December 6, 2012 | Miro Paridis '13 (CLAS)

Husky Bucks Program Expands to Additional Retailers

Many stores in the new Storrs Center as well as additional vendors on campus already accept Husky Bucks, and Big Y will join the list next semester.

Husky Bucks - 1 Card

Husky Bucks - 1 CardFrom fast food to groceries, many UConn students rely on Husky Bucks to purchase goods and services on and off campus. Additional merchants are now accepting this form of payment, making the use of Husky Bucks more convenient than ever.

The One Card Office originally expanded UConn’s debit system to off-campus merchants in 2007. Currently more than 30 stores in the Storrs area accept Husky Bucks.

“What we mainly find is that the Husky Bucks program is a comfort for those students who have parents that want to give them money, but may not want to open a bank account,” says Stephanie Kernozicky, manager of the One Card Office. “This is a safe place to deposit that money.”

Last year, the One Card Office conducted a survey of UConn students, faculty, and staff to assess the demand for new vendors that accept Husky Bucks. The UConn community was most interested in seeing Big Y supermarket in Mansfield added to the list of Husky Bucks-friendly stores. Now the One Card Office is working with Big Y to launch the program there by the beginning of next semester.

Big Y could not be joining the program at a better time. Grand Union supermarket, which used to accept Husky Bucks, has recently closed. “There are a lot of off-campus students that use Husky Bucks to buy groceries,” Kernozicky says. “Big Y will fill that hole.”

Many of the stores in the new Storrs Center are already accepting Husky Bucks, including Moe’s Southwest Grill, Froyo World, and Husky Pizza. As Storrs Center continues to grow, the One Card Office anticipates the expansion of the Husky Bucks program to many more merchants as they open, such as Geno’s Grille, 7-Eleven, and Mooyah Burgers and Fries.

Students can now use Husky Bucks to buy more than just food. Other recent additions to the program include Connecticut Repertory Theatre and UConn Blooms, the Floriculture Greenhouse’s retail outlet.

Husky Bucks participants also offer discounts to those that use Husky Bucks as a form of payment. Every two weeks there is a different promotion, which is listed on the One Card website, the Daily Digest, and the Manage Your Account site for Husky Bucks.

“One of our biggest goals right now is making the One Card valuable to UConn students,” Kenozicky says. “We truly want to give them one less thing to worry about.”