Streetbeats: X-Ring Edition
/Where are students picking up their X-Rings? What do they think of X's new store?
As the leaves start to change, the deadline to order the X-Ring is fast approaching. The Xaverian Weekly asked ten random fourth-year students whether they were purchasing their X-Ring from Cameron's or StFX's new X-Ring Store. Here's what they said.
ERIN ABBOTT
I'm getting it at Cameron's because I'm the third generation at StFX. All three generations have bought from the same place. I like [the new X-Ring Store], but it's tiny.
ALEX FILLIPOFF
Getting it from Cameron's because it's the original one. New store? I didn't even go. My roommate said he checked it. Said it looked a little different.
LEAH GRIMES & KATE BARRETT
We are going to pick Cameron's because we want to support the local businesses!
JAKE MILFORD
I got my X-Ring from Cameron's. I heard the old tradition is to get them from Cameron's, and that's the way they've done it for the last 100 years. I guess the new store is there. Maybe it's kind of convenient for some people to just so straight to the school to get their ring, but personally I prefer to go with the tradition.
JAMES NELSON
I'm a fourth-year biology student, and I'm buying my ring from Cameron's. The reputation of it is a big thing for me, because X-Ring is associated with the university and Cameron's is associated with the X-Ring, so it's part of the heritage of StFX. The new store is an awesome addition. I haven't gotten much of a chance to look at it myself, but I think that more opportunities to branch out selling of the X-Rings are good for students.
CONNOR O'BRIEN
I'm getting it from Cameron's because my grandmother would have wanted me to get it from there.
MATT O'BRIEN
I'm getting it from Cameron's. Why? We went to Cameron's because traditionally that's what students do. The new store isn't bad or anything.
BEN PLAZEK
I think I'm going to go to Cameron's to get my X-Ring just because it's classic. It's what everybody from StFX does.
MACKENZIE PAZOS
Cameron's, though I didn't really put much thought into it honestly. It's just kind of like the standard here, so I'm just going with it. The new store is good, but I think it's tradition to go to Cameron's.
KATHERINE SIMON
I'm getting it from Cameron's because I'm a third generation Xaverian. I feel like it's part of my family history to be at Cameron's, and I love supporting local businesses. A new opportunity is always great, but I still prefer the traditional method myself.
Some thoughts on the two choices presented
Where does this leave the newly opened X-Ring store on first floor of the Bloomfield Centre? The reception to the store has been positive so far. As many probably know, the net proceeds from the purchase of X-Rings in the store go to the Xaverian Scholarship and Bursary Fund. This means that instead of local businesses taking in the profits, there is the possibility of some returning to students of StFX.
It certainly offers a tricky decision for the students – they have a chance at helping the next generations of Xaverians pay their tuition, or supporting the tradition and local business that is Cameron’s Jewellery. Most students, as you can see above, have been choosing the latter. Tradition is a powerful thing here at StFX and is still going strong, and it probably will for the next few years. Andrew Beckett, Vice-President of Finance and Administration here at StFX, mentioned that Cameron’s has a five year contract for the retailing of the X-Ring, and that “as long as Cameron’s are satisfying the needs of the clientele…they will have that opportunity after that five year contract is up."
Beckett also mentioned that the X-Ring Store has been receiving a lot of interest, and that there have been sales, though it is “going to take a couple of years for it to build up… if we get 100, 150 sales this year, that would be a good starting point for us." Whether the sales quota will be met for X-Ring 2017 remains to be seen, and only time can tell whether the store will see any success in winning over the tradition that dominates our campus culture.
