Puma Den opening

Never have cash on you at school? Wish you could use your credit card to purchase food? Looking for a greater variety of food besides the cafeteria?

You’re in luck, Pumas. DECA introduces The Puma Den, a student run school store opening soon in the CTE building. The store will provide a variety of food options along with the availability to pay with a credit or debit card instead of cash.

What’s sold in the store?

With about 3200 students, the lines in the cafeteria can be rather scary. However, the new school store will provide another option for food.

“With another [food] option, even just for snacks, it’ll help the kids get lunch and be able to sit down and eat their lunch and not just stand in line the whole time.”Advisor Rob Lange stated.

“[The] majority of items will be food and beverage” DECA president  Bari Richardson said.

The food  will follow the nutritional guidelines but still offer a variety of food or snack options.

Besides food, different merchandise will also be sold in the store.

“We haven’t finalized what they’re going to sell but I understand that it’s going to give students more student apparel and some food items and supply items that you can’t do in the Bookstore.” Principal Dan Serrano stated.

Although the items being sold have not been officially finalized, DECA hopes to sell sweatshirts, lanyards, pencils, and other items that the bookstore does not offer.  However, the bookstore will be handing over their merchandise to the Puma Den to officially sell. So after the Puma Den opens, all school or class shirts can only be purchased in the Puma Den.

When will the store open?

The store will start to set up during fall break when the CTE building opens.  Once items for the store come in and are in place, DECA plans on holding a soft opening. However, this opening will not allow students to use the store.

“The soft opening will just be teachers, faculty and staff,” Lange stated, “It’ll help us iron out our wrinkles in our processes so that way when we do open, we can do it right.”

There will be an official opening for students and all of Perry after the soft opening takes place.

 When the store be available during the school day?

The hours the store will be open will vary on when DECA members are available to work. It will for sure be open during lunches, however, before or after school is still uncertain.