How the Griff Made Its Comeback

Photo Credit: Kathy West Rivera

The Griff, Hamber’s school store, has kicked off the year stronger than ever, returning with increased popularity, new menu items, and a new teacher-sponsor supporting the team. 

“I think The Griff has expanded a lot since last year,” said Co-President Renee Kwok (12). The store has been selling products to students for over three decades. Although it took a break after COVID-19, the store has been open for the past three years. The Griff’s major growth in popularity is likely due to many different factors, from a wider product selection to updated systems. It also changed its core merchandise strategy, moving away from strictly “healthy” items toward products that better match student demand and maximize profit. “This time last year, we were only selling healthier products, and we had maybe like five items,” said Kwok. “Now we have a much bigger selection, including cup noodles—and on Wednesdays [...] we sell pizza.” The Griff has also invested in a new coffee machine, which has been especially popular with teachers.

The store also upgraded its systems and staffing. With a new card terminal, The Griff now accepts credit cards, moving away from being cash-only, making purchases easier for both customers and workers at The Griff.

The Griff also expanded its student staff team, hiring more volunteers to help manage increased business and keep operations running smoothly. “We also obviously brought in a lot of new people. This time last year, we had like four to five people, but now we have like 10 regular people and eight executives,” said Kwok.

Changes in staffing also include several shifts in teacher-sponsors as well. After several transitions, Mr. R. Lam (Business Education) now serves as the Griff’s teacher sponsor, helping guide the store through a year of rapid growth.

However, the Griff’s growth has also come with its own challenges. With a growing team, there is more confusion around shifts and responsibilities, especially on Wednesdays when serving pizza. “I think we really need to work on communicating now because the team is so big, and sometimes you don’t know where somebody is,” said Kwok. 

Another challenge for the store is availability, since the team is largely made up of grade 12 students. “We can’t really commit to the same schedule as before [...] because classes are a lot more important to us now,” said Kwok. For this reason, The Griff doesn’t operate on Fridays, unlike its earlier five-day-a-week schedule. 

Students at the Griff have also made changes to how they source products. In earlier years, the team went to buy products themselves in person, which was difficult. This year, the school store shifted towards purchasing items online, from retailers such as Walmart or Amazon. While ordering products online saves time for the team, it is still effort-heavy. “We do like a lot of planning and finding out [...] what kind of products do Hamber Students like?” said Kwok. “Some people don’t realize that we have to go to the store ourselves to get the food.”

In the future, The Griff is planning on expanding even more. Healthier food may return, due to feedback from Griff customers. “I think the main goal now is to get more healthy stuff, but at the same time some things that students will like,” Kwok commented.

The Griff is also planning for an event during the Midtown Showdown, due to their great success last year.