How dumb to suggest pre-drinks - that only makes the student already tanked up before the evening starts.
Actually in my day, supermarkets couldn't beat the Student Union for drinks, but we lived well on our student grants in those days, by pooling resources and cooking at home. It was easy to manage until I got a car, which even though it only cost 5 pounds ended up eating my surplus cash in fuel and repairs etc.
Still they were great days