Recently, CHS has created an online version of the student store to provide greater accessibility to community members. With this new website, students will have an easier and more accessible option in paying for school-related items. They will no longer have to wait in long lines and will be able to utilize their lunchtime more efficiently.
Assistant Principal Eric Anhalt decided to expand the student store with an online version in order to make the system more accessible. Although the online store allows for more flexibility with payments such as the use of credit cards, there is a six percent processing fee in addition to the cost of the item.
“Having the student store online will be a lot easier because it is more convenient to purchase things such as tickets and [Advanced Placement] tests from home rather than from school,” said junior Courtney Kelsberg. “I don’t always have time to go to the student store at lunch, so it would be useful and much easier to go to the student store online at another time.”
Blue Bear platform, created by the Active Network, is the credit card company that will work to oversee all transactions and accounts set up online. With each sale, the company will take two percent of the sales and apply its own fees on top of this. These added costs result in the extra online payments. Unlike other schools in the district, CHS has decided that it would be most beneficial for the school not to absorb these extra charges, but rather simply place a “convenience fee” on all online purchases. As a result, only online items will have an additional charge, and any purchases made at the store on campus will stay the same price.
Though the Associated Student Body hopes to find a way to process credit cards without the additional fee, as of now there is no alternative. However, this new form of paying for all school-related expenses offers a new option for both students and parents that seems to be more convenient for many.
“Families can pay in bulk via credit card at registration instead of writing multiple individual checks,” said senior ASB Chief Technical Officer Alex Silver. “The online store offers something that the student store will not have for a while: credit card sales, making it beneficial and suitable for many families.”
As technology continues to expand, CHS strives to keep up with the demands of today’s advanced world. This addition to the student store has the ability to not only expand CHS merchandise but also make it more accessible to the community.
View the new online student store HERE.
