is full steam ahead but without all the glory.Unlike enda duffy's very vocal and obvious campaign with no apparent results.

scop

I am no socialist but it is obvious that coffee is not worth the prices charged in teh Arts cafe, it is simply absurd to expect students, often un waged to pay such prices. Not everybody can afford coffee at that price, it is easy in a place liek UCD to assume we are all fine and have money in our pockets but it is not always the case.

Only in Ireland and only in a Uni such as UCD would you find students of all people defending a shop with 4euro sandwiches, its is simply insane to believe sandwiches like the ones sold there are worth even remotely that price.

singingstranger

Simple and shameful fact, folks: they wouldn't be charging those prices if people weren't paying them. Clearly the problem is that we can afford them...

Riamfada

Exaclty why are people defending these prices? Its mind boggling.

humbert

singingstranger wrote:

Simple and shameful fact, folks: they wouldn't be charging those prices if people weren't paying them. Clearly the problem is that we can afford them...

'Enough' of us can afford them, in ucd some of the students are very well off but many aren't, so Hilpers simply caters for the ones that are well enough off not to be bothered about the over charging...

Vainglory

To me, the most scandalous thing about the Arts Café is that they charge
70c for a cup of hot tap water. Indefensible.

Mr.Nice Guy

Grimes wrote:

Exaclty why are people defending these prices? Its mind boggling.

I concur.

tintinr35

if there was decent competition on campus then they would soon change their prices, dcu have a starbucks!!!