Vendors who run kiosks outside Lu Valle Commons have been temporarily suspended so that UCLA Store management can revamp the presentation of their merchandise, UCLA Store officials said.
The vendors, who sell posters, jewelry, sunglasses and other items, have been gone since Feb. 2.
Patrick Healey, UCLA Store general merchandise director, said store management would be reconsidering its standards regarding kiosk size and placement, the tables and tents used and the products sold. There are currently no specific plans to enforce changes to the merchandise.
According to store management, the suspension was issued because the kiosks were disorganized and impeded traffic.
The suspension only applies to vendors operating near Lu Valle. Ackerman vendors are expected to return on Monday.
Healey said the kiosks are currently problematic because they create bottlenecks in the area, and said he wants them to be more consistent and confined so that they appear more professional and do not cause traffic.
“We want great presentation so that the shopping experience is good for the campus community as well as for the vendors that we’re partnering with,” Healey said.
The vendors will not be gone indefinitely, and store officials expect them to return in late March.
Bob Williams, executive director of Associated Students UCLA, said management would like to see the vendors better organized.
But students had mixed reactions to the university’s decision.
Max Kuo, a graduate student in architecture, said he had not noticed the vendors impeding traffic.
“Whatever traffic there was didn’t seem to be a problem,” he said.
And Olivia Cuarteron, a psychology student and ASUCLA employee, said she believes the vendors added to the campus aesthetic. “I liked having something to walk by and look at while walking through campus,” she said.
But first-year Omolara Abode said she was not concerned with the vendors’ absence. “I didn’t really notice that they were gone and I don’t really care either,” she said.
According to Healey, the vendors are required to conform to UCLA’s terms and must obtain a state reseller’s license and proof of liability insurance before selling on campus.
Healey said UCLA Store management plans to contact vendors with more specific information about the changes later in the week.