Circle K is not OK

Milan Gdowski and Rogan Oakes • September 22, 2023

Another way Circle K attemps to price gouge its customers is by covering up the iconic 99 cent label on every can of Arizona it sells with its own logo.

Circle K is one of the most common places for the students of Boulder High to get a quick drink or snack when they have freetime during the school day. It is so popular amongst the students of Boulder High that they have had to institute the infamous 5 student at a time rule at both of their closest locations last year. Despite its popularity, if you are a frequent customer of one of these gas stations you may have noticed the suspicious prices for all of the food and drink items.

It’s not unusual that the prices for common items will vary slightly from store to store, but Circle K takes it to a whole new level. A comparison between the Circle K adjacent to Boulder High and other stores reveals significant markups on inexpensive common items. In fact, many items at their store next to our school are more expensive than the ones at the store on Canyon avenue just a block away. When comparing prices of common items, we found that the vast majority of candy and sweets at the Circle K next to Boulder High is priced at 10 cents more than the exact same items at the Circle K on Canyon Avenue.

Prices at the Circle K’s on Arapaho Avenue are also higher than other gas stations in the Central Boulder Area. Compared to the Phillips 66 Gas station on 28th Street, the average full size candy bar in Circle K has a 10% markup. These price differences may seem small, but compounded over time it can translate to a lot of money. This price increase in the store next to the school amounts to a noticeable markup and predatory pricing on unsuspecting Boulder High Students.

Many students at our school are already aware of this trend. When asked if Circle K is overpriced, Beau Dunbar, ‘26 said, “I think the candy bars are very expensive and they could be a lot cheaper, like 3 dollars and 30 cents for just a milky way is kind of outrageous.” Joey Hareema, ‘25 said, “Yes, [the prices] are very high. That is why I get free stuff, it is very convenient,” referring to the Circle K app and website where you can occasionally win free prizes. Nina Scholnik, ‘27 defied the trend, saying that most items are “reasonably priced” but that “one of their drinks is 4 dollars” referring to the gatorade.

When you actually compare the pricing statistics of Circle K compared to a normally priced store such as Safeway, you will find that the candy bars as well as other items are well under the Circle K prices. Comparatively, 3 of the most popular brands of candy in America (Hershey, Kit Kat, and M&Ms) all displayed exceptionally increased prices. A Hershey’s bar in Safeway costs $1.79 while the same product at Circle K costs $3.29. This amounts to an 84% price disparity. Similarly, a king size Kit Kat is $3.29 at Circle K while it is only $2.00 at Safeway, a 65% increase in price. A small packet of M&Ms is also priced higher at Circle K by 83%, from $1.25 to $2.29. These price discrepancies mean that a Boulder High student who buys just one item from Safeway every week will save around $60 dollars over the course of a year, a significant difference for such a small purchase.

Overall we have found that all items at Circle K are more expensive than the vast majority of stores in the region, with many items receiving scandalous markups. Even though Circle K is an international corporation, it has higher prices than most small businesses and other chain stores in Boulder. This all leads to the grim conclusion that Circle K’s business strategy in its stores around Boulder High depends on price gouging our fellow students to increase their own profits. Our advice is to avoid gas stations in general, and if you do ever want to buy a drink or snack, think twice before shopping at Circle K.

About the Contributors

Milan Gdowski, Writer

Milan Gdowski is a senior attending both Boulder High School and Boulder Tec, where he hopes to become a Criminal Investigator as well as an Investigative Journalist. He has remained committed to writing for The Owl for a second year in a row, even as BVSD scheduling rules have tried to push him out of the class. Milan has written and contributed to many well-received articles in The Owl about differing controversial topics, including the price gouging of students at Circle K, the evils of Instagram, the decline of BVSD, and the alleged cult that started the Marshall fire. He often shares the brunt of the work by investigating and writing stories with his fellow trusted journalist, Rogan Oakes. Outside of journalism, Milan is a crew member and actor for the BHS theater department who starred in 2 Black Box plays at the same time last year, a stressful experience he never wants to repeat. When too stressed out, Milan finds solace by spending hours watching pools of water as a lifeguard for the City of Boulder. He also finds ways to enjoy the water by swimming and surfing at the beach, although he also likes lying in the sand and reading mystery novels. Milan’s favorite beverage is Arizona Iced Tea, which he likes just like his grapes: in the green variety.

Rogan Oakes, Writer

Rogan Oakes is a senior at Boulder High and a writer for the Boulder High Owl. This is his second year writing for The Owl, and he intends to write more groundbreaking articles containing investigative journalism. Some of his target articles, as he's shown in the past, include infiltrating cults and exposing wrongdoings of local businesses. The investigations are anything but easy without his fellow journalist Milan Gdowski. Outside of the newspaper, Rogan encourages students to go check out Boulder High's theater performances, where he will be acting or helping with Front of House. When he's not participating in a school activity, Rogan enjoys skiing and hiking in the company of his family and friends. You can often find him working at his dojo teaching children how to effectively attack each other. He also teaches them the importance of preferring green grapes over red ones due to their superior texture and flavor. Some of Rogan's other activities are going out to Minnesota for fishing, family, and camping. To him, the outdoors are a necessity, and he can't live without them.