On opposite sides of The Green in New Haven, Connecticut are shops known for their frozen yogurt with toppings, ranging from chocolate chips to granola.
Given the burst of wonderful weather, they're known even more widely. That means that Yale Law Students might get caught in the Frozen Yogurt Wars. Should they fill up at Roly Poly on 129 Church Street or at Froyo World at 46 High Street.
The prices at the two are about the same. For what would constitute a double serving of frozen yogurt with toppings probably runs the consumer about four bucks. With the good weather, most of those I've observed bellying up to the yogurt bar are either ordering or mixing their own double.
The difference is if consumers prefer to be served or serve themselves.
At Roly Poly, a jolly guy who seems ready to break into song and dance and a young woman with milky white skin and maroon hair operate the front counter. There we put in our order and one of them fills it. Me? I relish being served. It's an affordable luxury, the way we view the stop-off at Starbucks. In addition, I enjoy the performance art of the front counter at Roly Poly. I don't know if the owners Barbara and Ed Winkler orchestrated the yogurt staging that way or not. But it works as experience economy.
At Froyo World, there's self service for a number of flavors of yogurt and for a number of toppings. The serving cups are large so it's assumed we'll go heavy on both. Up at the register, a smiling Asian guy weighted mine today [Roly Poly is closed on the weekends] and I forked out a little over four dollars. He might have been so chipper because, I overheard, he was hooking up with his girlfriend post-shift.
Both shops have tip jars. In both, they are full.
If Yale students are observing legal proceedings at Superior Court in New Haven, they would probably opt for Roly Poly because of the proximity. The experience of being served could also make them feel better about the world.
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