Unlocking Potential: How Weshop Can Elevate the Wesleyan Experience

We live in a world where convenience stores are a big deal. Places like Wawa and Buc-ee’s attract loyal fans with their fresh salads and 24/7 accessibility. Even the classic 7-Eleven has its charm with late-night pizza and Slurpees. But what about Weshop at Wesleyan? It’s a bit of a letdown.

Walking into Weshop feels like stepping into a dimly lit diner. Although the outside looks inviting, inside it’s often understocked. Fresh food options are sadly lacking. Most of the time, you’ll find just a few sad-looking salads and a couple of bland sandwiches. The sushi? It makes the trek from New Jersey—seriously, can’t we do better for students?

And it’s not just the food. You’ll often spot more empty shelves than actual products. Sometimes, finding a decent chocolate bar is a gamble—once I bought a Hershey’s Special Dark bar, and it’s never been restocked since.

The shelves are filled with odd items that no one seems to buy. Drinkable jelly? Frozen cakes? Those sit untouched. Instead, students crave quick, healthy snacks—think apple slices, trail mix, or easy peanut butter crackers. But looking around, half an aisle seems dedicated to candy. There’s an entire wall of chips in huge bags, the kind you’d buy for a party, not for a snack between classes.

Moreover, the produce section looks like a farmers market after a storm. Most fresh items are sold out, leaving students without the essentials for a quick meal. Many students hit the road to find groceries off-campus because Weshop falls short.

Other colleges, like Williams and Amherst, offer vibrant marketplaces with fresh options. They understand what students need. In contrast, Weshop feels like an afterthought—it misses the mark completely.

Hours are another problem. Weshop isn’t open much on weekends. It closes at 6 p.m. on Fridays and only opens for four hours on Saturdays. With Usdan Café also closed, students have few choices for meals during the weekend rush.

Wesleyan needs to step up. Here are some straightforward ideas:

– Extend Weshop’s weekend hours to at least 8 p.m.
– Replace unpopular items with snacks students actually want.
– Introduce a fresh sandwich and salad counter.
– Keep the shelves fully stocked.

These changes wouldn’t be costly but would greatly improve student life on campus. After all, it’s the bare minimum we should expect for a college experience.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I dream of walking into a store back home filled with food choices. Just like that iconic moment in 1989 when Boris Yeltsin was amazed by supermarket shelves brimming with food, I hope one day to experience that same abundance at Weshop.

Blake Fox is part of the class of 2026 and can be reached at bfox@wesleyan.edu.



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