Photo Guy Ackermans It is no news that the world is currently facing a financial crisis, and under this premise company managers argue that global market prices must be adjusted. It has been brought to my attention that at the Grand Café in Forum the cost of a cappuccino has risen to three euros. And this is not the first time the prices there have gone up.
Such price adjustments make me wonder who is paying for these increases, or to put it in another way who are most affected by this inflation. If you are thinking students, you are right. I know for sure that students (some 13,564 at WUR) are the principal consumers of such products at the Grand Café. And students are not getting their salaries increased in times of inflation. It is true that students have access to vending machine alternatives at lower prices; nevertheless, the quality is not the same.
Students are not getting their salaries increased in times of inflation
The increases are not only for coffee but for other consumer goods as well. While such increases happen, I suspect the quality, and perhaps the conditions in which these goods are offered, remain the same. Hence, I’d like to put the spotlight on this matter by urging Wageningen University and the catering companies to rethink their strategies regarding price adjustments, the quality of their goods and pricing conditions for students.
Willy Contreras-Avilés (36) is in the final year of his PhD research on the biochemistry of medicinal cannabis. He comes from Panama. He likes to dance (perreo), cook Italian food and swim.
