Metro expands student discount to apply seven days a week

Ten per cent discount drives students towards Metro

Image by: Nelson Chen
The change began in January.

Students will be able to start saving more money with a daily student discount at Metro.

Starting this January, Metro, the closest chain grocery store to campus, located at 310 Barrie St., expanded its student discount days across Ontario in hopes of helping students save money. Previously discounting on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the grocery chain is now switching to a daily discount of 10 per cent for Queen’s students with a valid student ID with a sticker that’s renewed every academic year.

“I’m really happy they started implementing it here. I’ve seen it at other Metros close to other student-living areas, and I think it’s pretty smart,” Gabriela Villate, ArtSci ’27, said in a statement to The Journal. “[The change] makes me more inclined to pick up groceries from [Metro] instead of making a further trip somewhere else.”

Other chain grocery stores near Queen’s campus include Loblaws on Princess St. and Food Basics on Barrack St., both of which are over a kilometer away from campus.

In a statement to The Journal, Metro Canada said their decision to expand the discount to all of their stores across Ontario was made to enhance relationships with students and community members after getting positive feedback from students at other universities where the discount was applied in stores close to campuses.

“By offering a 10 per cent discount to post-secondary students with a valid student ID, Metro aims to ease the financial burden on students, allowing them to save on their everyday purchases,” Metro said.

According to Megan Ly, ConEd ’29, this new discount model significantly helps first-year students adapt to off-campus living after high school.

“I think the extended period for discounts at Metro is definitely appealing to students. Being in university, sometimes it’s hard to have a work-life balance, so this offer allows for a more flexible grocery shopping schedule,” Ly wrote in a statement to The Journal.

According to Ly, Metro is often perceived as a more expensive grocery store, which deters students from shopping there despite its proximity to campus. However, the added student discount days can offset the higher prices, enticing students to choose Metro for their shopping needs. Now that the discount applies every day, Ly feels she has more flexibility to go to Metro on any day rather than plan around when the discount applies.

“Metro’s also known as one of the more expensive grocery stores, which is a reason why some people may not have shopped there before […] adding this deal would give Metro a competitive edge over competitors, such as Food Basics, that already offer a lower price than previously,” Ly said.

Currently, Two-Ply Soft And Thick Jumbo Bathroom Tissue from Metro is $24.99 and the same from Food Basics is $9.98.

With this hefty cost difference, the everyday discounts are helping students have access to accessible options for grocery shopping and adapting to campus-lifestyle, Ly said.

Tags

grocery store, Metro, Student Discount

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