By Trevor Rabone
For the Daily Titan

The Hungry Titan convenience store, located by Cal State Fullerton’s dorms, usually had a welcoming door open to CSUF students, staff and faculty but is now empty, citing losses as the reason for its closure. The walls are bare, the racks are empty and the refrigerators are vacant and unplugged.

The Hungry Titan has closed for business. Photo courtesy of Trevor Rabone

The store sold a variety of items including snacks, office supplies, Titan apparel and Scantrons.

As the dorm residents’ nearest source for any of those items, its loss has left the Titan Shops Bookstore as the closest alternative.

The store was estimated to be losing $20,000 per year, stated Chuck Kissel, Titan Shops director, in an e-mail. Kissel estimated it would take twice the amount of on-campus residents to be profitable.

“The Hungry Titan had been losing money for the past several years, and in the existing economic climate (despite the services provided), the losses simply could not be absorbed any longer,” Kissel stated.

Despite the convenience of the store to an on-campus resident, there have not been any complaints or concerns submitted to Titan Shops staff from students or faculty about its closure.

However, some students and faculty wish that the store wouldn’t have closed.

Matthew Welsh, 19, a sophomore business major believes the store was a great addition to the campus.

“I went to The Hungry Titan often, as I had classes in the (Ruby Gerontology Center) and in the Computer Science buildings. It was a very short walk from those spots,” Welsh said. “It was nice to have somewhere close to be able to get a Scantron for a test or a drink to walk back to my apartment with.”

Although Titan Shops has not received complaints about the closure, the CSUF Housing and Residence Life Office has.

Jennifer Chang, administrative assistant for CSUF Housing and Residence Life, said the store closing is an inconvenience for students, residents and the housing office staff.

“It is an inconvenience for all of us,” Chang said. “Now it is a far walk to either Langsdorf Hall or to the bookstore.”

The store also sold envelopes and stamps, something that is a problem now for residents wanting to send mail.

Kissel said that the store is closed indefinitely and plans to reopen are pending.

“It has been estimated that the store would need twice the number of on-campus residents to be profitable” Kissel said. “It is anticipated that the Hungry Titan could sustain itself with 1,000 more dorm residents.”

The new residence halls are planned to be able to hold 1,064 more residents, more than doubling the current 800 on-campus residents and is planned to be completed in July 2011.