Posted to Chabad News, Op-Ed on

Op-Ed: One Aspect of Overnight Camp That Needs To Improve, The Canteen

by Avraham Z

Last year, as I kissed my son goodbye on the bus to camp and bid farewell, he looked at me and asked me for a significant amount of money. When I asked why, he explained in one word – canteen.

Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘Here we go again with another parent complaining about camp…’ No, this is a serious issue that needs to be discussed.

As we know camp is an amazing place filled with Kedusha, Chayus, and warmth.

There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into having a camp function properly, and kol hakavod for any staff, director, or head counselor who dedicates their lives for the Chinuch of our children.

There is, however, one aspect that needs to be improved and that is – the canteen.

When my son asked me for $200 cash he explained that it is not “cool” to eat the regular food camp provides, and he needs to keep up with the standard of his friends and buy food at the canteen daily.

There are two problems with this:

  1. Peer pressure is the last thing we need our kids going through during the summer, because as they get older this can turn into smoking and other bad addictions caused by peer pressure.
  2. As it is I struggle to pay for the camp tuition which is quite expensive. On top of that, I need to start paying an extra cost for food from the ridiculously expensive canteen. 

I have seen firsthand the prices these young Bochrim who run canteen charge.

There is no need to charge $1 for a pack of Mike and Ike’s that cost $.25 in Kahan’s. The Bochrim think it’s some sort of money-making business to rip money out of the kids and of course, their parents. 

I’m not sure who is the one pocketing all the money from this scheme, but if it is camp, there is no reason why they need to charge these ridiculous prices, tuition is high enough as is.

And if it is the young Bochrim who are making the money, why can’t the camp board tell them to put the prices lower?! If a Bocher wants to make a little extra money during the summer, no problem, find yourself a job working for a local supermarket in Crown Heights. It is not fair for them to make money on other kids behalf, and this needs to stop. Immediately. 

I am not trying to point fingers at the camp director for the high tuition rates, rather I believe the prices in canteen must be regulated and adjusted.

If it was my choice, I would live up to what I’m saying and write my name, but because I wrote some personal information about my financial state, I’d rather remain anonymous.

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40 Comments

  • Rivka

    Joke? Amongst many of the facts you stayed in your article, many are not true. Such as, Mike and Ikes are no longer $.25 in Kahan’s

    • Mendel

      False! I have just been in Kahan’s and the mike and Ikes are precisely $.27 this article is true and must be sent to all camp directors

    • Shalom

      In Kahan’s they are $.27 as well as in empire kosher and the marketplace.
      But if you go to more budget friendly stores such as Family Dollar, bingo, Dollar tree, the Mike and Ike will be $.25

    • Rifael Minechem

      Actually, as a matter of fact, bingo actually sells for a better price if you buy wholesale. That’s the point of bingo, you can get a better price than what’s listed.

    • M.L

      Even so they are only 50 cents not a dollar.
      charging double is also a halachic issue

    • s. goodman

      At Kahan’s, Empire Kosher, Market Place they are $.27 because of the TAX.
      Family dollar, Dollar tree and other stores it will be $.27 as well. Because they also charge Tax!

  • Mother

    I totally agree I am a single mother of seven and a half and every year end up spending thousands and thousands of dollars just so my children can feel safe around friends so please make canteen great again!

    • Shalom

      Agreed, either that or the kitchen should up their game and make a good food.

  • I agree

    What about those kids struggling with self control and/or health issues and this struggle is so much for them? This trend of Canteen was and is not a good idea.
    So many other things can be fun

    • Yechiel Michel

      Isn’t that ‏ The purpose of this world? There should be challenging! Not everything should come easy, we should have Temptations for the wrong things, for that reason I believe canteen should exist, but no one should buy.

  • Send 3 Sons to camp

    I would always send my kids nosh to camp
    You are totally correct that the canteen is highway robbery.
    For the same $200, you can get 5 times the amount of nosh by shopping in BP.
    My kids get some money for ice cream twice a week from the canteen.
    The camp directors don’t care, because they get a piece of the action. They have the camp accounts as well as for the head staff ETC.. of camp

  • Yosef H

    Your son can be a normal maybe even popular boy in sleepaway camp even without spending $100s at the canteen. One summer CGI NY had a deal that those who registered early got $25 in Canteen believe it or not by end of summer I was handed $13 bucks back and I wasn’t considered a loser in my bunk.

    • the real winner

      of course you aren’t a loser!! You’re actually genius. The camp gave out $25 vouchers for canteen which actually only cost them $5 each (because of canteens inflated pricing) and here you are walking out with $13 bucks. YOU ARE A REAL WINNER! Camp did not anticipate customers like you :)

  • malka

    they need to make it clear that when you order from canteen it’s you that’s paying for it, and it’s not free. my son ordered half of canteen not realizing it was my bank account that was losing hundreds.

  • ABSOLUTELY

    The camp administration needs to do a way better job of reassuring that every kid feels comfortable amongst his peers and if it all comes down to lowering prices in canteen then that’s what needs to be done

  • The Young Bocher

    I am a Young Bocher looking for work this summer, I have applied to many groceries and supermarkets to work, none of them accepted me. I’ve tried to deliver for store such a sushi spot and Keston’s pizza, none of them needed. Now, what else should I be doing during my summer besides for a ripping off young children of their money?!?!? There is simply nothing else to do.

    • M.L

      deer young bachur
      Please stop making this a joke I know it’s easy to just post a comment but this is a topic that is serious and for all you know mabey even your parents two struggle(d) with it so maybe sit down with a sefer and hashem will bring you the money you need,
      Wishing you success.

    • Mushkie

      Young bochur, There is so much opportunity out there!

      You can make calls collecting for a wide range of mossdos. You can even stand on Kingston and collect from people as they walk by.

      The mossdos will give you a nice commission – enough to buy reasonably priced nosh at the local grocery, and even the occasional sushi and pizza.

  • I ABSOLUTELY AGREE

    the camp administration needs to reassure and vitalize the importance of campers feeling comfortable and confident amongst there peers and if it’s necessary to lower canteen prices to insure that each camper has a geshmake environment surrounding him then that is what needs to be done
    Bravo for addressing this

  • Yossi g

    I 100 percent agree kids don’t understand the value of money and when they see food they just buy buy buy
    I never send my kids with canteen money I always tell them camp gives you enough food why do you need canteen
    I think they should just get rid of canteen and on days that no one eats they know for next time not to make that food

  • Canteen maneger

    Being a canteen manag at one point of my life i can completely relate to camps side of the story. We charge that much because we can and people will still buy. Personally i believe it’s the parents fault for giving the kids all that money. Even as canteen manager when i owned everything i still barely ate anything because my parents brought me up in a home where a kid works for his own money

  • Canteen manager continued

    And then gets to spend it. If the parents stop handing out money to their kids and have the kids start working for it on their own they will start to see the value of it and stop spending so much making the canteen have to lower it’s prices due to demand. The bachrim who run the canteen are the ones working not the kids who get handout and i believe they have rights to charge as much as they can

  • Rip offs and bad system

    When I was there

    1. The prices were way too high and kids are just spending money on this food and

    2. The system in place with what i’m familiar with is that you give them your number of account but than I can give a random kids number and steal money from him which once happened to me.

  • Old

    When I was in camp, we were allowed to order up to two items daily. The form was passed around at breakfast, we got our delivery at the end of lunch before activities.
    Prices were way cheaper than the regular stors.

  • CGi Florida #1 Canteen

    As a parent from CGi Florida I can proudly say they live up to their word, camps food is amazing, the canteen more or less did not have candy, and the most important was the prices were believe it or not cheeper than the Miami kosher supermarket, as a parent I was shocked to see how great the prices were on visiting day, I felt so comfortable in buying in this canteen, just was amazing to watch.

  • Cgi Parksville

    I am not so bothered by tye prices in canteen till you get to essentials.

    The staff should not have to pay high.prices for drinks, they are running around, a 7 cent cup of fountain soda should be sold for 20 cents.

    More importantly, the letter to parents about water is a chutzpah. Water should not cost $14 a case, costco has it at $4. Stop upcharging for basics.

    • CGi Florida

      I was so delighted to hear from my son how CGI Florida charged $5 for a case of 40 water bottles,
      And the best part of it all was when I came for visiting day the water bottles were free, absolutely free!

  • Ari-free

    I can’t believe you think it’s a serious problem that kids aren’t getting enough cheap nosh in camp. No wonder why we have so many problems with obesity in our community even from childhood

  • Mushkie

    Camp life often mirrors real life!

    How much do you give to your kids to spend on nosh at the local grocery store AND at the pizza store???

    Sure, younger kids spend much less than older kids, but the younger kids ARE watching (and waiting to hit the double-digit age when they too can become “big spenders” like their older siblings and their parents). ‘

    To be continued

  • Mushkie

    Kids these days are sent to grab lunch and fress in local fast-food eateries when Mom is too busy (or unavailable) to make them a “nerdy” tuna sandwich (which BTW they can also buy in the local grocery – but when sushi or pizza is an option, a store-bought poshete ready egg salad or tuna sandwich is waaay too nerdy).

    Is camp any different?!

    To be continued

  • Mushkie

    We are living in a time of consumerism.

    We buy a coffee for a few dollars and call it a latte.

    We buy a few grains of rice wrapped around a sliver of avocado and fish for $2 each bite and call it sushi.

    Our kids are watching and imitating US (not imitating friends and the so-called peer pressure)!!

    WE created this problem, not the camp canteen. But we refuse to take the blame!

    continued

  • Mushkie

    We like to blame everyone else.

    We hate taking responsibility for our own follies.

    It’s been that way from the beginning of time.

    Adam Harishon blamed Chava…

    Chava blamed the Nochosh…

    Probably the Nochash blamed someone else…

    Let me guess, it’s the fault of the canteen manager selling over-priced EItz Hadas nosh!