One Stop Shop Offers More for Students

By Connect Mason Reporter Jacqueline Bowen

A new convenience store opened in Blueridge Hall last Wednesday, providing new food options for Mason students and giving Chesapeake and DUCC residents a place to get a quick snack close to home.

The One Stop Patriot Shop, open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, offers some choices not found in the Johnson Center’s Express, including soymilk, cereal, 12-packs of soda and a selection of frozen drinks.

There were still a few bare walls and empty shelves on the store’s opening day. According to supervisor Jessica Puryear, the store is still choosing new inventory, and students can directly influence what it will offer. Right now this can happen fast. When several students noticed that the store offered dip but no chips to go with it, the staff added it to their list of items to order the next day.

Though the store didn’t draw the huge crowds and long lines common to the Express, enthusiasm from the students who live closest to the store seemed high.

“Honestly, this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen, including my sister’s birth,” joked Eva Donnelly, a sophomore. “This has so much potential. It’s like my own little Wawa.”

Donnelly said she participated in one of the student committees that helped decide what the new store would offer. While she didn’t see as much healthy food as she had asked for, she was excited to see a milkshake machine.

Some students said the best thing about the store was how close it was to their dorms, while others were happy to see specific drinks and snacks.

“Now they have slushies, which is what I’m excited about,” said Cephas Battle, a sophomore. “I’m sure they’re going to keep bringing more and more stuff, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Within the next few weeks, the One Stop Patriot Shop expects to get eggs, lactaid, more TV dinners, and different varieties of fresh fruit. According to Puryear, the store will continue to change its stock in response to student suggestions as long as it is open.