Student leaders have begun working on a savings club that would allow students to nab deals by flashing their university ID cards, but local businesses already teeming with student patrons seem lukewarm on the idea.

Student Government Association Senior Vice President Brandon Cuffy is leading the push to create a Student Savings Club, which he said he hopes to establish by creating partnerships with up to 50 stores near the campus.

Because lower prices would draw in more customers, Cuffy said, businesses should be willing to participate in the program. But local shop owners aren’t yet sold on the idea.

A number of local stores already offer substantial deals for students toting their ID cards, and many business owners said handing out extra discounts would not necessarily lead to an increased profit.

“I already give out mad student discounts,” said Vito Riccio, the owner of Vito’s Pizzeria. “We pretty much cater to the students already. Personally, I don’t think that would benefit us in any way.”

Chris Warren, College Park’s economic development coordinator, said local shops, already forced to set low prices to attract student business, would be unlikely to offer further discounts.

“I think business owners would argue that there is already tremendous competition, which keeps prices down in College Park,” Warren wrote in an e-mail. “Outside of Prince George’s County (Silver Spring, Bethesda, DC) you can expect to pay double for what you pay for at restaurants in College Park. At the same time the rents and other costs are the same in all of these places.”

Collegiate Services Inc., the company that would negotiate discounts with each store, has plenty of experience dealing with national franchises, Cuffy said, noting it may be easier to attract some of the chain stores in College Park to get on board than reaching agreements with individually owned businesses.

The company has instated a Student Savings Club at 55 schools in the United States. To understand how to make a student savings program effective, Cuffy said he spoke with student leaders at other campuses that already had such a program. He determined the best way to make sure the club flourishes at the university would be to increase student awareness.

“The main thing that some of them lacked was advertising, and that led to the programs not being as fruitful,” he said of unsuccessful programs.

At this stage, Cuffy and other SGA members are working to create a list of the stores they would like to participate in the Student Savings Club, including Chipotle, CVS, Smoothie King and Ratsie’s.

“It will be everything from tacos to tires,” Cuffy said.

SGA representatives are being asked to contribute, and the most popular businesses will take priority on the 50-slot list. Once the list is finalized, the SGA will hand it over to Collegiate Services Inc., which will work to reach a deal with each business regarding the discount students will receive. If businesses agree, the final result should be a wide range of stores that offer student discounts, accompanied by a website listing each contributing store to keep students informed, Cuffy said.

Some local shop owners, such as Mike Falamoun of Ratsie’s, said discounts would bring in more business and welcomed the idea of a savings club.

“Absolutely, we would give students discounts,” he said.

Although the process is still under way, Cuffy said he expects the program may be ready by the end of the fall semester.

“It is something we’re trying to work on, trying to make perfect … so that years and decades from now, even when our children go to College Park, they can reap the benefits of the program we’re setting up,” he said.

meehan at umdbk.com