Tuck shop

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A tuck shop is a small, food-selling retailer, found in schools and youth clubs.^[1] It is a term principally used in the UK and Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales^[2] in Australia, and occasionally in other parts of the former British Empire.^[3] In New South Wales the term is interchangeable with the word canteen. When the tuck shop is in a school, it is frequently the only place (other than the school canteen) where monetary transactions can be made. As such, particularly in the UK, they often sell items of stationery too; although food is still their primary source of income and customers. In Australia at both youth clubs and schools the tuck shop is mainly staffed by volunteers from the community, this may include students, parents and in the case of clubs: members.

The term "tuck", meaning food, is slang and probably originates from such phrases as "to tuck into a meal". It is also closely related to the Australian English word "tucker", also meaning food. A tuck shop typically sells confectionery finger-food, such as sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks and so on. In recent years, there have been moves to change to a wider variety of "healthier" foods. In Australia, where the tuck shop will typically be the only source of bought food at the school/club, the menu is more substantial and is more similar to the school dinners provided by the British government.

[edit] Other uses of "tuck shop"

The tuck shop is for many Britons one of a number of especially vivid school memories, and as such it is no surprise that journalists, advertisers and retailers have used the name and image of a tuck shop many times to promote their products, or to promote a nostalgic sense of familiarity. For example:

• Some companies have called sections of their websites or shops "tuck shop"s^[4]
• Some shops have simply called themselves "The Tuck Shop".^[5] One interesting example of this is on Holywell Street in Oxford. On one end of the street, there is "The Tuck Shop", and further down the road there is " The Alternative Tuck Shop" (see photo)
• The term "tuck shop" is used from time to time in media reports, as an easily-identifiable image understood by a large proportion of the British populace^[6]
• Another associated term is "Tuck Shop Arms". This is a somewhat derogatory term which refers to arms with little or no tricep tone^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Healthy tuck shops

As part of the UK government's recent promotion of healthy eating as part of healthy lifestyle, the role of tuck shops in schools has come under increasing scrutiny. As such, national,^[7] regional^[8] and local^[9] government has been strongly promoting the idea of "healthy" tuck shops. There has also been charity and voluntary sector involvement.^[10] To some, this means providing healthier types of the same goods (for example using brown bread instead of white, selling milk and fruit juice instead of fizzy drinks and rice cakes and crackers instead of crisps).^[11] This model has become very popular in many schools in the UK. Some groups have advocated going even further and creating a "fruit tuck shop".^[12][13] These have been less popular, primarily due to a perceived drop in revenue and the generally tight state of funding in the UK education system at present, although this may change in the future.

[edit] References