The on-campus vending machines have seen a refresh with the start of the new school year. The addition of new food and drink items have increased options for students. However, the changes have come at a cost with some items seeing up to a 67% increase in price. Senior Daniel Spurny comments.
“I have a rift with the price. The price is horrible. I feel like I’m getting soaked every time I go and try to buy something,” Spurny said, “It is appalling. I’m borderline offended.”
Even though some students disagree with the increase in price, some think the up charge is worth it.
“The snacks have gotten kind of expensive but there are better items now,” sophomore Caroline Piller said. “I normally go to the vending machines three times a week.”
The students’ most preferred choices at the vending machine varied. For his favorite items, Spurny lists “Milky Way bar, followed by M&Ms and probably a Minute Maid lemonade.” Nerds Gummy Clusters and powdered doughnuts were also preferred items. The vending machines are a common stop as students frequent them anywhere from once a week to several times a day.
“I feel like the vending machines have a monopoly on snacks on campus, so as much as I would not like to go to the vending machine often, I’m forced to,” Spurny said.
The new vending machine locations in the McCallie-Kennedy Student Center have made snacks more accessible for students. There are still machines in the front of Wilcox, but there are less of them, and the cold food items are located in the student center. There were formerly vending machines in the math hall, but those were removed.
“I think that they are good because they are in the student center, that’s a good place to go instead of walking all the way to the other side of the school,” sophomore Zaiden Simpson said.
The location change is bittersweet for some students as some previous vending locations were removed.
“I think it is good to have some in the student center but I miss the ones in the math hall because then the closest one is all the way in Wilcox,” Piller said.
Other existing locations on campus are commonly used by students seeking refreshments, such as two in the Huffman Athletic Center
“Having vending machines in the gym is good for getting a drink after practice,” Simpson said.
The new vending machines brought new locations, new items, and new student opinions. The increase in price across the vending machine items has caused controversy among students.
“Fix the prices or we’re gonna riot, we’re gonna stand up and riot,” Spurny said.