A shot of the side of OK, empty

In November last year, OK, a 24-hour chain store, set foot in the East Asia Hall Building (EAH), aiming to provide service for hostel students. However, it has received limited business and frequent complaints.

The most common complaints are about the price and limitation of choices. Helen Wong, an English intensive program student from the Center of Pre-University studies (CPU), said prices are extremely high in the store and there are not many choices for her, so she is not willing to consume there. Especially she complained about those snacks and drinks in the store. She said, "I usually pay MOP3.5 for a Sunshine beverage elsewhere, but I have to pay MOP4.5 or even higher in OK." The problem of higher prices is very common both in campus booths and the EAH store.

When EAH was first put into use as a student hostel last December, there were limited facilities, not even a water fountain. Later on facilities were added one by one to meet students' needs; the 24-hour store-OK was opened in last November. Obviously it is aimed to satisfy the students' needs; however it is not well used by hostel students.

On the other hand, since the convenience store landed in Macau, it has changed the local tradition of store business. It stresses a 24-hour operation while selling "Ding Ding" food (the type of cold food which can be warmed up by a micro wave provided in the store) and other hot foods. All these are totally new for consumers. However, take a look at the OK store inside EAH, this well-know service is not offered there. Some students said the campus OK is not reliable in terms of its service quality.

A wide view of OK, so quiet

Basically there are two places on campus that provide food, Eskimo and OK, but they have a different market. The OK is inside the EAH aiming at hostel students while Eskimo runs a student canteen and a snack corner on campus.

An ex-OK staff Roy Wong said that there seems to be a so-called "price strategy" (bought at a low price, then sold at a high price) being applied. Therefore the prices remain high and a discount is rare.

Take a look at Eskimo, it offers a 10 percent discount for all the UM students and staff while OK does not. Eskimo's snack corner charges an acceptable price for students.

Flora Seto, a CPU teacher said, "Even as a teacher, I cannot get any discount from the OK." She commented that Eskimo does consider this factor and provides a discount for UM staff. She suggested that OK may follow suit.

Campus OK management was contacted by this reporter, but no reply was given.