Monster is, much to the chagrin of doctors, a teenager’s best friend while in school. Demanding coursework, anxiety-induced all-nighters and early classes all call for enhanced amounts of energy to give students the extra push they need when times are dire. Though caffeine is available in numerous forms at the school, Monster Energy drinks have always been the most popular. Intricately designed cans and a plethora of unique flavors aren’t just the only reason students love them, however, as the school’s very own Tiger Shack has always been an accessible means of purchasing them. That said, this year some big changes have been made in that regard.
Undoubtedly, high school is one of the most important yet stressful times in a person’s life. Students have to manage an intricately balanced schedule of coursework, extracurriculars, personal happenings and, for some, jobs. Dealing with all of these things is beyond exhausting, however, the Tiger Shack has always been a beacon of light for the sluggish and bleary-eyed. When a forgotten socratic seminar threatens to be the straw that breaks the tired student’s back, an ice cold Monster Energy drink from the Tiger Shack revives their spirit.
“I would say that we profited the most off of Monsters last year,” Junior and first-year Tiger Shack employee Will Lovelace said. “Monster was definitely the highest selling drink in the past few years. Historically [majority of our sales] have been caffeine-based drinks… any drink that gives people caffeine or a sugar rush is the most popular.”
In previous years, there was a substantial number of students who heavily relied on the in-school Tiger Shack’s accessibility to obtain their energy kick. Employees of the Tiger Shack say that Monster sales made up some of their largest annual percentages, and was even the reason many students visited the store in the first place. That said, students who were once regulars at the Tiger Shack and depended upon their cold Monster drinks were in for heartbreak when the store opened back up this school year.
“Energy drinks have been banned, we aren’t allowed to sell them anymore,” Junior and first-year Tiger Shack employee Ann Coleman Pettit said. “A lot of people complained [about us selling them], I guess. To deal with the ban, we’ve decided to start selling dirty sodas and stuff like that. We now have pretzels, Uncrustables and other new snacks like that that the cafeteria doesn’t have.”
A decision made in a school board meeting before the school year began brought an end to the distribution of energy drinks at the Tiger Shack. Reasons for the new policy boil down to the fact that many parents weren’t comfortable with their students potentially purchasing beverages containing large quantities of artificial caffeine without their knowledge. Reactions to the policy vary from the excited adaptations made by the store to a general dismay felt by the student body.
“In my personal circle, a lot of people are disappointed about the change,” Senior and former Tiger Shack customer Enrique Lizarraga said. “ I haven’t heard anybody say that they’re more excited about the new drinks than they are disappointed about the Monsters being gone.”
Just like any business, the success of the Tiger Shack lies in how many sales they make and the store’s perception amongst both its loyal customers and its potential customers. When a beloved and popular item like Monster is no longer available, customers lose a major reason for visiting the store. So, this year the Tiger Shack had to do some quick thinking and find a way to establish a new identity separate from the Monster market they once dominated.
“Our class has talked through a lot of expansions that we’d like to make, because right now we’re primarily [selling] drinks,” Lovelace said. “Recently, we introduced soft pretzels, and we do pickles. We’re planning on moving into doing popcorn, maybe even hot cookies at some point. I’m excited for what we have in store, definitely, because there’s a lot of expansion that we want to do, and hopefully we’re able to make those changes.”
Whether known as the place to snag a quick energy drink during school or as a popular spot for friend groups to hang out while sipping on dirty sodas and snacking on soft pretzels, the Tiger Shack is a thriving store on campus for all to enjoy. Although you can no longer fuel your desperate pre-exam study sessions with a cold Monster Energy drink purchased from the school’s very own business, maybe you can chill out after a long lab with a refreshing iced dirty soda. The future might not hold Celsius, but those soft pretzels sure do sound scrumptious.