The facts: Carmike Blue Ridge 14 Cinema once was a haven for those looking to be entertained on the cheap. It earned the popularized name of the $1.50 for its price structure. It recently changed its price to $2.00.
Carmike Blue Ridge 14 Cinema once was a haven for those looking to be entertained on the cheap. A trip to Blue Ridge would ensure that you could see Hollywood’s best for $1.50. Its price structure became so popular that it was known better by its price, referred to more often as the D50 ($1.50), rather than its actual name. However, as Frazier fell, so did one of the staples of Blue Ridge Road. Last week the cinema changed its price to $2.00. Say goodbye to the dollar-fifty and hello to the two-dollar-buckaroo? This change, which goes against the name synonymous with the theater makes us reflect on other pricing structures in and around campus that simply defy logic.
The prices of dining hall food, absent a meal plan, strike fear into the hearts of college students on a budget. With a cost approaching eight dollars, it prompts students without a meal plan to look elsewhere. Sure, the pricing structure is comparable to other buffets but its not a comparable product. It’s not as extensive a selection or as good. The pricing structure, in effect, isolates dinning hall patronage to only those with a meal plan.
The exorbitant costs of new textbooks are something to be expected. Textbook publishers are combating low-demand for their product, outside of college nobody rushes to the store for a finite math textbook, and thus jump at any chance to make a buck. However, we need not perpetuate the cycle. The new editions are updates, rarely whole scale revitalization. There is no reason we should be expected to spend 300 percent more and not gain that much in content. When a new edition is priced at 300% the cost of one that is used, we should find a way to allow for the use of the used.
Finally, and possibly the most absurd pricing structure, is that of distance education at N.C . State. Distance education classes consist of little more than hyperlinks and a teaching assistant’s email address. There is no reason less of a service should be provided and more should be paid; this is not high fashion, less is not more. Technology costs are often cited as the reason for the extra costs for distance education. Are technology costs like the change fees airlines charge? The concept of distance education sounds almost perfect for some classes. It’s a great way to complete your general education requirements at your own pace; however, the extra price soils their appeal.
We’re not endorsing the sentiment that everything should be free; however, we do endorse the notion that prices should not make us scratch our heads.
