By David Hurtado
The shop is lined with shelves of various bright snack foods. A quick glance around the room reveals many of the hallmarks found in a local convenience store; a well-stocked cooler, sizzling coffee machines and the hustle and bustle of paying customers.
The C-Store, wedged in between the Book Buyback Lounge and Bookstore, stocks essentially everything a student could need in the short intervals between classes. In addition to snack foods and drinks, students can find school supplies, cards and clothing emblazoned with the college’s logo.
Aaron Crook, merchandise assistant, Bookstore, is one of the many faces behind the checkout counter. Crook has been working at the college for about fourteen years now, and has served the last three inside the C-Store.
“I really like the social part of it, getting to talk to various customers that come in,” Crook said.
Before coming to the college, Crook worked for Kohl’s and taught tennis at the Topeka Country Club. When Cook began his employment at the college in 1999, he started in the Success Center and worked there for seven years. In 2009, Crook said he became interested in teaching and went through a teachers program at UMKC, but didn’t feel it was the right match.
“I started looking for jobs back at the college, and there was an opening in the bookstore,” he said. “I worked in the bookstore for maybe about a year before I switched over to the C-Store. I really enjoy working for the college, and luckily there was an opening in the bookstore and eventually that led to the C-Store.”
Jill Johnson, bookstore clerk, Bookstore, said she enjoys working with Crook because he likes to sing and always keeps it interesting.
“He’s fun and upbeat and positive; he cares about everyone and he definitely goes above and beyond to know his customers,” Johnson said. “He’s a breath of fresh air.”
Crook grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and lived there until he was 18 before heading out to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, working toward a Bachelors of Arts and Sociology. Crook went to Washburn for four and a half years on a tennis scholarship which helped pay for some of his schooling, and was a player on the Ichabod tennis team.
Crook is a self-described easy going individual who’s kind, has backbone and has a few quirky habits. One of which is drinking a can of pop through a straw for dental reasons.
“I do that because my dad mentioned that if you do that, you get less sugar on your teeth,” he said. “It’ll go down your pipe quicker and won’t linger on your teeth. I kind of worry about my teeth and cavity issues.”
Mikayla Porter, student, said one of the reasons she frequents the C-Store is because she enjoys talking to the employees. Each time she stops by, she usually buys a bag of Goldfish and a can of Arizona Tea, peach flavor.
“I like going in there because they have really fun people to talk to and everybody there is really positive,” Porter said. “If I ever need advice on something they give me advice, and the food’s good too. […] Pretty much everything that a convenience store would have is in there.”
Crook estimates around 900 people visit the store daily. He also said the busiest day of the week for the C-Store is Monday, when the food shipment arrives. Crook said it can be challenging to put away all the food items in one day, adding no other day of the week stacks up to Monday.
Despite the many years of being in the workforce under his belt, Crook said he hasn’t worked at another convenience store.
“That may be a good thing; the clerks get shot at a lot outside of JCCC,” he said. “This is a great conve¬nience store to work at.”
Contact David Hurtado, staff reporter, at dhurtado@jccc.edu