Students are confused and employees frustrated by the Foundation for Student Life in Oslo’s new decimal prices on all the cafeteria food.

The new decimal prices in the cafeterias and cafés belonging to the Foundation for Student Life in Oslo (SiO) is the result of a new price system. The prices are increased by three percent.
–They look like gas prices, says Martin Skjæraasen, bachelorstudent of International studies.
–They’re very confusing, adds fellow student Maja Gudim Burheim.
If you have seen the new price list in SiO’s cafeterias you might have noticed the new prices, very precise down to the last øre. It is not, however, the 10-øre making a comeback, but an attempt to prevent the expensive products becoming even more expensive.

Contacted Norges bank

Due to increased prices from the supplier SiO is now increasing the prices in the cafeterias by three percent.
–Earlier we always rounded the prices up or down. Practically that means that the cheapest products that were priced too low for us to round them up remained unchanged. So we had to compensate by increasing the prices on for example dinners and other higher priced products, says Alain Clérambault, administrating manager of SiO Student Cafés.
The new way of pricing makes the increase more even. Consequently the price lists are filled with decimal prices. In addition this arrangement makes it necessary to keep a certain amount of 50-øre coins in the till. SiO contacted Norges bank to inquire about the 50-øre coin’s future.
–The bank has of today no plans of removing the 50-øre in the near future, says Clérambault.

Not popular

However, the new prices are not popular among the employees in the Student Cafées. Universitas has been in contact with one of the employees, who wishes to remain anonymous.
–I do not like the new system at all. There is so much fuss when you are at the checkout counter counting one-krone coins and 50-øre coins. I prefered the way it was before, and many students are complaining about the new system, says the employee.
Head of the Welfare Council (VT) Mari Berdal Djupvik thinks the new prices are fair, yet a bit original.
–In this way you can see the exact increase of the price. A rather original solution, so I understand that this is something the students talk about, she says.

Would rather pay more

–It’s really annoying. I would really pay 15 kroner rather than 14 kroner and 50 øre, says Lars Sætren, master’s student in International studies.
–How much money can I save on it, anyway? 7 kroner and 50 øre a week? asks Sætren.
He thinks it would be better to round certain prices up and other prices down instead of increasing all the prices at the same time.
– I don’t like carrying all the change, says Maja Gudim Burheim.
Clérambault says that SiO has had a some reactions from students who find the prices odd, but SiO has no plans of changing the system.
–I don’t want to claim that the system is here to stay for all time. As in all decisions we are always open for changing our minds. For the time being we won’t go back to the rounded prices, though, he says.

Ingvild Jacobsen • Ketil Blom (foto) • Translation by Ingrid Brubaker