Hello everyone! This issue I would like to provide some information and updates on a key part of the VP Finance portfolio—the Engineering Society commercial services. As you may or may not know, the Engineering Society runs a number of services in and around CPH where you can make purchases—coffee, donuts, snacks and meals at the C&D; swag and other apparel at Novelties; electronic components and parts at RidgidWare; and printing and binding at the Orifice, to name a few. The management of each of these areas is a very important part of what I do as the EngSoc VP Finance. Recently we have done a lot of brainstorming for these areas, and come up with some cool ideas on how to improve them.
A lot of people may view these as being stores, where you come, you pay money, and you leave with something. However, since the Engineering Society is here first and foremost to represent and serve you, the engineering undergraduate students, I like to think of each of these areas as a service. Sure, we take in money, but as a not-for-profit, the only place that money goes is back into the service, which means we can expand to better serve students. I think this is an important distinction, and as we look to expand and grow in future years, something that we need to keep in mind.
Why call them a service though? What makes the C&D any different than a coffee shop in the plaza? Why should I buy from RidgidWare instead of ordering the parts myself online? When you look at these questions on the surface, there isn’t much of an obvious distinction. For me, the difference is what the goal of these services is. I can tell you that when it comes to EngSoc commercial operations, the goal is not to be able to say we’ve sold more coffees than anyone else. The goal is to offer students the best products that we can, at the best price, and make it convenient and accessible. We want to make them into more than just stores.
Are you tired of only being able to pay cash in the C&D? You’re in for a surprise. Credit card is on its way! We are currently looking into different ways to accept credit in the C&D so you don’t have to worry about carrying cash around. We realize that to keep the store accessible to everyone we need to get to the present when it comes to methods of payment. This won’t be an overnight switch, but keep an eye out for more updates on this!
Then there’s RidgidWare, which is brand new, having opened last fall. This is our biggest up and coming service, and we are continuously brainstorming ways to improve and expand. One thing that we are trying to be cognizant of is the scale of what we offer. Is it feasible to stock an entire range of electronics components in one student run store? Probably not. So this means we are looking for ways to create something that students are interested in. Things like kits with specific projects that you can build yourself to create something cool, or running small tutorial sessions for the less experienced people out there. Have a cool idea for something you would like to see? Let us know!
Then there’s Novelties—one of the only places to get cool UW Engineering Swag. How can this be a service? We are looking at expanding to offer the items that students actually want, and also doing things like helping to coordinate class orders of swag. Right now almost all of the patches are on sale in Novelties. The prices range from $2.00 to $5.00, which is up to 60% off on some of the patches. Come and check them out! Patches aren’t just for coveralls, and are a great way to show off your engineering pride. Once we clear some of our existing inventory in Novelties, we can start looking at cool new items you want to see.
To summarize, the Engineering Society commercial services are here to serve you. We are constantly looking at ways to improve and better serve the students at Waterloo, whether it be new methods of payment or new merchandise options. If you ever have any suggestions on what you would like to see available in any of these areas, or a question about them, please don’t hesitate to ask me. Email me at vpfinance.a@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca or drop by the Orifice (CPH 1327) and we can chat!
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