The ABCs of Shawnigan: C is for “Commissary”

“What’s in a name?” asks Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, suggesting that names may be less important than one thinks. Maybe. But the first time I heard the Shawnigan Lake School store referred to as the “Commissary,” I was jarred by the image suggested by that word. It felt like a throwback to the School’s earlier days when caning was used for discipline and cadet training was mandated. By definition, a commissary is “a shop that supplies food and goods, especially to people in the army or in prison.” And yet your experience at the Shawnigan Commissary today is the antithesis of a military drill; rather, it emits a warm, friendly, nurturing atmosphere, and one student even went so far as to declare it as “the highlight of [his] day!”

 

I interviewed the Commissary staff and a handful of students to learn more about the School store. I soon learned that Duke’s coffee shop is considered to be part of the Commissary, which seems like a natural pairing. One student explained while holding up a bag of candy that she “loves going to the Commissary when hungry to pick up a snack and sometimes there’s a parcel for (her). Then (she) chills out in Duke’s for a bit. The staff are always really nice and it’s comforting to know they are always there for us.”

 

Like so many things at Shawnigan, it’s the people we encounter that make all the difference. On average the Commissary serves 166 customers per day and Duke’s serves 120. In addition to selling a variety of goods, the Commissary has become the campus post office, processing between 100 and 200 packages per day. I also learned about some of the faves:

 

• favourite chocolate bar: anything Reese’s

• favourite student clothing item: SLS pajama pants

• favourite teacher purchase: red pens, whiteboard markers, Kleenex boxes

• favourite Duke’s drinks: chai latte or London Fog

• Head of School’s favourite treat: “a packet of salt & vinegar crisps.”

 

One surprising thing about Commissary trends is that ice cream sales do not necessarily correlate with the weather, for sales can be high even when the temperatures are low.   

 

As a blood-sugar dip finds me in the Commissary at 3:30 this afternoon (a.k.a. “chocolate o’clock”) in search of a sweet remedy, I run into a student who is fortifying with a protein beverage and a granola bar, choosing a healthy option. I asked him if he was a satisfied customer, to which he replied with an affirmative nod. I asked if there was anything he would change about the store to improve his consumer experience, and he said, “No, it’s perfect the way it is. I like coming here.” If, however, someone does have a suggestion to make, there is a suggestion board in the back. This list is carefully considered when ordering stock, resulting in new products replacing older products all the time. 

 

When I asked one of the staff what the best part of her job is, she immediately said, “the students!” It’s fair to say that there is value-added at the Commissary in the form of the human touch that makes each patron’s experience a pleasant one. While doing my research for this blog, I encountered many endearing and heart-felt moments with only one complaint that was raised over and over again: the name. Perhaps it’s time for a rebrand?