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Hub Horror Stories
Am I the only one who thinks the Hub is run by a bunch of escaped convicts currently running some sort of shady college eatery scam? I actually suspect that the employees of The Hub might be former carneys who have now turned their attention from “Hit The Milk Jugs with a Ball” to “Collect thousands of stupid college kids meal plan dollars.” I have, on a number of occasions, seen them lie to, intimidate, overcharge, or poorly serve 5C students.
But before I continue with my allegations, let me put forth a few examples that illustrate my opinion. The following are actual experiences from my own visits to The Hub:
Exhibit A:
11:30pm on a Friday night:
Drunk Girl: Hey, can I get some chicken fingers?
Shady Hub Employee: Nah, how about one of these sandwiches by the register?
Drunk Girl: Mmm. I really want chicken fingers.
Shady Hub Employee: We’re all out. Have a sandwich.
Drunk Girl: Um…looks at kid walking away with chicken fingers … I guess that’s ok.
Shady Hub Employee: Takes girls card, that will be 16.05.
Drunk Girl: …Hmmm… trying to compute that doesn’t sound right…
Shady Hub Employee: Next!
___________
Exhibit B:
8:25pm on a Wednesday evening:
Me: Hi, I’d like to get a meal replacement.
Shady Hub Employee: Sorry, that ended at 8:30.
Me: Well, it’s 8:25, so this is perfect.
Shady Hub Employee: No, it’s not.
Me: Um… the clock on the cash register and the one above your head say 8:26… and my phone says 8:26.
Shady Hub Employee: Uh… The clocks are fast. We’re not doing no more replacements. walks into back room
Me: thinks about “the clocks are fast” …Um …ok…
___________
Exhibit C:
Some weeknight, during listed Hub hours.
The Hub gate is closed but the lights are on. The Hub Employees are playing pool. They say they will open up again in about fifteen minutes.
___________
Now I’d like to juxtapose the Hub’s business practices with those of The Coop and The Mudd Hole. Sure, I don’t think anyone would say the workers at The Coop are exactly zealous in their work ethic — in fact, I have to admit I’m pretty sure I’ve seen cashiers stoned to the point of being incapable of speech. But still, the workers at The Coop have never been rude to me. They’ve never blatantly lied to me. So maybe they are occasionally debilitatingly high, no biggie. Some would say th
at makes them a bit more empathetic to their often inebriated customers.
I like the idea of the Hub being student run but I don’t think it’s a necessity. The Mudd Hole is obviously not run by students yet I’ve never been anything less than delighted with my sandwiches there. The guy who works at the cashier, although protective of his pool table, at least never bullies me.
It’s too bad I can’t say the same at our own campus eatery. I appreciate CMC having its own place to eat and I do like the meal replacement (whether or not a meal swipe is really worth a hot dog and a coke is another discussion) but it frustrates me that The Hub doesn’t make the extra effort to improve customer service.
The ability to grab a burger at 12:30pm, only feet from North Quad, is in principle, incredible, but in practice, unnecessarily sleazy. Must our campus grill resemble a dilapidated church basement? Must its employees act as if they’re slinging mini-donuts behind the “Barf-a-Whirl?”
I’d like to hear what others feel about our local restaurant. Have others had similar experiences?
More posts by Carl »
Carl Peaslee
Carl Peaslee, the Life Editor, is currently a junior at CMC where he is majoring in Literature. At The Forum, Carl mercilessly edits articles, writes angry tirades, and tries to avoid J-Boarding for inflammatory power point presentations. Carl's life goal is to continue to trick people into paying for his writing.
6 Comments
2009-06-07
16:06:00
I had a really odd Hubb experience where I went and bought the same soda -- Jones' Root Beer -- at different times on different shifts. I was charged three different prices and yes, I do have the receipts that confirm this.
Also, I have an ethical Hub related question: If you're there, the lights are on and no one is there, can you just leave the money and walk away? Or do you have to wait for them to rematerialize?
2009-06-08
17:47:19
this is the most useful comment you have ever posted Charles. Good show! I also think you should just leave the money and go.. the question is, which amount will you leave?
2009-06-08
21:41:11
ASCMC should take over the Hub. Can they be any worse than the current management? The Coop is student-run and while I have no idea if it's profitable or efficient, seems to be more successful than the Hub. What makes that model successful at Pomona and how can we adapt it for CMC?
2009-06-09
09:06:49
Yeah, the Hub is pretty bad, but it was even worse last year.
I think ASCMC taking over the Hub would share some of the same problems as any government when taking control of private business (OK, it's a stretch, but read the article below). We have enough trouble running the yearbook (which ran at an operating loss this year), partly because the yearbook editor is paid a fixed stipend and has little incentive to minimize costs. Unless student managers were given equity stakes in the business, I don't see it working. Like any non-profit, ASCMC is better served to spend money than raise it.
See: "Why Government Can't Run a Business" by John Gordon at the WSJ
(At Pomona, the Coop isn't really "student-run." It has student employees, but it has Pomona College staff overseeing operations.)
2009-06-09
13:44:45
I've found that the most reliable indicator of what price I will pay for a bottle of VitaminWater is the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
2009-06-11
12:41:14
Also, the Hub store contains some questionable items. Twice have I bought a drink, opened it, and taken a few gulps, only to see the terrific mold spores floating around, seemingly multiplying by the minute.