College Hill boasts many options for students to satisfy their late night hunger pangs, but it could cost them - local convenience stores vary widely in their pricing, from the relatively cheap Store24 and CVS to the far more expensive Campus Market.
So where are the best bargains? The Herald conducted a comparison of four typical college student buys - a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, a 20-ounce VitaminWater, a 10-ounce box of Cheez-It and a bowl of Betty Crocker Bowl Appetit - at five local convenience stores: Store 24, CVS and Metro Mart on Thayer Street, Eastside Mini-Mart on Brook Street and Campus Market, which is run by the University and accepts FlexPoints.
Store 24, a popular location for late-night munchie runs, proved to be the cheapest source for Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which cost $3.89 without tax. A bottle of VitaminWater is available for $1.49, a box of Cheez-It costs $3.29 and a Bowl Appetit goes for $1.89.
"Our prices are comparable, and in most cases lower, than supermarkets'," said Store 24 General Manager Joe Maraia. "Our prices have come down quite a bit."
Store 24 carries produce, which is bought from a market in Boston twice a week. It is also the only carrier of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on College Hill.
While patronage by Brown students hasn't been as good as usual lately, "we still love 'em", he said.
A short walk up Thayer Street, at Cushing Street, is CVS. The drug store stocks snack foods at low prices: Cheez-Its were $3.19, a Bowl Appetit were a low $1.79, and a pint of Ben & Jerry's was $3.99. CVS didn't, however, carry produce or VitaminWater.
Eastside Mini-Mart is on Brook Street across from Barbour Hall. The store carries a larger selection than several of its competitors, but prices here ran a bit higher than Store24 and CVS.
A pint of Ben & Jerry's at Eastside Mini-Mart costs $3.99 without tax - a dime more than what Store24 charges. VitaminWater is $1.69 and a box of Cheez-It is $3.65. The Bowl Appetit was $2.25.
Eastside Mini-Mart's produce - some of it organic - comes from Rocks, a Rhode Island-based distributor.
"Prices are strong in some areas and high in others," said Eastside Mini-Mart Manager Dave Faria. "You have to average them." He pointed to the store's low milk prices "below supermarket price" as an example.
Metro Mart, a more recent addition to the area, has a small selection and tended to be pricer. Ben & Jerry's here was more expensive than even at the Gate, at $4.99 a pint. VitaminWater was $1.59. A 13-ounce box of Cheese Nips was $3.79. Metro Mart does not carry Bowl Appetit or produce.
However Campus Market, the University-run store in Faunce House, was the most expensive of the five stores.
Campus Market does not stock Ben & Jerry's, though pints are sold at the Gate for $4.50. A bottle of VitaminWater costs a whopping $2.25, and a box of Cheez-It is sold for $3.55. One Bowl Appetit was $3.75, more than a dollar more expensive than at Eastside Mini-Mart and more than two dollars higher than at Store 24.
Some see redemption in Campus Market, however, in its selection of organic foods from well-known brands, such as Nature's Path and Spaa Cuisine.
The produce there, consisting mostly of apples, is purchased from Community Fruit Land, a distributor based in Cranston.
Campus Market's current priority is to incorporate healthier options, such as fresh foods from a farmers' market, said Leanne Evangelist, professional manager for the Blue Room and Campus Market.
A suggestion board is up, and Campus Market will try "to fulfill those requests as much as possible," Evangelist said.
So the next time you're looking to score some snacks, it could pay to walk a little further in the cold.
