This article is a part of The Daily Gamecock's annual April Fools' Day issue. It is not real.
The CarolinaCard has officially been taken off campus and is set to launch today. The student debit card can now be used for all Gamecock shopping expenditures.
Local businesses such as Cool Beans, Yoghut and Natural Vibrations are all welcoming the extra business the CarolinaCard option will bring.
Students can also use their Carolina Cash to buy drinks at Five Points bars including Bey's, Grandma's, Sharky's and Pour House.
"Thirsty Thursdays will never be the same," said Edwin Quest, a fifth-year sports management student. "I don't have to use my own money to buy girls drinks anymore. I can just spend the money my parents put on my CarolinaCard for the textbooks I never bought at the beginning of the year."
The bar owners are looking forward to the additional student customers. Before bar-goers were restricted to cash, debit and credit payments only. Now a student simply needs his or her fake ID — if not of legal drinking age — and CarolinaCard to go downtown.
After a night in Five Points, students can then use their CarolinaCards to prove their legitimacy as a USC student and get a free ride home with the Student
Government-sponsored Carolina Cab. Students can now tip these drivers with their CarolinaCards.
"It makes partying and chivalry so much easier," Quest said. "Now not only can I smashed, I can tip the bartender and the cab driver, too."
Online shopping is expected to increase across campus as the CarolinaCard expands to popular sites such as eBay, Amazon and iTunes.
While students are up until 2 a.m. studying for exams, they can buy music by logging on to VIP, clicking the "iTunes NOW" button and selecting "Buy Music with CarolinaCard."
"I am so excited to buy Rebecca Black's 'Friday' with my Carolina Cash," Lauren Sandly, a first-year fashion merchandising student, said. "I've been watching the song on YouTube for free, but now I can actually buy it and have it in my iTunes to play whenever I want."
Gamecocks everywhere — faculty, students and alumni — are rejoicing now that they can spend their coveted Carolina Cash wherever they desire.
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