Like many other students, I take advantage of the various vending machines around campus. They serve me well when I forget to eat or pack a snack, and I don’t have the time or appetite to eat real food.
My Tuesdays are hectic to say the least. I’m in class for five hours, and I end my day with a public speaking lecture from 5-7:45 pm. I scheduled breaks in my day to get work done, but there’s really no space for meals. So I usually grab something to eat from a vending machine because I really don’t enjoy eating fruit from my backpack that late into the day.
In short, I rely on these machines. I expect them to be stocked, reasonably priced, and to take cash or card. This past week, I was failed by 260 Victoria’s third-floor vending machines. I headed to the vending machine in desperate need of Cheez-Its and a Diet Pepsi. They are not my favorites, but in my time of hunger, I find them necessary. Just enough food so I can make it through my evening double lecture class.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t read my debit card at all – I had to break out cash. If I didn’t have this cash or did not have time to find food, I would go hungry, which is not a national travesty or anything, but it’s annoying. I don’t think I should have to work that hard for a bag of chips or a soft drink. These are pick-me-ups that I obviously don’t utilize every day, but when I do utilize them, it’s handy to have them work properly.
There are obvious improvements that could be made to the general vending machines’ setup at Rowan, besides the obvious ones. While RowanCard claims that you can use a RowanCard and subsequently Rowan Bucks on vending machines, every time I’ve tried it has failed. Unlike the printers, it doesn’t have a separate reader or any acknowledgment that I have tapped a card, nor does it state that it accepts Rowan Bucks.
To test this out, I tried the vending machine in James Hall to see if it would accept my student ID. It did not. I tried tapping, inserting, and swiping to pay for my Harvest Cheddar SunChips. Nonetheless, I took out my card and paid for my Frito-Lay product.
One thing I wish could be implemented into the vending machines is taking Rowan Bucks, and if there is a miraculous machine I have yet to find that takes Rowan Bucks, it should be the standard.
Another implementation Rowan can make is making a map of all vending machines on the property. While they might be by the bathrooms or printer of a building, it’s not a guarantee that they’re on every floor or even in every building. I think creating a map for machine locations would be in the best interest of Rowan if the money went back to them through Rowan Bucks. It’s also generally bad to have ‘hangry’ college students roaming around.
After all, Rowan vending machines are not just for junk food; they’re not just for Swedish Fish and Doritos in these vending machines. They also sell protein bars as a healthier snack alternative, as well as tampons and Tylenol. I think it’s good to have over-the-counter medication and feminine hygiene products in a convenient vending machine. However, the convenience is ruined if the machine does not take the money or won’t read my card.
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