A new university agreement with Chartwells means Bean Bucks are no longer being accepted in the Campus Store.

Students can still use their student account for course-related materials, and Campus Cash can be used on anything in the store. 

Previously, because the store is run by Barnes & Noble, they accepted various forms of payment and the university would pay Barnes & Noble for those expenses. 

Scott Harsh, Campus Store manager, said the university was being invoiced by both the Campus Store and Chartwells for all of the Bean Bucks, so they were double paying.

“ACU is still paying for any Bean Bucks that were used in the store, and obviously they don’t have extra money to be doing that, so we said we’d stop ASAP,” Harsh said.

Since the transition, Harsh said there’s been some frustration, but most people have handled it well. Students continue to use the Campus Store for food because of convenience.

“I think it may be one of the easiest changes we do,” Harsh said. “I know in a lot of cases people come over here when there are long lines and things like that. It was nice to have that option, but people continue to shop in here.”

Harsh said Bean Bucks have only been used as a method of payment in the Campus Store for five or six years.

“The worst for us is when people put the food back and walk out without buying something,” Harsh said. “We always saw a sales uptick at the end of the semester when people are trying to use their Bean Bucks, so that may be something that they need to think about.”