Academics, sports, and the hundreds of organizations are just a few of the various reasons that should contribute to a student’s decision to attend the University of Alabama; however, do they think about smaller, unrelated school activities such as shopping? Yes, it may sound ridiculous, but sooner or later an event will arise in which a student will have to do a little bit of shopping. Whether a student enjoys shopping on a daily basis, or is not typically considered a “shopper,” the variety, price, and convenience of the shopping within Tuscaloosa is definitely something worth looking at. There are many opinions around campus about the current shopping situation due to the fact that students come to Alabama from all over the United States. Most students’ opinion is based upon the shopping that is readily available in their hometowns. In Tuscaloosa, some students love the thought of having a couple stores this close to campus, but others find it rather irritating that sometimes you have to drive fifty-one miles to Birmingham to do “real” shopping. Are the majority of students living in Tuscaloosa for or against the shopping selections close by?
Most female students could come up with an entire list of items to evaluate the shopping scene in Tuscaloosa. Everyone will always have different opinions, mostly based on where he or she is originally from. The main problem is that Tuscaloosa’s population while school is in session is around 100,000 people. So even though there are several nicer stores to patronize here in Tuscaloosa, there will be hundreds of girls who will all be wearing the exact same thing. What is more embarrassing than showing up at a party just to realize that your best friend is rocking the same outfit as you? Stores like MiGi, located in Midtown Village, are typical boutique type stores, but some may argue that that is not enough. Student opinion is that the clothing quality from these higher end stores, are not as good as they should be, compared to their prices. One thing Tuscaloosa does have is variety.
Midtown Village was a great addition because of the great variety of stores and its convenient location on McFarland Boulevard. Although it may not be close in comparison to the indoor shopping Galleria in Birmingham, both girls and guys alike can find something to their liking here in Tuscaloosa. Midtown Village seems to be “one-stop-shopping.” A student could purchase anything from Alabama gear at Alumni Hall, to outdoor accessories at Kinnucan’s, to formal jewelry from Charming Charlie’s. However, before the arrival of Midtown, shopping experiences were a different story. The University Mall was a student’s only choice. Even though it has many different choices for everyone, the stores are not on the top of peoples list to go to. The prices are wonderful, but the quality of the clothing is not so great. The majority of UA’s students would prefer more original stores instead of chain stores like the ones in the University Mall. In the sense that Birmingham’s Galleria has a great selection of stores; most students would prefer to have that suitably closer to our campus. I think that Midtown Village has more than put us one step closer to doing so.
Even though shopping issues in Tuscaloosa should not be a deal breaker or a top priority for any prospective student, it is a problem with the rapidly increasing population of Tuscaloosa. People will always base their opinions on the stores available in their hometowns. Shopping is not the reason that people come to college. There is not a huge problem with price, or convenience within Tuscaloosa, but there will always be room for improvement.
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