The manager of the Arizona Center Quick Mart, which opened mid-March, said on Saturday the convenience store will give a 10 percent discount to ASU students who show their Sun Card.
Manager Karla Vergopia, 29, said the Arizona Center Quick Mart provides a close location for downtown students to buy various items at affordable prices.
“There are not many choices around, but that doesn’t mean we are going to take advantage of people,” she said.
While the Quick Mart does not accept Maroon and Gold Dollars or Sun Dollars, items are generally cheaper than at the Taylor Place Market.
Some items sold at the Quick Mart, such as Dayquil and NyQuil are more than a dollar cheaper, and in most cases, the student discount brings prices equal to, or at least a few cents cheaper, than at the Taylor Place Market.
Along with traditional convenience store items, such as snacks and sodas, the Quick Mart also sells greeting cards, yoga mats, shoelaces, bra straps, make-up, feminine products, toilet paper, paper towels, games for young kids, blank CDs, medicine, condoms, coffee, tea, candles, car cables and other useful items.
Vergopia said the Quick Mart tries “to have a little bit of everything.”
The Quick Mart is located between Sports World and Oak Creek across from Mi Amigo’s Mexican Grill, and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
However, many downtown students said they are unaware of the store.
Nursing freshman Amanda Smith said she would be interested in shopping at the Quick Mart if it sells different products than the Taylor Place Market.
“People with M&G will use it because the convenience store in Taylor Place is way over-priced in the first place,” Smith said, adding that students without M&G will probably use the Quick Mart more than the Taylor Place convenience store.
Students that are aware of the new Quick Mart will “use it more than Walgreen’s (on North Central Avenue and East Osborn Road) because they won’t have to take the light rail,” Smith said.
While some students showed interest in the new Quick Mart and the student discount, Lars Ward, a communications sophomore, said he thinks students will not use the Quick Mart very often.
“It doesn’t add anything new to the community because we already have a Circle K and a convenience store, so there’s no real advantage to the students to spend money there when we’re forced to use M&G,” Ward said. “It doesn’t provide any advantage to students unless maybe they’re going to the movies.”
Many local business people, tourists, people living in near-by apartments and AMC movie-goers are good customers, Vergopia said, but she wants to branch out to ASU students.
Vergopia said she is open to suggestions and recommendations of what people want to see at the store, and said she wants to cater to students’ needs.
Contact the reporter at kelsea.wasung@asu.edu
